{Watch Me Grow} 16 Months

Milestones/New Developments:
Not a lot of new developments to report this month. He's just continuing to keep us on our toes :)

 Eating:
He continues to love pasta. He would eat shells and cheese for every meal right now.

Language:
I kind of failed in this department with all the chaos going on this month.


Sleeping:
He has continued with his great sleeping since being done with the bottle! He still takes his 2 naps a day and sleeps all night. All night means 7:30-6(at the latest) but usually in the 5-5:30 range. I wish he'd sleep longer, but it sure beats all the getting up during the night and I'll take it!


Events/Traveling:
Visit from the Jones'

 

Ha Ha Tonka State Park - He continues to dislike riding long distances in the car so he made it a fun trip. Ha!

Skipped rocks/started to walk in the Roubidioux Creek in Waynesville

Attended Daddy's farewell ceremony and lunch. As soon as it ended and the receiving line started, he made a mad dash for Jack. I guess he wanted to be in on the action. It was pretty cute!

 

Play date with friends and water! We're going to miss the Hintz's; good thing the Burges' are coming with us ! :)

Enjoyed riding on the Cub Cadet with Daddy.

 

Went to the swimming pool/splash pad on post for the first time this summer. He was pretty skeptical at first and finally warmed up to the splash pad. He didn't care for the kiddie pool at all.

He attended many practices and games for Katelyn's t-ball team. Oh the joys of being the younger sibling! She'll probably never get drug to his practices.

 

And finally  for this busy month - packed and moved to Leavenworth, KS. He wasn't always the most helpful, but at least he got a little fun out of it.

And our new house has stairs and we can't keep this little guy off of them! Fortunately, it has a gate at the bottom that is attached to the wall, but it seems as though he has a little sensor and knows when that gate is open.

Favorite Toys/Books:
He's been super interested in books lately. He'll bring one over and want to crawl up on your lap so you can read it to him. He gets antsy when there are lots of words on the page, but as long as it's not too long he'll mostly sit still.

Caught him in his room reading his books that were about to be packed.

Soda cans also make great stacking toys

And boxes are super fun to play in!

Random Pictures:

He got up at his usual early time and it was Jack's turn to get up with him. After being awake for a couple hours, he just feel asleep sitting in the chair next to Daddy while watching TV.

He stepped on something, and his foot was bleeding pretty bad. And the only bandaids I could find at the moment for Princess ones, so he got to sport them. I guess it's time I get some boy themed ones!

Stats for the month:
~24 pounds
12-18 month clothes
Size 5/6 shoes and sandals
Size 4 diapers
9 teeth

{Watch Me Grow} 15 Months

15 Months!!!!

This is Will's new smiley face. I just love it when he makes this face!

New milestones/Developments:
He got 1 new tooth and now has a complete set in the front ha - 4 on top and 4 on bottom.
He shakes his head back and forth for no, but doesn't do anything for yes yet.
He LOVES dancing. His favorite right now is the theme song to King of the Hill, Wagon Wheel by Darius Rucker, and Joe Diffie by Jason Aldean. He even starts dancing in his carseat if it's a jivin' song. I love watching him get his little bum down low. It's so cute!!!


Language:
Old Words: Momma, Dadda, Ball, Bye-Bye
New words: Tickle
H is starting to try to repeat words that we say. They don't usually sound like it, but he's sure trying.

Eating:
He is picking up in this department. He is getting to the point where he doesn't want to eat any baby food, but I don't feel like he's getting enough from the table so I try to get a little in him each night and then of course he gets what we are eating or bits and pieces of it.

As of last week, he is now completely off of bottles. There was no "weening" off because he was so attached. So I just went cold turkey. It actually went down like this: nap time - crap, all the bottles are in the dishwasher dirty. Here's a sippy cup. Will screamed and refused. Put him down anyways and after a few re-visits to his room he gave in for his nap without a bottle. Repeat at bedtime. He was absolutely NOT a fan of this and fought it tooth and nail. It was obvious that he wasn't hungry before bed and nap times but just wanted his bottle as a "pacifier" because he would refuse to drink any milk from his sippy cups that he drinks fine from at other times of the day. But alas, my baby is no longer one of those "over a year old still on a bottle" babies.


