Theo is walking around quite well and tries to run now. He can climb up onto things and climb down from the couch and bed. (He's also managed to throw himself over the crib railing, but that was my fault for not putting it all the way up. He landed on his butt though, which is quite properly chunky, so no harm done. Bad mommy.)
He's trying to dress himself in little ways - like holding up his socks or shoes and trying to fit his foot into them.
He loves going outside. The swingset and slide in the backyard get a lot of use, despite their relatively deteriorated state. The baby wagon we got as a gift for the other two years ago is seeing new use again, as Jordan loves to give Theo wagon rides (and half the other little kids in the complex.)
He knows when it's time to drop off Mina and Jordan to school and starts heading up the stairs; and in the afternoon, I will say, "It's time to go pick up the big kids!" He gets so excited. If I ask him, "Where are your shoes? Go get them, and we can go." He will wander over to the shoe cubby and bring back a pair of his shoes.
It's reassuring to know he understands everything we say to him, because he isn't saying much yet. He will shake his head, no, to indicate his displeasure with something (Time for nap? Lots of head shaking no.) But not a lot of words. That's sort of odd, as I recall Jordan and Mina babbling on endlessly and Mina having full conversations with people at a very early age.
Theo can say "up," "baba," "ga (meaning go,) "dada," "mama" and some sound that is like "dah" to mean downstairs, where the basement playroom is.
I know, you can't compare. Of course we do though.
That's what parents do - whether they are comparing their own kids with each other or one kid to a stranger's. (I do that too.) Theo goes to baby gym every week and loves it. I on the other hand sometimes wonder why he isn't doing x, y or z. I don't notice too many kids Theo's age talking either.
This comparison issue is one more reason I refuse to join organized mommy play groups. I am just over that stage in my life where new moms dissect their kid's milestones with each other ad nauseum. Yes, your 15 month old knows his letters.. congrats. Mine is still just babbling, and I refuse to stress about it yet.
(Sorry if you are a new first time mom. I'm old and cranky, I admit it. Please join mommy groups if you want to. I did when I was younger and I am still friends with some of the women. But when you are my age, you just don't want to hear a young whippersnapper waxing eloquent on the joys of babywearing or breast feeding until the kids are driving or whatever new fad is making the rounds. Older, tired moms like me just want to get through the day, keep their kids alive, fed, educated and independent enough to learn how to pour a glass of wine for their elders at dinner. Yes, on that front, BTW. Go, Mina! Parenting win. )
I will pause long enough to note that Theo is amazing. Every time I take him to the store, inevitably someone will comment on what a happy baby he is. I don't want to jinx it, but he seems like a pretty content little guy. I was worried the stomach scare he had back in August would affect him, but he seems to have gotten over it. Maybe third kids know they have to be cute in order to survive.
We've had to play around a bit with his diet, as too much milk was constipating him. He eats pretty much everything though, or will at least try it. When he doesn't like something (lately that seems to be most proteins) he will get this look on his face and push the food out of his mouth.
I've learned my lesson from Jordan though. I am not sweating it. He eats what I'm serving or he just goes to bed. There will be choices, but unless the meal I'm making is too spicy, I don't make a lot of alternative dishes. His current favorites are anything pasta, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, soups, cheese, yogurt, strawberries, raspberries, pear, grapes. I was impressed he handled tofu last night that was cooked in an Asian sweet and sour soup. But who knows, a week from now he may hate it.
The big kids really get a kick out of him too, especially when he's in performing mood. At meal times, we try to talk to him and get him to point out his eyes, nose, mouth, belly. He can wave and give high fives now. He's also just learning how to "blow kisses." His version is a little odd, but Jordan took a little video of it the other night.
He sleeps great, although he is an early riser. He does one to two naps a day depending on what time he wakes up and whether there are things we have to do that day. We are pretty much using sippy cups all the time now, as opposed to bottles, and he is trying to feed himself a lot (messy!)
He loves to share. That just kills me. He will take a bite of something then hand it out to me or Jeff or the kids and say, "ygum?" I can't tell if he means, "yum," as I am always saying, "yummy"" to him as I feed him. The way he intones it as a question though makes me laugh.
Other random stuff - he's a tall one. Another feature that's different than Jordan or Mina. He's recently gotten into being read to, and will drag his favorite books over to me to read to him. He's definitely more physical, in terms of trying to do things. He's more adventurous, and thus less cautious about risks (throwing himself out the crib, leaping off the steps in the front of the house.) He gets very attached, and will cry when someone he loves leaves him - thus making school drop off every morning so much fun. He's got almost all his teeth!! Including molars? How is that possible@? Unfortunately, he's prone to biting, which may be to alleviate the pain in his gums. I'm working on getting that to stop, but he's resisting. He still has a noticeable bilateral inversion of his feet. Imagine a ballet dancer's feet turned outwards. He doesn't seem bothered by it, and at his last check up his doctor said it would correct itself. It hasn't yet though.
Not looking forward to the shots tomorrow but I'm glad to be able to go in and talk to his pediatrician here on the island. She's wonderful, and I'm curious what she things about Theo's progress.
