16 month update

Happy 16 months!  I'm still amazed every day by how quickly you are learning and growing!

Some things about you at 16 months:

*You like to help throw your dirty diapers away.  You just started doing it on your own one day.  When we finish a diaper change you'll get up, pick up the dirty diaper, and walk it over to the trash can and wait for me to open it then you'll toss it in.
*You like to play with stickers.  I first bought some a couple months ago but you weren't interested.  You found the stickers a couple weeks ago and suddenly decided they were so much fun to play with.  You'll bring the sticker pad over to me because you can't peel them off yourself.
*You like to try to get the pups to chase you around and then you'll giggle like crazy.
*You've learned the art of "gasping" with surprise and delight and do it constantly.  It's so silly and dramatic!
*If you catch sight of a toy or something hiding underneath furniture, you understand now that you need to crouch down and look underneath to find it, rather than just poking at it until it pushes back out of sight.
*Everything is a phone.  The remotes are the most common, but anything will do.  You'll hold it up behind your ear and walk around saying "hewwo? oodis? (who's this) dada?"
*You like to "hide" things behind your back, and have also learned the "fakeout" - offering us something then when we reach out for it, pulling it away and giggling
*You have tooth #4 and 5!  They both came in around October 30th.  Both on the top.  The 4th one was the other middle one (on the right).  Because you don't let us touch your mouth when you're teething, we didn't even know about tooth #5 (other side of middle left tooth) until I saw it when I was brushing your teeth!  It was the same length as #4 so they must have come through at the same time - no wonder you were so fussy!
*You say no to EVERYTHING, even things you actually want!  All the books say this is just your way of asserting yourself the only way you know how.  So I just offer you things and ignore your verbal no, waiting for you to instead pull it close or push it away.
*You love to help me unload the silverware tray in the dishwasher.  You'll hand me each item one by one and I'll put them in the proper drawer.  It takes forever, but I think it's worth it.
*You like to sing along with me.  If I start singing you'll sing "doodoo, doodoo" with me.
*You now hold your arms out and tug on our pants when you want to be picked up.
*You've figured out how to pull your socks off, and it's a miracle if you keep them on for any length of time.  I'm hopeful that as it gets colder you'll realize the value of keeping them on.
*You have several new words.  My favorite is "please" which you also sign as you say it.  Other words are amen, hello (hewwo), this (dis), cheese, and again (nanen)

Halloween 2012

 

We have a Halloween tradition.  Every year for the last 4 years (as long as we've both been married and in the same state) we have spent Halloween with Uncle Peter and Aunt Rachel.  They always come to our house, originally because we had more trick-or-treaters.  Aunt Rachel makes a delicious stew cooked inside of a pumpkin, and we make caramel apples coated with candy bar pieces.  Thankfully we've been able to keep up this tradition both these last years, with a newborn you and then this year a newborn Lydia. 

 

 

This year you dressed up as Bam-Bam from the Flinstones.  I wanted to make Pocket a Dino costume, but I ran out of time, so both the puppies were "ferocious" saber-tooth tigers with the leftover material from your costume.  Lydia was an adorable ladybug and I told Callie she could join your pack and be a panther.

 

 

At one point Rachel propped Lydia up in the corner of the couch and suddenly you weren't content to sit on my lap anymore.  You crawled right over and planted yourself down next to Lydia.  I'm so glad that you adore her!  (The whole night was a lot of excitement so you ran out of steam fast which is why I let you have your binkie even though you never have it anymore except for when you're sleeping.  You ended up going to bed right after this.)

 

 

I should mention a story from earlier in the day.  We babysat Lydia for a few hours while Rachel was at work.  When it was her naptime she was so tired but she wouldn't go to sleep.  So I used an old trick from when you were a baby - I put her in the travel system, covered her up, and let you push her all around the kitchen until she fell asleep.  You were such a good boy and were quiet while you pushed her.  You sure do love helping with Lydia (until you get jealous, anyway - after all you're still very much a baby yourself!).  You'll make a great big brother some day!

 

 

Baby Model

Apparantly you think you're a little underwear model.
Another reason why I love having a little boy - superhero nappies!

Pumpkinland 2012

I only have one picture from last year's Pumpkinland trip, but here is the link.

 

If two years in a row makes a tradition, then I guess we've got one started! Another trip to Pumpkinland with Jaxon and his mommy!  You had so much more fun than last year, and next year will be even more fun when you're a little bigger and can play in the activities.  You had fun playing in the pumpkins, but the biggest surprise was how obsessed you were with all the animals!  You just kept gasping and running from cage to cage to chat with the chickens and goats.  I had a hard time tearing you away!