Some fav foods right now: Pickles, pasta, mac and cheese, cucumbers, pretzels, yogurt.

He LOVES pasta and will pretty much eat any kind. I'm not sure that he even chews it. I think it just goes down whole!

He had his first try of a lollipop while waiting for Katelyn at gymnastics. I don't think he was too big of a fan.

Sleeping:
Well we have come a LONG way in this department!! Since taking away the bottle, he has slept through the night all but maybe 1-2 of those nights. He was obviously playing me for a fool and got a bottle out of me when he would wake up at 4-5 am. It was me being lazy and too tired to want to deal with it so a bottle was easier. Since losing the bottle, his bedtime routine has changed a bit. He goes down better when Daddy puts him down. So Daddy sits with him in the rocking chair in his room for a minute, reads him a book, offers the sippy cup (which he usually doesn't want) and then throws him in bed. The first couple of nights he would cry for a while and we had to do the "ferber" method, but that lasted less than a week and we're good to hook now! He goes down around 8 PM and will wake between 6-7 AM. I would love for him to sleep a little later in the morning, but there are no complains because I'm not getting up at 4am anymore!

He still naps in the morning and afternoon for a couple hours.



Travel/Events:
Katelyn's birthday party

 

We went to Kennedy's birthday party in Springfield, the zoo in Springfield with Katelyn's school and David's birthday in St. Louis

Favorite Toys/Books:

Door Stop for the basement sliding glass doors - weird huh!? He likes to drag it around. I guess it's kind of like the broom and since he can't have the broom in the house, it's the next best thing.

BROOMS! I should have put this on his birthday list!  Now when we go outside, he drags the one in the garage all around. Since he can't have the one in the house he has to get his "Broom" time in somewhere! I'm sure the neighbors think we are crazy and need to get this boy some toys or else that we are putting him to work already! ha!

 

The tricycle. One night while outside, he insisted on getting on the trike and wanted to be pushed around. His feet can't quite reach the peddles yet, but it won't be long!

Hairbrushes. He will come into my bathroom and grab any of the brushes he can get his hands on and walk around the house with it. If he's fussing in the car, I can hand him the brush from my purse and he'll brush it through his hair and then play with it and be happy as a clam. He loves when I brush his hair. He will instantly relax and if I'm holding him, he'll start to almost fall asleep.

Swinging! He loves to swing. The last time we were at the park, he wouldn't let me take him out of the swing.

Misc:

He is scared of the grass. I'm not sure if it's the fact that we don't have a plush nice yard and it's a little uneven or what. But he'll refuse to go out in it to get a toy. It's hilarious!

Look at this cute lil outfit! Can you believe those shorts at size 6-9 months from Children's Place. I bought them for last summer and they were HUGE on him and I decided to keep them in his drawer and good thing too. They fit perfectly!

Handsome lil man!

He loved wearing these sunglasses. I'd put them on him, he'd walk away, take them off and then bring them back to me to put back on.

 Stats:

Weight: 23 pounds 12 ounces (38th percentile)
Height: 31.5 inches (60th percentile)
Head Circumference: 19 inches (83rd percentile)

What a fun busy month! I can't believe how fast he is growing up! Slow down little guy!!!

21 Months!

Only 3 more months and my baby isn't going to be such a baby anymore....not that she is currently much of a baby.



Some milestones -

*She has started talking more and more each day. It's always fun to see what she is going to pick up on. Our favorite right now is her version of "beep beeeeep" and chugging the "choo Choo". She calls Jack and I "mommy" and "daddy." The momma and dadda word is long gone.

