Caleb’s 12-15 Month Update

Well hello, friends! I’m popping back in this space to share an update on the last few months with our crazy, adorable, and constantly moving toddler.  I probably won’t share monthly updates now that he’s not a baby, but I still do love documenting his life as he grows each month.  So here are a few fun pictures and updates from the first few months of our little guy’s second year of life!

The Numbers

At his 15 month appointment, Caleb was weighing in at 21 lbs 12 oz and measuring 30 inches long.  That means he’s finally bumped up to the 25th percentile for weight after hanging down there in the single digits for a long while.  I’m just happy he’s healthy and I sure do love squeezing his little thighs and kissing his little belly.  The other day when I went to scoop him out of his crib he seemed so long and lanky and I felt like he was all arms and legs.  He looks like a little toddler and I love seeing him grow!

Some Milestones

We have a walker! He started walking somewhere around 13-14 months (it’s already hard for me to remember, which is crazy!) and he hasn’t stopped since.  He went from taking a few hesitant steps to cruising around our house and in public like he owns the world and it brings me so much joy to see him exploring the limits of his own independence.  He loves walking outside and stopping to explore every leaf, flower, and crack in the sidewalk!

We’re not seeing a ton of talking yet, but he consistently says mom, dad,  and “zzzzzzzz” for book after we’ve read him several books with that sound in them (this one cracks us up).  He also loves signing “more” and “all done” and happily uses his “more” sign to indicate anything that the wants.  As a language teacher, the talking phase of life is so exciting to me and I can’t wait for him to pick up more words in the near future!

One other silly milestone: he got his first haircut this month! We just sat him outside on a chair and bribed him with some ice cream so he’d sit still and Jordan took off the longest parts of his mullet and combover.  He was a champ and he looks so much older, even though we love the length and combover too much to let those go yet!

We don’t have a great after pic since we’ve been touching it up little by little over the last few days, but this gives you an idea! No more super long hair in the front and less wispies all over the sides and back.

How He’s Eating

After 2-3 months of some pickiness that was about driving me crazy, I feel like he’s more in a groove. Like most toddlers, he loves his PB&J’s, grilled cheeses, quesadillas, any carb (muffins, waffles, pancakes, bread of any kind), fruit, and his new favorite, cucumbers and hummus! I swear I can get this kid to eat anything as long I cover it in hummus, ketchup, or Chick Fil-A sauce.  He’s more likely to try new foods if we let him pick it up and feed it to himself with a fork, so dinnertime continues to be a messy and slow process but we just embrace it and let Olive do all the cleanup.

Caleb’s not much a fan of a lot of veggies so we continue to sneak them in dipped in crazy amounts of hummus or blended up in smoothies and he gulps them down.  In the last few months we’ve started giving him tastes of some less than healthy food like the occasional Chick Fil-A nugget or bites of mommy’s ice cream and he is a big fan.  He likes to take bites of everything and then smile and say a big, satisfied “MMMMM!”

How He’s Sleeping

Oh man, I am loving the one nap stage! For the first time in his life, Caleb is pretty consistently sleeping past 6 AM and it is a beautiful thing.  He usually wakes up between 6-6:30, naps from around 12:00-2:30 (and I usually wake him up from this one), then goes down for the night at 7:30 PM.  We still have him in a crib and you can bet we will keep him there as long as humanly possible!  He sleeps like a champ and I love the time that gives me and Jordan at night and during nap-time.  I’m telling you…getting this kid on a routine/schedule has been one of the best things we’ve done for our marriage and our family and I am so grateful for all the friends who recommended Babywise to me!

When you’re sick and can’t hang until naptime…

What He’s Liking

I think it’s safe to say Caleb is a big fan of warm, beautiful weather.  He loves being outside at the park, in our driveway, and just about anywhere! Any time he’s fussy we whisk him outside and he calms down immediately.  We spend a lot of our days walking and exploring outside and I’m grateful for weather that lets us do that!

Caleb is also a big fan of the pool, which makes his mom and dad very happy.  He loves to splash around, throw balls, and climb up and down the steps with dad.  And the part that most cracks us up is how much he loves to just sit on a lounge chair with some veggie straws and people watch for 30 minutes after swimming.  I swear this kid is a 70 year old man at heart.

Lastly, he’s loving exploring every nook and cranny of our house.  He’s tall enough to get into most drawers and cabinets and he takes full advantage.  This means I often find random objects in strange places, like when I found my concealer in a dresser drawer or a board book in our tupperware drawer.  Caleb’s leaving his mark on our house, that’s for sure!

What He’s Disliking

We definitely see some tantrums these days but nothing too extreme yet.  If he doesn’t get something he wants, he’ll fall to the floor and purposely bang his forehead on the ground.  I’m talking a hard head smash on the wood floors, y’all.  Then he immediately looks up at us and starts crying to get our attention! We think this started when we would always scoop him up if he hit his head while walking or crawling, but now it is definitely a tantrum thing and it both cracks us up and drives us nuts.  At this point he’s pretty easy to distract and redirect, so the tantrums aren’t too bad.

A Parent Update

This stage of parenting has been such a joy.  Sure, he throws some fits and has his fussy days, but he’s sleeping consistently, eating well, playing like crazy, and making us laugh all the day long.  I’ve said it before, but this stage is much more my jam than the newborn stage.  I really struggled with the exhaustion and anxiety of the newborn months and this stage feels like a breath of fresh air in so many ways.

Caleb’s personality cracks me up and I love sitting at the table for meals being silly and laughing with him.  I love how he clings to my shoulder while he’s on my hip like he has his whole right there and I love the warm sweetness of his sweaty little head when he wakes up from a 3 hour nap.  He is my little buddy and I love being his support and his safe place as he explores the world around him in so many ways.

It’s also been fun to watch Jordan come into his role as a dad in so many ways.  Caleb adores him and absolutely lights up when he walks in the door.  They wrestle, dance, and play together and Jordan makes Caleb laugh harder than anyone.  I adore both my boys and it has been so fun to see their relationship grow.

If the next few months are a fraction as fun as these ones have been, then we have a whole lot to look forward to.