16 Months Old

My sweet boy,

You did so many new things this month that I decided to keep a list. It seems you have grown in leaps and bounds! Daddy and I just adore being your parents. You are just the happiest kid and find joy in all the little things in life. You are such a pleasant, easy child to raise (so far, hee hee) and we look forward to all the years to come! Here are some new things you are doing now:

• You said your first word shortly after turning 15 months and it was "Dada." Daddy called me at work and had you tell me over the phone. It was the cutest thing!! He was so very excited that his name was your first word.
• Shortly thereafter, you said your second word: "Daddy." Yes, seriously. I don't know how you just skipped over "Mama" and went straight to "Daddy," but I'll get over it. (Someday.) It is so adorable to hear you say "Daddy" because that is something that I thought usually comes later for most kids, but when you want Dad's attention, you will say, "Dada...Dada...Dadddddyyyyy!!!!"
• You suddenly love wearing your shoes. You went from hating them and despising them on your feet to wanting to wear them all the time and crying if we tried to take them off when we were at home. You will go get your shoes and bring them to us when you want them put on.



• You like to help clean (which is so nice for us!) and will often use a wipe to tidy up your tray after you eat.



• You are a fan of the fan and enjoy letting the air blow through your hair.




• You love wearing Daddy's hat around the house.



• You also love sunglasses and cell phones (you're very Hollywood, you know). One day, I bought some storage boxes and let you play with them for awhile. A few moments later, you had Daddy and I cracking up because we saw you like this...



And here you are with the phone once again...


• You blow kisses. Not just to us, but to EVERYONE. Once you learned how to do this, you wanted to show off this new skill to everyone you saw. We were at a car show recently and you began flirting and blowing kisses to the women at the table next to us. Of course, they thought you were just the cutest little guy and you kept them entertained for quite awhile.
• When you've had enough of something, like getting your diaper changed, you will sign "all done." So, when we recently went to the doctor for your 15 month shots, you cried and frantically signed "ALL DONE" repeatedly so the nurse would know that you were done with the shots. Unfortunately, she had communication problems, because you got all three of your shots anyway. How rude, huh?
• You were not a big fan of the "Little Piggy" song in the past, but decided that you really like it this month. In fact, when you are in a Piggy kind of mood, you will remove your socks and grab your little piggies and say, "wee, wee, wee..." so that we know that we need to do the Piggy song for you. You will also occasionally grab my toes and say, "wee, wee, wee..." as well. So stinkin' cute.
• You showed interest in your potty chair and wanted to sit on it. Does this mean you will be ready for potty training soon??? Hmmm...



• You LOVE the hose. (That may have been obvious from three out the four previous posts.)



• You can give a "high five."
• Your sign language skills are improving and you can now sign "milk."

• You do really well eating with a fork all by yourself.



• You give kisses!!! You absolutely melted my heart when you gave me your first real kiss. Each night after your bath, when I am getting you ready for bed, I give you a kiss after I clean your ears. Well, recently, I finished cleaning your ears and then I said, "Give Mama a kiss" and you put your little hands on my cheeks and pulled my face in and gave me the sweetest little kiss! My heart absolutely melted!! I asked Daddy to try to video tape it, but you wouldn't do it after you saw the camera. However, I tried to be sneaky and I caught you doing it later. The video is below. It's not the best shot, but you get the idea.




• You know a few body parts: nose, eyes, toes, and hair.
• You said your third word - "Mama" - hooray!!! That was a great day!

• Your fourth word (yes, you are just talking up a storm now!) was "yuck" and you will say it when you find dog hair on the floor.
• You can follow directions very well. For example, when you found some dog hair on the floor, I asked you to throw it in the trash and you carefully carried it all the way to the kitchen, lifted the lid of the can, and flicked it in. It was so cute. Now, whenever you bring us some "yuck," we ask you to throw it in the trash and most of the time, you oblige.

• When we ask you if you want to do something that you don't want to do, you will give us a whiny "mmmm" and shake your head "no."
• You give eskimo kisses. (And very well at that.)
• You think picking your nose is hilarious and will do it often while I chase you around saying, "no, no, no!"



• When we say, "Did you go poop?", you will reply with "Pppppffffftttthhhh." (That's supposed to represent the toot noise, but I have no idea how to spell it!)
• When we're out and about, people will sometimes tell me that you are so little for your age. Of course, I don't know what "average" size is for a 16-month old, but you don't seem little to me. Well, at your recent doctor appointment, you were 21.5 pounds and 29-1/2 inches, which is only 10% for both height and weight. So I guess you are little! The doctor wasn't concerned though, because you are continuing to grow and you are healthy. I guess you're just small. But, like I've said before, with parents like yours, you aren't destined for the NBA.

So those are the new skills you have learned this month. You are so much fun and just do the silliest things. I love you so much, Gav!!!