Rory- 17 Months

17 Months

Things I Want to Remember From This Month:

- Normally you will say whatever food you want with gusto or at least with an excited "Ess, Ess" (Yes) but in the morning when you can either smell the waffles in the toaster or I ask if you would like waffles. You whisper "waffles" over and over, I'm not sure how it got started you whispering it, but its just something funny first thing in the morning.

- Now that we are wearing more shorts or dresses you cannot keep yourself from busting up and scraping your knees. Poor Baby. It doesn't seem to bother you too much but you are not a fan of bandaids.

- I wouldn't say you are scared of the the vacuum but if you are around when I am using it you insist that I hold you. I don't know if you just like being off the ground and away from it or if you think you are helping me somehow.

- When you are "All Done" eating, you try to hand me back the food on your tray because you know you are not supposed to drop it on the floor. But if I am not standing close enough to grab it from you or I am not quick enough you will drop it on the floor anyway.

- Some words/phrases you are saying: All Done, Please, More, Thank you, Help (this is a new one that has been really helpful), you will also try and repeat anything we ask you to say (some of which is pretty close and others just sound like the correct number of syllables)

- You are still opening every cabinet and drawer any chance you get so we spend a lot of our free time upstairs in the game room/playroom so you can't get into too much trouble.

- Your favorite books lately have been "I Love You Through and Through" and "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" and "The Pout Pout Fish".

- Your new favorite phrase is "Oh No"

- You are still obsessed with babies and looking in baby strollers when you see one, you just can't get enough.

- Lately when we go to Target, as soon as we walk in the door, you start getting really excited saying "DOG DOG" at the white dog advertisement in the Dollar Spot.

- Recently we have discovered the free cookies at HEB and when we got you out of your car seat the other day and you saw where we were you started saying "Cookie" over and over to Daddy.

- I love that you randomly will climb up on the fireplace hearth and start saying "CHEESE" I guess we have taken a few pictures there.

- You know you need to sit down when you are eating a snack or meal at the park and so now when I hand you a snack at home and you aren't already in your high chair you will immediately sit down to eat it, no matter where you are.

- You love to put on your shoes, or an accessory (necklace, hat, anything dress up)

Rory Jane- 16 Months

This age can be hard, physically because you are all over the place and into everything but not quite old enough for punishment beyond redirection which can seem constant sometimes. But goodness, I love this age because your personality is just flourishing and I feel like when connections are made they are on your own accord and not because we initiated it, and it just makes loving you that much sweeter. Please, Please, Please can we freeze frame time.

Some Highlights:

-You will blow kisses saying "mmmmuh" and sometimes adding your had to your mouth. When we ask for hugs you will give us hugs but you have started coming up to us (especially Caroline) and just leaning in for a hug every now and then

- Just recently you have been coming up to me holding your "baaah"s (books) wanting to sit in my lap and read them. Sometimes you will even bring a blanket with you to snuggle up in. Your favorite books right now are Spot Books, Hand Hand Fingers Thumb, There's a Wocket in my Pocket, Hop on Pop and A Million Chameleons. I am so glad you are finally interested in sitting for a story. You had no interest in books before and now all of a sudden you love the little board books you can carry around.

- You love to play peek a boo and we will say "where's Rory" and you come out from behind your hands and we say "there she is" and you just smile.

- You have started to count to three. We will say one and you will say two and "teeee" for three, it a drawn out/excited way.

- You say "Thank you" pretty clearly now but if you are being lazy, you still say it but your sort of just grunt "uh uh". "All Done" is also very clear. You can also say, more, please, hi dog, bye dog, good girl, we even got an "I love you" on Valentine's Day. Milk still sounds like "more"

- You like to help me do the laundry and push wet clothes into the dryer. You will also hand me clean clothes to fold one by one and also hand the folded clothes to me when I put them away.

- Even when you are full you will always walk up to us saying "more" to have bites of the food we might be eating.

- Your favorite songs right now are "If You're Happy and You Know It", "Wheels on the Bus" "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and you really like the song "La La Lue" at bedtime. If I start singing it you will bury your hands between us and put your head on my shoulder. It's the sweetest.

-It is your mission to throw away your wet diapers. You get really mad when it's a dirty one that I take outside, because you really like to throw the others away yourself.

-You love to go outside, for any reason, but we can't just let you out the front door or garage because you bolt for the street. You have started to explore the new back yard this month and found a pile of rocks in the corner of the yard that you have the best time just picking up and examining.

-You will choose the blocks to play with upstairs more than most toys but this month you discovered a love for baby dolls. Caroline gifted you her prized "Baby Anna" Doll and you are in LOVE. It has even translated into you being interested in real babies. You will go up to any baby car seat or stroller and say "baby, baby" over and over, and you get very excited when there is actually a baby inside.

-When we take Caroline to gymnastics, there is a TV in the lobby that you have to watch to see the slide of the owner's dog's picture on it. You clap your hands and say "woof woof" and want to run up to the screen when you see it. The staff thinks it is so funny, and you actually got to meet that dog this month when the owner saw you get so excited.

- You are starting to listen to us a little bit better when we are trying to steer you away from getting into something you aren't supposed to. You at least pause to consider our opinion haha.

- You are learning to master the stairs like a champ and can come down them pretty quickly. We still have a gate at the top of the stairs but let you attempt them when we are around and it won't be long before you will be trustworthy to master them on your own.

 

Rory- 15 Months

Stats: Weight: 23 lbs 7 oz (60%tile), Height: 31.5 in (75%tile)

Some Highlights:

- We moved to our new house this month. So far your favorite place in the whole house is sitting under the table we have upstairs in the gameroom. But you love being upstairs with all of the toys. Downstairs you love to climb onto the fireplace step and say cheese for us to take your picture.

- You can follow the command to sit down, when you agree that you should, haha. You also will go and get you babydoll or different toys if we ask.

- You know where your belly button is and will proudly lift up your shirt to show it off

- You love bananas, broccoli, chicken nuggets, applesauce pouches (you always want 2, one is not enough) and you always ask for "mah" (more), cheese, yogurt. You will eat just about anything we give you and you always want a bite of whatever anyone else is eating, even if you just ate and are full.

- you love to dance for us when we ask, and its more of a rocking back and forth or bouncing up and down.

- You flap your hands up and down when you are really excited and you will almost run in place too.

- You love to throw things in the trash (like your diapers) and you can follow the instruction to close a door (to the pantry or a kitchen cabinet door)

- You have been enjoying our stroller walks around the neighborhood, and are happy to watch your sister on her scooter when we are out.

- The swings are still your favorite at the park but you like to do the tall slides riding in mommy's lap. Most of all, however, you like to just run, preferably in the opposite direction to where we are. You keep us on our toes for sure.

-You discovered the mega blocks when we were unpacking and you like to take the pieces apart and take them in and out of their basket.

-You get really excited when you see a picture of a dog, see one in person, or here one barking. You will say "Oh" and then try to say "woof woof"

- You will repeat the same number of syllables for words we ask you to say. Sometimes the words sound clear and sometimes its just more tones but the correct number of syllables for the word. Thank you, more, milk, love you, Sis, dog, ball, mama, dada, woof woof, uh oh, na na (banana), Peek Boo, please, diaper

- You will nod when you want something, and very recently have started to make the connection that shaking your head means no.

- You climb on EVERYTHING

- You also have been blinking your eyes really slowly, because you like that it makes us laugh.