Happy Twenty Months!

Still a bit late, but not as bad as last month's update.

Peter is absolutely a little chatterbox and has greatly increased the number of English words that he says. He still points out his "gock"s when getting dressed, but can now name his shirt, pants and shoes as well as saying "dwess". When we are getting ready to go outside, he'll run over to the coat rack, asking for his "coke". He knows the difference between "walk" and "dwive", and will sometimes avoid having to get into the stroller. He now asks for "mik", which does not bode well for me stopping nursing anytime soon, and can almost sign "juice" as well as say it. Planes are now "p", trains are "choochoo"s, and he says "vroom vroom" when playing with his cars. He can tell me when he wants me to change his "diap", and that he "pee"ed or "poop"ed, although I'm not sure he knows which is which yet.

He finished swim class, and by the ended really seemed to enjoy it. We have now started a new school program, and we are learning lots of new things. So far, Peter has ridden on a school bus, collected leaves, made puppets, played with different textures and tried lots of art projects.

Finally, from BabyCenter.com

At twenty months, most children:
Feed doll - He hasn't done this, possibly because he doesn't have a doll to feed, but he feeds people all the time.
Takes off own clothes - He will do this, most noticeably with his pants. He will also try to put them back on.
Dumps an object in imitation - He does this as well.

At twenty months, half the children:
Learn words at a rate of ten or more a day - If this means speaking new words, he isn't going quite this fast, but he is saying so much more than he even was last month.
Can walk up stairs - Yes he can, and down them too, for at least six months now.

At twenty months, a few children:
May start exploring genitals - Again, been happening for a while now.
Draws a straight line - Not so much, still very much in the scribble phase.
Names several body parts - He can definitely point out a lot of parts, but can't quite say too many names yet.

There are more pictures in our December album on Picasa, which I will continue to update throughout the month.

Happy Nineteen Months!

I know, I am well over a month late in posting this, making me late for twenty months as well. Since it has been so long, I'm just going to do the babycenter.com update, and work on some real stuff for the twenty month.

And of course there will be pictures.

At nineteen months, most children:
Use a fork and spoon - Mission accomplished, although not very well, and he still finds his hands easier.
Throw a ball underhand - He's been doing this for what seems like forever. Overhand too.
Enjoy helping around the house - Absolutely, he especially likes to help unsort the laundry.

At nineteen months, half the children:
Understand as many as 200 words - I haven't counted, but he definitely understands a lot.
Recognize when something is wrong (i.e. calling a dog a cat) - Not sure about this, it is something that we'll have to test.

At nineteen months, a few children:
Wash and dry their own hands - He wouldn't do this for Geoff or I, but he'd been doing it at the gym babysitting for a little while at this point.
Points to a picture or object when you call it by name - Not at this point.
May know when they need to pee - Not yet.

Of course there are more pictures in our November album on Picasa.

Eighteen Month Stats and More

Yesterday was Peter's eighteen month well visit, and it went perfectly. The doctor was very happy with how he's doing and how he is growing. He his now 34 1/2 inches tall and weighs 26 pounds, putting him into the 90th and 50th percentiles. Next time he gets measured will be in January, hard to believe how fast time is going.

In tooth news, the two top molars started to come through yesterday, so Peter now has five teeth coming in. This explains the lack of sleep in our house recently. I don't think that I'll be getting a picture of numbers ten and eleven due to where they are in his mouth, but once his other incisor starts to come through, I'll hopefully get a picture of that.

Happy Eighteen Months!

We are now entering the second half of his second year, and what a huge difference it is from his first. He has grown so much, although we won't have the official stats until his appointment next week.

Where last year, Peter was just sitting up, this year his is getting into everything. He can now climb up onto the couch, but even before he was able to do that, he knew that he could just put a pillow on the floor and it would give him enough lift to get up. He loves to sit in the glider in his room, as well as climb up on the footrest. He runs around like crazy, and loves to go up and down stairs. He recently got new rainboots, his first pair, and he will put them on to walk around the apartment. I would say that he takes after me, but I think that we all know about Daddy's shoe buying habit.

As for eating, Peter is doing great. There is not a lot that he won't eat. While we are still being careful with the dairy, he has tried whole milk. He is not a fan, takes one sip and hands me back the cup. He absolutely loves drinkable yogurt, and grilled cheese (on whole wheat, he won't eat white). His favorite food at the moment seems to be raspberries, he always goes for them first.

