15 1/2 Months!

So I have been falling behind in posting on these. The main reason being we are in the process of trying to sell our house and this is consuming a lot of my time. Consequently I missed your '15 month' post and you '16 month' post is due in about ten days. Normally I would just backdate the post if I had to, but you have had quite a bit of developments in the past month or so that I couldn't remember the differences between 15 months and 16 months. So....we will have a 15 1/2 month post instead. Below are a few random pictures I have taken of you over the past month or so. The first one of you is in my favorite jammies that you have in this size. The next one is of you devouring the middle of a mango. You got quite upset when I took it away from you.

Things You Are Doing Developmentally Right Now:

* TALKING!! You have recently learned 'No' "nananananana" when you don't want something done, 'Uh-oh!' , 'Woah!', 'Door' (sounds like doa), and 'dart' (sounds like dar). 

* Trying to mimic animal sounds which is quite cute even if you don't get it right.

* Throwing things in the garbage when you are done with them...including bottles and things that aren't supposed to be thrown away! However you learned this one on your own from watching us so it is pretty cute.

* You got another bottom tooth in all the way and the one on the other side of the bottom four has broken through but isn't in all the way. You are still teething though. In fact, we think your molars are coming in. The other day was amusing and concerning all at once. You stuck your hands so far down you throat that you were making yourself gag, you did this multiple times. I was a little worried you were going to throw up all over me, fortunately you didn't!

* You have finally outgrown 12 month clothes and are in 18 months now.
* You love books right now, it is so cute to have us read to you and if there isn't anyone to read to you then you will look at the book yourself. When we are finished reading the book you say "dye dye!" for bye bye.

Things You Are Doing Right Now That I Love:

* When you run and are excited you will lead with your shoulder and hold you other arm stiff behind you. 

* You are loving chalk, this is after mimicing your dad and his friends write on their chalkboard when playing darts. The only thing we don't love is that  you don't want to color on the ground, but rather the door. This is a constant thing to clean, especially when you are trying to show the house to be sold!

* I love it when you laugh when you hear other people laugh. It is hilarious to hear your fake laugh. 

* Getting quite proficient on the playground equipment now that it is nice outside. You can go down slides by yourself now!

* You always want to sit on steps when possible. I think because they are your size and are like a mini chair. It is quite cute, especially when you try to get us to sit with you. I want to buy you a mini adirondack chair that I saw because of this. I think think you would love it!

* I am teaching you body parts and it is so fun watching you identify them. You know: head, ears, toes, nose, and belly. We are almost there with eyes and mouth. I think you are one smart little boy. 

Mother's Day

Mother's Day this year was very nice. We didn't do anything with your grandparents so it was spent just us and our little family. We went out to breakfast just the three of us. Since we didn't make reservations and it was last minute, we went to the Lift. It was great though because it allowed you to run around and be crazy on the patio. We tried to get pictures after breakfast but you weren't much in the mood. 

Your Dad gave me a digital picture frame loaded with pictures from our wedding that I had never seen before and of course pictures of you! It was perfect. You made me a picture at the daycare. 

After we got home you and I made a pumpkin cake together. You are really starting to love helping mommy cook in the kitchen. Then we snuggled and took a nap together in bed. It was perfect.

Aquarium

We got to take you to the aquarium this weekend. We had a great time. Even though the aquarium is somewhat small you had so much fun because you go to put your hands in the water constantly. You touched star fish, sting rays, sharks and other fish. 

The Ups and Downs of Being a Working Mom

Your Dad has been watching you at home for about three months now. I knew that there were perks to this, namely that your bond with your Dad would grow significantly. It has and it is wonderful to see this and how much you absolutely love him. Not that you didn't before, but now you have an even more special bond. I also knew that with this would come less dependence on me. Key the downside that I knew would be coming eventually.

I came home from work about a month ago and you had just woken up from a nap. You looked up at me from laying on the floor and I tried to get you to come lay with me and cuddle. Instead you just started crying and ran over to your Dad and wrapped your arms around him. It broke my heart being that it was the first time this has happened. I knew the day would come and some would say this happens no matter if you are a working mom or not. I realize this is the case, however I think it certainly happened a lot sooner than it would have. I also think you were frustrated that I wasn't home with you. 