*She continues to go to "school" 3-4 mornings a week and still LOVES every minute of it. She eats like a champ while she's there, often times asking for "More." I'm sure the workers think that I don't feed her at home, but she just eats so much better when there are other kids eating. No more crying when I drop her off; instead she walks in there like she is queen bee and owns the place. (There aren't many others that come as often as she does to hourly care, so all the workers know her name and make over her. I mean who wouldn't make over her...I think she's pretty darn cute ;)!! )

*She must be re-entering her "eating" phase at home because she is starting to eat a little better. We have about a month of good eating, then a month of bad eating. Hopefully we're entering the good eating month and never exit it!

*She continues to sleep very well at night and takes anywhere from a 2-3 hour nap. I'm sure part of the reason for a good nap in the afternoon is because she's worn out from school in the morning.

*She is infatuated with Dora the Explorer right now. She had been refusing to brush her teeth. I found a Dora toothbrush and problem solved. I'm able to get the brush in her mouth 2 times a day (If mommy can remember!) and she even lets me do it before she has to do it. She thinks she's pretty cool when she "spits" too.

*She's gone potty in the potty a few times, (Our Dora the potty seat is a hit!) but after having 3 accidents in one hour, I realized maybe we weren't quite there yet. Not giving up, but not pushing as hard. This momma was tired of cleaning pee out of the carpet! I'm hopeful that by her birthday we'll be there! Send potty thoughts our way! haha

*She's just so much fun to play with right now. Her doll continues to be her favorite toy - including feeding, putting bib on, and pushing her in the stroller. She's quite the little momma! She's realized that Daddy is pretty cool too and enjoys when he comes home from work at night. (He loves the welcome he gets when he walks in the backdoor!) She likes playing a little rougher with him and of course he enjoys that too. Hearing her laughing hysterically and saying "more" is just precious!

*She's still wearing 18 month clothes. I've began noticing that some of them are starting to get a little small...of course depends on the brand but I definitely think she's growing! She weighs between 24-25 pounds, not sure on the height. A growing girl!!

Guess that's all for now! Before long it'll be 2 years I'll be posting! Where have these years gone?!

Lightweight

Katelyn had her 18 month appt yesterday. The doctor said that she looked great and that she was plugging right along! She was fine with the doctor but didn't care so much for the 5 shots she had to get. She made sure to let us know off and on during the ride home, but once we got home, she must have forgotten because she was her normal self the rest of the day.

She's following right on track to be a lightweight hah! No complaints from me though, but I was guessing she weighed more than she did.

Her stats:
21# 10 oz (~25th%)
31 inches (25th%)

18 Months

I can not believe I'm typing this post. Where has my baby gone?! :(

Katelyn was 18 months old yesterday! I do miss my baby but each new stage she moves into is SO much fun. I love hearing her say new words and try new things on her own. Her vocabulary is starting to grow, day by day.

She LOVES going to "School" every other morning. When I say "Are you ready to go to school?" She replies "YEAH!!!" She used to cry when I dropped her off and cry when I picked her up, refuse to eat lunch and just be miserable there. But for the past couple of weeks, she is so excited to go. When we walk in the room, she runs off to play, eats and eats and eats their lunch (3 helpings some days, and yes I do feed this child at home!) and loves when they go outside to play. I have started noticing how much she is picking up from "school" too. I'm not sure how much they work with her on things but the things she is learning are definitely ones I didn't teach her. They have a strict hand washing policy, so she has become quite the hand washer. No complaints here! Taking her to "school" has probably been one of the best things I could have done for her. She is still a big mommy's girl, but being around all the other kids and being told what to do by other adults is something that I think all kids need to be exposed to!

She has improved a thousand times on her eating. She used to be a rather picky eater or so I thought, but now she is much more willing to give food a try. She's quite the lil meat eater - I'd say that may be one of her favorite things! She does eat better at school than she does for me at home; I'm sure having all the other kids around her eating is a good influence. Or maybe it's because she eats SO much at school she's not hungry for dinner at night --- who knows!