Peter seems to have found his voice, and he loves to hear it. There is still a distinct lack of English being spoken, but a few more words are coming through. He still loves "bus"es, but now calls trucks "buck"s, and is much more accurate at distinguishing a "buck" from a car or van. Apparently all birds say "quack quack", and he loves to point out his "gock"s when he is getting dressed. He can point out an "appoo", and has started to say "pahstah" when we have penne for dinner. "Bock" can either be a box or a block depending on the context. "Dat" is still the catch all for everything else, but he expects you to know what he is talking about when he says it. If he is point up, he means a plane. Towards the train station, it's a train. Some times he will hold up his stuffed animals and ask "dat". "Wat" is also a new word of his, which he will use while pointing, or anywhere that his voice echos. "Weeeee" is reserved for going down the slide, spinning in a chair, or riding on his rocking horse.

Peter started a swimming class, and it turns out his is not a fan of the pool. The first two weeks, he would do nothing but cling to me and cry. Week three, he started to warm up half way through the class, and this week, he was kind of ok from the beginning. He still is not a fan of the water, and doesn't really like to do anything if he can't feel the ground under his feet, but it seems like he is starting to trust that I won't let anything happen to him. I do not think he is going to like it when I actually start putting him under the water.

And finally, from BabyCenter.com:

At eighteen months, most children:

Will "read" board books on their own - There are certain books that Peter seems very drawn to, and he will act like his is reading them. He also has started pointing to things in the books and ask what they are.

Scribbles well - While he does love his crayons, he still seems more interesting in playing with them than drawing with them.

At eighteen months, half the children:

Will string to words together to make phrases - The only phrase he is really saying is "what dat?", otherwise he isn't really doing this.

Brush teeth with help - He loves to brush his teeth, especially if he sees Geoff or I doing it.

Stack four blocks - While he much prefers to throw the blocks than to stack them, he has actually done this.

At eighteen months, a few children:

Throws a ball overhand - Peter's been doing this for months, and he actually has pretty decent aim, and throws hard.

Takes toys apart and puts them back together - He definitely likes to take things apart, but isn't always successful at putting them back together again.

Shows signs of toilet training readiness - Unless wanting to flush the toilet and playing with the toilet paper is readiness, then no.

There are more pictures in the October album, which I will keep updating throughout the month.

Make that three

On Sunday I noticed that Peter is getting another new tooth. This one is on the bottom left (his, on the right if you are looking at him) in the front. I've been trying to get a picture, but I've had no luck. Hopefully, I'll be able to get one before this weekend, when I am planning on posting another update.

I am also hoping that I'll be able to get some videos posted, but first I have to get them off of the camera, which I have not been able to do since I lost the software when the computer crashed in April.

UPDATED 10.6.11: Finally got a picture this afternoon. So yay!

Two More Teeth

Peter seems to have been teething forever, but yesterday his first two molars finally started to poke through. they are both on the bottom, and are about half way in. I am thinking that this might have been part of the reason he is waking up at night. Now to wait for the rest of them to come in...

Happy Seventeen Months!

I am so late in posting this, and that is mostly because of computer issues. At first, I was just waiting to be able to upload pictures. Why I didn't just write the post and wait to publish, I'll never know. Then it just got to be so long that the task seemed daunting. Now I have just over a week until the next update is due, so I really wanted to get this up.

At seventeen months, Peter was climbing like crazy, but mad that he just wasn't big enough to get up onto the couch by him self. He is still eating like a champ, but hadn't had whole milk yet. He was talking all the time, but very little English. He seemed like he was gearing up for the end of baseball, with the amount of balls that he liked to throw, and his favorite book was by far Goodnight Moon. He loved to point with me while reading counting books, and would constantly point out other people's noses.

When I was pregnant, I had started putting information about the pregnancy from BabyCenter.com. I figure that I would continue to do that with Peter, and I just wish that I had realized that this chart existed from the beginning.

At seventeen months, most children:
Use six words regularly - Peter's most regular word was by far "bus", but he also loved "gucks". He knew when he wanted at "nap", and would try to put on his own "gocks". He also started to regularly say "mama" and "dada" right around then.
Enjoys pretend games - I'm not sure if he was pretending, but he would copy things that Geoff and I did all the time, like drinking out of (empty) cups or typing on a keyboard.
Likes riding toys - Riding his lion was one of his favorite things to do.

At seventeen months, half the children:

Feed dolls - Peter didn't feel dolls, but he loved to feed people around him. I ate a lot of Cheerios.

Speaks more clearly - There still wasn't a lot of English, but he was definitely much more vocal.

Throw a ball underhand - Not so much underhand, but definitely over, and my shins have the bruises to prove it.

At seventeen months, a few children:

Dance to music - He definitely would dance when he heard music. Geoff had also taught him to bob his head to techno.
Sorts toys by color, shape, or size - Not so much into the sorting, but did love to put things into bins, and then take them out again.
Kick ball forward - Would definitely do this, especially at the beach.

