15/16 Months!!

I seem to be making a habit of doing this combination month posts because I get so far behind and completely miss my dates!  I can hardly believe Benjamin is 16 months (on the 3rd).....most people think he's almost 2 though :-)

Height:  33 inches (90th percentile)

Weight:  29 lbs (95th percentile)  Daddy and I were sure you were going to be 30 pounds but you must have been secretly dieting behind our backs to prove us wrong, ha!  All in all though, you are a big boy! (and we love it!)

Likes:  BOOKS!  CARS!  BALLS!  You are ALL boy.  You almost always have one of those 3 things in your hand at any given point in the day.  You love to be outside and you love to be anywhere where you can run, run, run and not look back.  You still adore Elmo and love helping Mama vacuum.  You're not into watching any shows lately because you're too active but you will sit for books for as long as someone will read to you.  You also adore your cousins who you got to visit in San Diego and you love your friends Elijah, Haddie and Micah.  You smile sooo big when you see them and immediately grab their arms.

Dislikes:  You still don't like getting your face washed after dinner.  I'm sooooo ready for this stage to be over.  You also hate getting your teeth brushed.  You want to do it yourself, but unfortunately you don't do well enough on your own and we almost have to pin you down to brush them every night.  This stage can end soon too!  You still get a bit skiddish when there's a loud or sudden noise too.

Eating:  You still eat pretty much everything we put in front of you.  Sometimes you're a bit picky but you're usually a great eater.  You still love your fruits and veggies, hamburger, chicken, beef, and you loooove noodles like your mama.  You love to snack on crackers and cheese.  You now know what a cheeseball is thanks to your Auntie Amanda and it's one of your favorite words to say :-)  You still love your whole milk and I'm so glad you do!  This month you've really started loving grapes and apples too.  And of course you always love it when you get your much beloved cookies!!

Sleeping:  Well, except for when we're on vacation, you usually sleep great at night.  You don't sleep terribly late into the morning but sleep from about 8pm or 8:30pm until about 7:00am, sometimes 7:30am.  It's a rare night where you wake up in the middle of the night and you usually soothe yourself if you do.  Naps have been a bit off because you can't decide whether you want to take a morning nap or not.  If you sleep in the morning you sleep great, for at least 2 hours but then you won't sleep at all in the afternoon.  But if I try to keep you awake all morning then it's not a guarantee that you'll take a great afternoon nap.  So we're wading through it all and trying to figure out your new "normal".  You still go to sleep without a fuss almost every time though as long as you have your paci and 2 Floppy's.  We're going to break you of your nighttime paci soon since you already don't have it during the day.

Personality:  GOOFY!  You are feisty and goofy and funny and active and smart and verbal all combined with a temper.  You can get very sassy sometimes when you don't get your way and we're working on being really patient with you as we teach you how to act differently.  But you are such a goof!  You are so loud at times and laugh so loud....we love it because you snort when you laugh hard!  You love to be chased and tickled.  You babble constantly....it is rarely very quiet in my house.  Your vocabulary is booming and you're saying more and more words and identifying more and more items in your books.  You love to give us "squeezes" instead of hugs and will randomly give us kisses.  You're curious and can sometimes be a bit bashful but for the most part you aren't really shy and just take off without us. 

Highlights:  You have had a busy couple of months!  We've gone to San Diego for a week, Idaho for a week, you've had another sleepover at the Zderads, and have spent a lot of time outside playing.  You're getting at least one of your molars in this month.  You can walk out the front door step without needing help.  You had another haircut (your 3rd one I think?)  You are now forward facing in your car seat!

Benjamin, I know we say this each month but it is just impossible to tell you how much we love you.  The joy you bring your Daddy and I is endless and we are so blessed to be your parents.  Thanks for being the spunky, crazy, book-loving, ball throwing, car racing, ornery, smart, and completely adorable little boy that we love so much.  We can hardly believe how big you're getting and though it'd be nice if time would slow down a little bit, we're loving every second of our life with you.  We love you Benjamin :-)