She is still a great sleeper and sleeps for 12-13 hours each night, goes down without any problems and rarely needs me to go in during the night. A huge change from her old sleeping habits of an infant.

She loves being outside and would probably live out there if we let her!





We LOVE you so much pretty girl and you'll always be Mommy's baby!

11 Months

Once again, I find myself saying over and over...How?!? How did my little baby get to be so big already!? I don't want to be celebrating her 1st birthday :( I want her to stay my little baby. Even though I am loving every minute of watching her figure out new things, I still think back to when we brought her home from the hospital the first day and thinking that her 1st birthday was an eternity away. That eternity is almost over!


My little photogenic girl is gone.
This one in the pictures doesn't want to sit still long enough for me to get her picture!
She has places to be and things to do!


Katelyn found the plastic container cabinet.
She "blessed" all my containers!

Happy 11 Months Beautiful!!

10 Months

Another monthly update. Katelyn's now 10 months old. I can't believe that I'll be saying she's 1 in only 2 months! Geez!!!

She seems to have grown into a big girl this past month! She is getting closer to drinking from a sippy cup, but she's just not sure she wants to make that big step yet! After buying several different kinds of cups, I think we may have found one that she likes. She's finally started picking up cheerios, puffs, and other little snack things but isn't so sure about baby food that has "chunks" in it or other "big girl" foods. One of these days she'll realize what she's missing!

We "ferberized" her while Jack was home on R&R and so far so good. *Knocking on wood* She now goes down for her naps and to bed without being rocked and if she wakes up in the middle of the night she goes right back to sleep. No more middle of the night snacks. It feels so good to get a full nights sleep!

She is a crawling machine and is walking around furniture like it's no ones business. She is letting go of things and able to stand for several seconds before falling down. Maybe walking by 1?!?

I have enrolled her at the CDC (Child Development Center) on post in the hourly care area. She went one day and didn't do the best but the lady assured me that all the other little ones acted the same way (cried off and on) until they got used to the environment. She is going 3 days this week and everyday next week for a couple hours each morning. I'm hoping she adjusts before too long and doesn't pitch a fit when she goes. I'm planning on continuing to take her after she gets the hang of it for a couple mornings each week so she can have interaction with all the other little kiddos....and so I can have a few free hours :)

Katelyn being a goof ball

She has gotten much harder to "photograph." The days of smiling and getting excited when the camera comes out are over I'm afraid. :( She doesn't want to sit still now; I think she's thinking "Mom, come on...get out of the way. I have other more important things to do!"

I love this stage and can't wait to see what she will pick up tomorrow! Each day is so fun!

We hope everything is going well for you all and happy that Spring is right around the corner!! :)

9 months

Katelyn was 9 months old on Saturday. I say the same thing everyone other mom says...."already?!? Where have the last 9 months gone to??"

She is crawling like crazy and getting into things. I am loving this stage though; she is definitely much happier with her new found freedom. Although, she still likes to hang on mommy! I guess she'll always be a mommy's girl. She has started to pull up to things. She hasn't taken too many steps around things but I think this is just around the "corner." She has said "mama" and is starting to babble "dadda." She is still a pretty good eater and starting to pick up little pieces of food herself. Ohh the progress in one short month, it really is amazing to me!

On a sour not, She has regressed in the sleeping department but I'm hoping that we can fix that sooner rather than later! We have had lots of transitioning going on lately so I'm sure that isn't helping matters any.



We didn't have a 9 month doctors appt so here are her rough stats from home:
17.0#
28.25 inches



Her monthly photos are getting more difficult to take. She is more interested in the number that is hanging over her head than paying attention to the camera - unusual huh?!



We are enjoying being back "home" but really miss our family in KS and MO. Hopefully we'll make it back again this summer!

8 months

Another month has come and gone. Katelyn is sure growing up fast. She is working on the crawling thing, sleeping MUCH better at night, eats any kind of baby food fed to her and has 2 bottom teeth.



Her rough stats:

~17 pounds and 27 inches long

Happy 8th Month Birthday baby girl!