Jenson update: 16 months

We finally realized that Jenson is actually shy.  We always would tell people “he pretends he’s shy at first”, and then realized that he actually is shy.  I was shy as a kid too.  He had 2 colds and an ear infection this month, but nothing that kept him down for long.  When he was sick and recovering, he was more attached to me, but when he was well, he was attached to Lo.  It was so cold and snowy this month, but we finally found a day when it wasn’t freezing and he wasn’t sick so he could play in the snow.

Monthly Jenson update:  January 7 – February 6, 2015

Age:  16 month old

Weight:  21.7 lbs. on January 14 for his 15 month appointment

Length:  30 inches

Size:  He’s wearing 12 month clothing, and some 18 month clothing is starting to fit well enough.

Hair and Eyes: He had his 3rd haircut.  We went for a little boy haircut this time.  It was cute, but I prefer it longer, so we probably won’t get it cut that short for awhile.

Teeth: Still two bottom teeth and four top teeth.  His one year molars started to come in, and it looks like two more bottom teeth may be on the way.

Sleeping: Still sleeping through the night.  He wakes through the night, and moves all over the crib, but settles himself. Sometimes he’ll stand up and throw his blankie or stuffed animal out of his crib and will lay back down and go to sleep.  He goes to bed around 715-730 p.m. and wakes between 5 and 630 a.m.  I stopped nursing him in the morning this month and it was a big adjustment.  Lo would get up with him when he woke and bring him downstairs to play.  For the first few days he cried for me as they walked past our door, but he was fine after that.  Sometimes he’d wake around 430 and we’d tried to let him fuss until at least 5.  During that time he’d lay down and fall back to sleep a few times, so he wasn’t really awake and ready to go.  It definitely made for some rough mornings for Lo.  Once he had to get ready for work, I’d come down and play with Jenson until it was my turn to get ready.  The first week or so he fussed for me and pulled at my shirt, but he wasn’t too intent on nursing. He’s usually only taking 1 nap per day after lunch, but he takes a morning nap when he wakes extra early.

Eating:  He’s still being picky.  Sometimes we just stir some applesauce or hummus into whatever he’s refusing, and then he’ll eat it.  I really struggle with getting him to eat almost any veggie.  I’ve been making smoothies for him with greek yogurt, banana, some sort of berry, beets, and kale or spinach, sometimes other random veggies thrown in like avocado, carrots or sweet potato.  He loves them.  He also loves banana pancakes (banana, eggs, and oats), and cauliflower crust pizza.  We can usually get him to eat pasta with red sauce or cheese sauce.  He still nurses before bed most nights, and the goal is to wean him from that during the next month.  Lo is able to put him to bed or nap if I’m not around, so he doesn’t “need” it…just wants it if I’m there.  He doesn’t seem to love cow’s milk, so he only takes 5-10 ounces a day, but the Dr. said that we shouldn’t worry about it if he eats enough dairy.  Between yogurt, smoothies, and cheese, he’s getting plenty.  He tries to use his spoon when he eats something like yogurt, oatmeal, or hummus, and is sometimes successful.  Then he gives up and uses his hands.

Movement: He started walking more than crawling this month.  He walks like a cowboy, but he’s pretty steaady.  He still LOVES dancing and claps and dancing when he hears it.  He likes playing “chase”.  He’ll crawl or walk out of the room and when we say “where are you going” or “you come back here”, he turns around, smiles, and starts to “run” away so we chase him.  When we start to come after him, he stops and cracks up when we catch him and tickle him.

Words & Sounds:  In addition to the 40 or so words he was saying last month, he started saying some two-word combos, like like “get down” “thank you” “night night”.  When he’s about to do something that he knows he’s not supposed to do – like touching the dog dishes, he says “no, no, no”.  It’s nice because we always know he’s about to get into something.  After calling us mommy/daddy or mama/dada for months, he started calling us both daddy this month.  I have no idea why.

Milestones

• His twin cousins were born – Luke and Levi!
• We figured out that he probably has a cat allergy after his eyes got itchy and red after being around cats
• Swimming class.  It would take him a bit to “warm up” in class and start having fun, but each week he had fun more quickly.  He always did great with going under water though, and liked playing at the end.

• Saying two-word combos
• Real kisses!  He gives us real kisses on the lips…soooo sweet.  Boof gets kisses too.

• First ear infection
• Sledding for the first time in our backyard!  He liked riding in the sled, but didn’t care for walking or sitting in it.

Favorite Things:

• a box…he pushes it around the house, puts things in it and takes them out

• playing in his wagon

• watching videos of himself

• Bathtime
• King of the couch.  He doesn’t want anyone else to sit or lay on his little blue couch, and will sit on whomever tries

• Being chased and tickled at the end
• Wearing hats
• Eating other people’s food (even stuff that he won’t normally eat)

• Books!  Especially books with flaps
• Clapping and dancing, and watching Sadie sing

• Playing in “his” plastic container cabinet in the kitchen

Dislikes:

• Not getting his way (like every kid)
• Vegetables, unless they are hidden
• not being picked up when he wants, or by the particular parent that he wants at that moment

Looking forward to:

• Jenson gets to meet his twin cousins (this already happened by the time of posting, of course)
• Visiting my family – they haven’t seen him since Christmas, and he threw up most of that visit
• His first overnights with Lo’s parents (I was nervous about how much I’d miss him – I knew he’d be fine there)
• Weaning him completely!