There are more pictures in the September album, which at this point is pretty much full, maybe will get one or two more pictures. I have some other updates to post, and I'm hoping that I'll be able to get up some videos soon.

Happy Sixteen Months!

Another month has passed, and the difference from last year is amazing. Last year, he had just learned to roll, this year, he is learning to climb, and is so close to getting up on the couch himself. He still loves to play peek-a-boo, but now he likes to be in control of the napkin. Instead of craving attention from just Geoff and me, he wants it from everybody.

Eating is going well, and he is getting much better with his spoon and fork, but still usually goes back to his hands by the end of the meal. He also watches what Geoff and I are doing, and wants to do it too. For example, we were having sushi (Peter had an avocado roll) and were using chopsticks. Peter would not stop fussing until we gave him a pair. Even though he couldn't use them right, he was thrilled to just have them. He also is still a huge fan of cheers, and is getting much better at using a big boy cup.

Sleep has been hit or miss recently. Some days it is great, some not so much. He just started sleeping with a night light, and that seems to be helping a little. I'm sure it also doesn't help that when he was sick a little while ago, he got back into the habit of nursing in the middle of the night. We are still trying to break that habit. But while sleep could improve, it doesn't seem to be affecting his ability to play. With the extreme heat, we've had to find things to do inside. Just recently, I've let Peter try (toddler) crayons, and he fell in love.

He loves to run around, and on the few days that it wasn't oppressively hot out, we've spent it outside. Most of the time, we are just at the park, but on weekends, we've gone to the beach and other outdoor adventures, with more planned for the rest of the summer.

Peter went to a full size pool recently. At first he was not a fan. I'm not sure if the (heated) water was too cold for him, or what, but he made it known that he was not liking the water.

After a little while, he warmed up to the idea. As long as I was holding him, he would splash and say "bahth bahth bahth". He actually got in all the way up to his chest and was fine. Once he got his face wet, he was done with the pool.

There are more pictures in the August album, which I will keep updating throughout the month.

Fifteen Month Stats

This morning, Peter had his well visit to make up for the one he missed two weeks ago. He has had a nice growth spurt, growing 2 1/2 inches and 2 pounds, 9 ounces. That makes him 33 1/2 inches and 24 pounds 5 ounces, putting him in the 90th and 50th percentiles respectively. He also got two shots, for the first time in his arms instead of his thighs. He handled them very well and was thrilled with the sticker that he got. He is growing up so quickly, and is already so much like a little boy.

Happy Fifteen Months!

Peter is growing and changing so much, it's amazing how different he is than just one year ago. He really isn't a baby anymore, and is becoming more like a little boy every day. He loves to run, to read and to dance. He babbles a lot, but doesn't have many words. He does say apple, nap, bah (which can be either a ball or a balloon), and he points to things and says "dat!". He definitely understands what we are saying to him, but doesn't always listen.

He is a big fan of being and playing outside, and really seems to enjoy the beach, the park and the pool. So far, he has been to the beach once, been to the (baby) pool a few times at different houses, and the park many times. This morning, I guess he was tired of being stuck indoors because he climbed into the stroller, and tried to put on the straps.

We are holding steady at six teeth, but I think that the molars are going to come in at any time now the way he's been chewing on his hands. Last night, after Geoff had finished brushing his teeth, Peter decided that he wanted to do it himself. So he took the toothbrush, ran it under the water, and started brushing himself.

He is eating like a champ, and while we are still being careful with the dairy, there is little else he won't eat. Luckily, he stills seems to enjoy a variety of foods, and I'm hoping that he'll just skip the toddler "only beige" phase entirely.

Unfortunately, due to a fever, Peter's well visit has been postponed, so I don't have the official stats yet. I will update that information a week from Monday.

There are more pictures in the July album, which I will continue to update throughout the month. Also check the family blog for more updates and pictures.

Updated 7.18.11: Posted the updated stats from Peter's well visit.

Vote for Peter!

It's that time of year, and Peter has once again entered into the Gerber Generations contest. They seem to have done it a little differently this year, as it is now on Facebook. I am not sure if you need to have a Facebook account to enter, but you can vote once per day. Please spread the word.

Peter's ID is 175183 and he is now in the green (toddler) category.
You can vote for him here.

Happy Fourteen Months!

Again, I'm late in posting, and I've been terrible about posting anything this month here. Peter has been growing and changing so much recently. I won't have any official measurements until next month when we go back to the doctor, but we estimate that Peter is about twenty-five pounds and thirty-two inches tall. That means in the past two months he has grown approximately four pounds and one inch.

