15 months

I've been in a blogging slump, really if I'm honest just too lazy to upload pics--and these days,what's a blog post without pics? Unless it's a monthly post...so, at 15 months of age, our little man is:

Weight: 20 lbs, 11 oz (7%)
Height: 32 inches (75%)
Head: 18 1/2 inches (45%)
Size 4 diapers
12 month pants, 12-18 month tops

EAT:
Thankfully the pickiness has subsided a bit and he's back to trying new foods. There's not a whole lot of new info here, we're really just giving him what we eat. One night we went to Braum's for yummy peanut butter cup ice cream and Caleb gave Carter a bite. Once he realized the yummy goodness, he literally tried taking the cone out of Caleb's hand to devour the ice cream all on his own. Of course I didn't let that happen, but he definitely got his share :). He pretty much eats 3 meals and 2 snacks/day. Not a huge fan of veggies, but neither am I...so I just keep offering and maybe someday he'll love veggies like his Daddy. We transitioned to the "big boy" sippy cup (without handles) or straw cup for water, he still gets milk in the sippy with handles. Lately he's not really into his milk, will typically drink all 8 ounces at bedtime but the morning and naptime milk  is hit or miss.

PLAY/DEVELOPMENT:
Gross Motor: climbs everything, climbs up big slide at park, walking backwards, squats to play, busy as ever
Fine Motor: will hold crayon and scribble about 2 inches,  but not imitate drawing line; zips zipper on backpack, helps take arms out of shirts
Social: good eye contact, waves at everyone--gets sad if people don't acknowledge him after he waves (ie: at grocery store, while walking in Bob, etc), attends to finger plays and songs, claps, loves playing "chase", attends to up to 3 board books before getting bored
Language:
   Receptive: knows head, belly, foot; follows simple 1 step commands (ie: "go get your shoes" or if I say "time for bath" or "time to brush your teeth" will walk to the bathroom door), understands most common words, will occasionally point to named items in books
   Expressive: pretty much everything continues to be /dada/. Talked to pediatrician about it, as the SLP in me has a skewed version when it comes to my own child. He says not to worry, he's "all boy" and really is much more into climbing and exploring than talking, so I'll take it and not worry.He communicates very well without talking, so I guess he just doesn't have much need to talk right now.  We added the "please" sign to his repertoire of signs this month, so he now pretty much gets whatever he wants by saying "please" because a) it seems polite (even though in his mind "I rub my chest and get whatever I want? awesome!" is more what it means than being polite) and b) it's pretty darn cute.
Favorite Toys: remotes, fridge farm, looking at candles burning, balls, battle ax, books, vacuum (like real vacuum cleaner--I don't think I've vacuumed my house this much ever--he goes to the closet where it's kept, signs please, grabs the vacuum, points to the outlet to plug it in, and watches in mere amazement as I vacuum!), bike rides outside, wagon,
Interests: very into cause and effect, LIGHTS, pulling plugs out of outlets, pushing buttons to see what will happen, "helping" put things away, turning light switches on/off, dogs (the real thing, not pictures or stuffed), going next door (have I mentioned that going in the front yard can be a huge meltdown if Stephen and Diana aren't home?!)

SLEEP:
A little rougher time sleeping through the night--not sure if he's starting to get night terrors but more commonly will wake up once during the night every 3-4 nights. We typically would let him just cry and he'll put himself back to sleep. However, about 2 weeks ago I don't even think he cried or woke up. I went to work as usual and when Caleb went to get him, he had vomited all over his bed and himself. Did not even wake up, cry, etc. Now at the first sign of crying/coughing I'm up there to make sure he didn't throw up on himself as I feel like the super guilty Mom who has trained her child to sleep through the night no matter what! He's still at 1 nap/day, but we've found if we give him a little "rest" time in his bed for 20-30 minutes around 8 (which allows us to get ready in peace--how handy is that?!) he'll be a much happier little boy. Naptime is around noon, would LOVE to push it to 12:30-1, but by noon he is DONE.

HEALTH:
Went to immunologist and looks like immunoglobulin levels we were worried about being low are actually in the normal range for his age. So, praise the Lord we have a healthy little boy with a fighting immune system :). On that note, his little immune system is currently fighting a 'lil tummy bug. He's been vomiting for 5 days now. No fever, no diarrhea, acts completely normal. Throws this mama for a loop--pedi diagnosed as rotavirus and says it has a 5-7 day course, so hopefully we're in the up swing. I'm thankful our little guy is still a ball of energy through this, but we are staying at home because you never know when he will vomit...and I'm learning that having the bathtub and carpet shampooer close by are much easier than having a sick baby out and about!

Dear Carter Boy,
Every morning when your Daddy gets you, you scramble to your feet with the biggest smile. That smile pretty much stays on your face all day and it makes our world so bright. You love to explore and I love watching you explore your little world and make new discoveries every day. Many nights your Daddy and I go and just stare at you after you've gone to sleep, you're getting so big and long in your crib! I'm the luckiest Mommy in the world. Love you sweet boy!