Wyatt: 15 months

For some reason it feels like an eternity since the last monthly update. We hadn't been home from our trip to Utah for long, and that seems like ages ago. I'm not sure why, except that maybe this month has been so full of changes. Not major milestones like crawling or walking, well, wait. Maybe. But more so it's been the small subtle changes that have made a huge impact, and make it seem like suddenly he is a toddler. Not a baby.

The last two weeks have changed him so much - things just clicked in his little brain. He added words to his list of ever-growing tricks. His first word, his first real word, was ball. More like, "BAAAAAoooooooooowwwwww". His inflection is sort of adorable. And now everything even remotely round is a ball. The produce section of the grocery store is just one huge ball. The limes on our countertop are balls. Balloons are balls. Rocks are balls. Ball is the word of the day around here. It's either ball or car. My sister gave him a bunch of matchbox cars for Christmas and I keep them in a bin in his toy cabinet. He gets it out every morning and says "cah!" as he shows me each one, with the same enthusiasm the entire time. He points out the cars as we're driving, and loves to point at the cars in the parking lot.  He says hot, or "haw!" at anything on the stove, and I'm hoping he'll soon understand what that means. He tries to say binki, which is just "ki". 

He understands so much. If I tell him it's time to feed Bear, he walks over to the laundry room door and waits. He'll walk into our bedroom if I tell him it's time to change his diaper. He knows where the crackers are, and insistently signs and tries to open the cabinet door when he wants one, which is about every 5 minutes. His most favorite phrase ever is "let's go bye-bye". He races to the front door on his tip toes, giggling. He can't wait to get out that door.

Once out, he doesn't really care where we go. To the park, the grocery store, Costco, the mall, everything is an adventure. I was reading an email today from Baby Center about his growth, and it said that running errands would be a challenge at this age, with all sorts of tantrums, arched backs, and screams. I'm lucky. That hasn't happened. Sure, he gets tired of sitting in the stroller or shopping cart, but he's never thrown a tantrum.

Knock on wood.

We are officially down to one nap a day. It was a fairly easy transition, easier than I expected. We just went for it, and though it's been hit or miss, some days only an hour, others three, overall it's been good. Getting ready in the morning isn't as easy, I basically lock him out of the bathroom with toys and some kid show on TV (that may be more for my peace of mind than for him) and shower as quickly as possible. The only casualty so far has been a box of tissues. Not too shabby.

If Wyatt had to choose one food to eat for the rest of his life, it would be raisins. Gold or dark, he doesn't care. I discovered this at church, as he stood by another mother for about 10 minutes begging for every raisin in her tupperware. He pops as many as he can in his mouth and reaches for more before he's even started chewing. I have to be careful about how many I let him have, because his other love is grapes. So. It makes for interesting diapers.

Despite all the crackers and grapes and raisins and macaroni and cheese and pancakes, he's still little. His 15 month check up put him in the 22% for height, and only 2% for weight, weighing in at 19.4 lbs. He's been in size 3 diapers for as long as I can remember, and it doesn't seem we'll be switching any time soon. I'm having a hard time finding pants that fit for him, the 6-12 month size fit okay for length, but are too big on his waist. I've been searching for pants with an adjustable waist, but can't seem to find any under size 2T. So he's wearing 3 -6 month pants and 12 month tops. Thankfully it's almost short season, and we won't have to worry about pant length very much. He'll just be wearing short shorts...

He loves his dad, loves to have Caleb push him on his bike or just chase him around the house. He loves his blanket. He loves his stuffed monkey. He loves books. He loves being offered anything from your plate, regardless of whether he has the same items on his. He loves ketchup or any dip for that matter, and usually just digs in with his fingers. He loves to shut doors, and has become the official Fridge Door Shutter of the house, whether you're done or not. Still rooting around or not.  He loves to climb onto the bed via the bench, the couch, or just today, the kitchen chairs. My world just shifted. Once he figures out he can move the chair to various places, my life, as I know it, is over. Okay, fine, changed. The baby-proofing will officially be moved to the next notch. Nothing will be safe. 

He's curious now, will crouch down on his hands and feet (yes, feet) to see what's underneath the bed or couch. His one goal in life is to get into the cupboard where I keep my baking items. He can just reach in to try and grab the Pam, or the little bottle of toothpicks, but can't get them out. It frustrates him muchly.

You just need the sound on this face, which is, "EHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" But don't feel bad. He moves on quickly.

As I've said before, he's a busy guy, always going going going. Recently it's become apparent that he needs more activities to do. More stimulation. We're trying out a free Gymboree class on Monday, I've looked up story time at my local library, and we're starting to go to our church's weekly park group. I think he'll really enjoy the Gymboree class, but am not excited to hear the prices. We'll see if it's worth it. Anyone ever tried it?  

I just booked my first trip without Wyatt. I'm going up to see Abby's new baby, and I'm super excited. And super nervous. Not because I don''t think Wyatt won't be completely fine with Caleb for the weekend, because I know he will. Caleb is a fantastic dad, and as I said, Wyatt just adores him. But because the longest I've been away from him is 6 hours. I'm going from 6 hours to DAYS. And while the thought of boarding a plane with nothing but a purse and magazine intrigues me, (what will that even be like?!) I know it'll be hard. At first. And then I'll get up there and be totally fine, right? I'll fill my arms with her little baby and we'll have a fantastic time. I really can't wait to go, and I know I'll have to steel myself against the baby hunger. She's such an adorable little thing. It'll be fabulous.

I'll just miss him so much.

Comments

[Mary]

We have the same problem with my 16 1/2 month old. He's 75% for height and 30% for weight. I found OshKosh jeans with an adjustable waist at Target!

[Jess]

So sweet :) He keeps getting cuter and cuter. I wish we could see him in person more often!

[Abby]

Dude, I'm starting to feel guilty about you coming up here, like I'm tearing you away from your little guy! You should just bring him!

[Kimba]

No! No, no, no. Don't feel guilty! I wouldn't come if I didn't want to. Cause I do, real bad like. It'll be good for all of us. Maybe after the weekend I'll be able to like, get a baby sitter and stuff! A whole new world!

[Kimba]

Thanks, Mary! I'll go check them out!