Peter is now walking like a pro, although sometimes his feet can't keep up with his momentum. He is now able to walk up and down stairs on his own, assuming that the stairs are short enough for his legs and there is a banister to hold on to. Stairs that don't have a banister or are too steep he will still climb up, but that is really the only time that he crawls anymore.

Sleep is going pretty well. He, for the most part, isn't waking up as much at night. He is also napping very well, still taking two naps most days, but sometimes just taking one long one. He is also doing very well with grown-up food, and he loves to eat what we are eating, so he's had a wide variety of styles. He also tries very hard to use his fork, but he still needs more practice with that.

He is getting much more interested in reading now. He will take a book, put it in your hand and sit in your lap so that you can read to him. He also has started to pick which books he wants to read before going to sleep at night.

Peter also recently played in a pool for the first time. He absolutely loved it, and kept climbing in and out and blowing bubbles in the water. He now tries to blow bubbles when he is in the bath as well. I am taking this as a sign that we need to find a pool to join for the summer.

I will be updating the June album with more pictures as the month goes on.

Thirteen Months and Number Six

I'm a little late posting this, and I've been meaning to post for a while now. April was a pretty busy month for us, from Peter's first birthday party to our trip to England, we just didn't seem to stop. And Peter hasn't stopped growing or learning either. Now that he's over a year, he doesn't go back to the pediatrician until 15 months, so I won't have growth stats until then, but he is definitely getting bigger.

He is walking much better and has even started to master running. He absolutely loves going to the playground, and starts squirming the closer we get. While he still loves the swings, he is also enjoying the sandbox, the slide and the large grass area where he can run around. I recently took him on his birthday trike, and it was the hit of the park.

He is also trying so hard to do the things that we do. I started noticing it when he would dust the tv, but it became very obvious on the plane home from England. After they had served the tea, Peter was trying so hard to get to something on the tray. Since Geoff didn't want his tea, I gave his cup to Peter along with the stirrer. Peter immediately started to "stir" his (empty) tea cup, just like he watched me do a few minutes earlier. Not long after that, I noticed him taking tissues or napkins or anything like that, scrunching up his nose and "blowing".

He is eating like a champ, and while we are still cautious about the dairy, there is little else that holds him back. He is getting much better at feeding himself with a spoon, he's able to get the food on the spoon himself and the mess is much less than it used to be. He also is now able to drink out of a straw, and is starting to try to drink out of a cup. There is more water ending up on the floor than in his mouth, but it is a start.

Sleep is hit or miss, but it has seem to be getting better. For the most part, napping has been improving. He is moving to one nap a day, although every once in a while he will take two. He is not getting up nearly as much in the night anymore, maybe one or two times, and all that we really need to do is lay him back down. There have a been a few nights recently where he hasn't gotten up at all, so that is a move in the right direction.

On Tuesday, tooth number six made its appearance. It is the fourth front upper tooth. Now we are waiting for the one year molars to come through.

There are more pictures in the May album, which I will keep updating throughout the month.

Happy One Year!

And just like that, the first year is over, and our baby is now a toddler. He has grown so much in the past year, putting on 13 pounds and gaining 10 inches. At 21 pounds 12 ounces and 31 inches, he is in the 50th and 75th percentile respectively.

As for being a toddler, he is certainly living up to that name. He cruises like a champ, and will push any movable furniture, using it as a walker. He is also getting much better at walking on his own, but still looks a little like a drunken sailor. While he seems to realize that crawling will get him somewhere faster, he is loving that he can walk.

Sleeping has not been going so well this month. Between Tooth Explosion 2011, and his being sick last weekend, nobody has really been sleeping lately. It seems to be getting a little better, but I know that there are more teeth coming in, which will not help us get a good nights rest.

Eating is his strong point, he just loves to eat. He is still getting some babyfood purees, but it is less and less. He loves to eat whatever I am eating, if it is on my plate, he wants it. He loves beef and salmon, most fruits and vegetables, breads and chicken. He's eaten Indian, Turkish, Mexican and Japanese food. He is also getting much better at using a spoon, he can now dip it into a bowl and put it in his mouth. He still needs a guiding hand to help him get anything on the spoon, but he's getting better every day.

There still isn't much in the way of actual words yet, but Peter loves to babble. He does say "mama" and "dada", but he doesn't seem to know what they mean yet. He points at everything and says "ight", his favorite things to point out are lights.

It's hard to believe that a year has already passed, but there is so much that Geoff and I are looking forward to in the year to come. He loves the water, so we want to get him swim lessons, and take him to the pool and the beach. Now that he's walking, I think that he'll enjoy the park that much more, between the sandbox area and the large open space for him to run around. There is the zoo, and some children museums that we are planning on going to now that he's more able to appreciate them.

Here are some pictures from the April album, which I will keep adding to as the month goes on.