Now....fast forward to the ups.... the other day I got the complete opposite response. I came home and you ran up to me full speed, squealed in delight and wrapped your arms so tightly around my neck while laying your head on my shoulder that I just melted. It was the sweetest and biggest hug you have ever given me. I could tell you were so happy that I was home. These will be the moments that I remember and cherish forever. 

Trip to the Zoo!

The weather has continued to be gorgeous here and before it gets too hot I thought it would be a great idea to take you to the zoo. So off we went this morning to catch the animals. We went at the perfect time. They were all getting their meals and it wasn't too hot so they were all out to be seen. I think your favorite animals were the giant rabbits (they were in a glass cage that you could get right next to), the goats that you were able to pet, the bear that was once again right next to the glass, and the birds. I was excited to see the giraffes and lions.

A Trip to Washington

We haven't been to Washington to visit your Nana P and G-Gma Linda in a little over a year, so it was our turn to make a visit since they have been out here twice. Grandpa gave us discounted tickets so we made the trip up to visit this past weekend. What a great time we had! You have changed so much since the last time that they saw you that everything you did was just amazing to them. We stayed with Brooke and Marlon and were able to visit the late hours of the day away laughing and enjoying each others company. 

The first day we got there since we were in Seattle we decided to go to the Mariners game. Neither your Dad or I have ever been to a professional baseball game so it was exciting. It was Felix's 1500th strike out so there were tshirts passed out, posters and more. Although it was a little chilly we had a fabulous time. Yes the Mariners aren't a great team, but it was actually a very close game and they only lost by one run. We met up with Brooke and Marlon afterwards at Applebees for some drinks and snacks (by then you were asleep). 

Friday you and I spent the day with your Nana. She loved up on you and we had a great time visiting with her and your Uncle Ryan. You were very into her kitties. Friday night we ate over at Brook and Marlon's. You stole their hearts and were in love with their dog Ginger. You chased her all over the house. Their other dog is a baby just like you, so you two were peas in a pod running around the house causing trouble. 

On Saturday we went over to Nanas again. You got to meet your great Aunt Angie and Great Papa Cal for the first time. They both fell in love with you instantly. Uncle Ryan and Jessica played with you and showed you the cat's hiding places. Late Saturday we went back to Brooke and Marlon's and you fell fast asleep. 

Sunday was a pretty short day since we had to go home. We had enough time to sleep in some (you are going through a growth spurt you slept 12 hours, when you normally only sleep 10.5 to 11 hrs a night) and pack in the morning. We grabbed some breakfast at the airport and then let you play in the children's play area. You were shy and timid at first but then were running around and sliding down the slide like a pro (much to your mom's amazement and sadness as I realized you are growing up WAY too fast). 

In typical form, you were a model child on the flights even when there were many other babies on the planes crying (including one only 2 weeks younger than you). You are such a great little traveler!

Easter

This year's Easter was so much fun with you. Your eggs were filled with toddler friendly snacks of goldfish, mini marshmallows, and cheerios. When we got you up in the morning and took you downstairs we showed you the Easter basket you got first. This was a small mistake since you were so excited about your basket findings that you weren't really interested in your eggs at first. The basket consisted of books, bubbles, a dustpan, socks, sunglasses, and a few other odds and ends. You were so engrossed in your basket that we finally opened an egg to show you there were goodies in them. This got your attention right away. From that point on you spent your time sitting down with an egg and eating its contents. We couldn't get you to gather all of your eggs at  once because you were only concerned with the food inside. Your Dad and I found this quite amusing. Along with the fact that you weren't interested in any of the eggs that had cheerios in them and would immediately throw any egg containing cheerios away. So your process for the next few days consisted of shaking an egg to find out if you had already emptied its contents, then cheering if it still had something in it and running over to us to open it. Once opened you would chow down as long as there were no cheerios. Your Dad and I started feeling bad for you so we started filling the contents with more marshmallows or goldfish. A few days later we decided to put the eggs away and save the fun for next year. You were decked to the nines and looked like a little man in your Easter outfit, which was a birthday gift from Joe and Coco.