Little Man is 17 Months

Dear Kendry,

Oh, the things you are up to these days, I wish I could jot down daily a new thing you do, say or imitate.  You are growing so fast and every minute of your life is just fascinating to me.   You seem to be constantly talking even though we only understand a few of your words:  Hola, Mami, Dadada, Papi, NO NO NO, Hot, meow, and moo!  With a combination of words, signs or actions, you can tell us what you are thinking, feeling, and needing most of the time, especially in the middle of the night when you want a drink you sit up in bed and point to the water by the side of the bed. During the day you grab our hand and pull us to wherever it is you want to go…usually to the garage to get in the car and go!

Hands down your favorite thing to eat is TOFU…can you believe that.  Dragon Hill …our favorite restaurant for Chinese food…gives us a little take out dish every time we go there.   Yes, we are regulars! You also love scrambled eggs, toast with jam, French toast, oatmeal, rice, beans, chicken nuggets, peaches, pears, avocadoes, grapes, and cherry tomatoes.   When you have had enough to eat it is easy enough to tell because you toss it on the floor as quickly as we put it in front of you.  You love to feed yourself, but using a spoon is still a challenge…hands just seem to work a lot better!   You aren’t always the most consistent eater, but you manage to grow and stay healthy.   Some days, the high chair is merely a place for you to play with forks or spoons, babble, show off…and throw whatever you don’t want on the floor.  Other days, you eat up an entire plate. You are very aware of how hot your food is, if it is anything to hot you make the biggest noise and hold your mouth open and out the food comes.   I am really a freak about your nutrition because of how sick you were with dehydration last January.   So I am extremely happy that you will drink 8 oz of milk in one sitting now! 

Here are you stats for the month:

Weight:      23.5 pounds

Height:       31 inches

You still love to be outside even though it is getting to cold for us to take walks.   You run around the backyard throwing balls, picking leaves, and chasing your shadow, when the sun shines.  You look up, watch the birds, look at the sky and listen for the sound of planes.  You make the sign for plane whenever they are roaring overhead. Living close to an Air Force Base, makes plane watching easy and delightful!

Halloween was a challenge for you.   Your first costume was a friendly lion which you absolutely refused to wear….you screamed, kicked, and pull on it until you got the head gear off.   So with that much of a reaction we decided on something a little more up your alley….SUPER MAN!  You loved passing our candy with grandpa, you sat by the front door waiting for the kids to arrive.   Several times you wanted to leave with them, but we managed to keep you safe and warm inside for most of the night…..and yes you love the candy!

 

This month you started watching the video Babies….it is easy to tell which baby is your favorite because you imitate his every move.   Baby Ponijao is just adorable with that big smile!  Ryan watched with you yesterday and said…”Hey, that looks like my brother!”

 

You really love all kids and have been spending a little bit of time with the day care kids at Ryan’s home.   The first day you were there you weren’t to happy with one of the little girls and decided it worked best to just hit her to get her out of your way.   I sure hope that isn’t going to be the way you solve your problems.  You love your bear so much and you carry him around the house giving him Besos all the time….so when the kids try to hug you, you usually hug back and give them a big Kiss!  You are really a friend to everyone and never hesitate to try to make a new friend – young or old….even in the grocery store!  While shopping one afternoon, you asked a lady for one of the cupcakes she had in her cart.   She quickly offered to give it to you!   Wow you are a smoosher!

You are a very smart little man, we have tried to baby proof the kitchen with magnetic locks and now you are trying your best to use the magnet to get the cupboard doors open.  Grandpa spent one whole afternoon locking things up….it sure has helped keep a few things in place!

 

You are also very coordinated, you climb on the bed with ease, you climb on your toys, you climb on the fireplace hearth, you climb in the rocking chair, the big chair in the office….as many times as we tell you to get down….you think it is lots of fun and very funny to just do it again and again!  One of the really cute things you have also learned to do is shrug your shoulders.   I don’t know if you know what you are talking about but you just lift them and say ahh ahh!  Here is a picture of you watching Babies and climbing on your musical table….into the pack-n-play…which you won’t sleep in!

 

The books on the shelves are no longer safe, you have so much fun pulling books off and then sitting with the pile all around you and you start to read them to yourself.  When you find one that you really like you bring it to someone to read it to you.  Your favorite books this month have been Lights Out  Night’s Out,  Curious George Pat-a-Cake!, and Good Night A touch & Feel Bedtime Book.   You do a lot of reading to yourself and talking yourself through your books.  You will even laugh at the high points of the story and thumb through bigger grown up books like an adult.  While tearing a few of the pages and eating the corners of the books!   Geeze what a kid!

Dancing – yes you have rhythm and you are a dancer….Anytime, anywhere, you can make up your own tune if you need music.  You are getting quite good now and will move your feet really fast, twirl, raiser and lower your arms, and clap your hands to a beat.  Anytime a catchy tune is on the TV you will quickly run into the room and begin dancing.

Bath time is still one of your favorite parts of the day.  You love all the toys and the water splashing has become excessive. 

You wear size 18 months – 24 month clothes, are still lean and tall, and wear size 4 diapers now.  You still only have 8 teeth 4 on top and 4 on the bottom.   We think you are probably getting a few more because you have been drooling again and putting your whole fist in your mouth and biting on it.  You crinkle your nose when you laugh hard or give us that big smile.  You are drinking about 24 ounces of milk every day, 4 ounces of juice diluted with 4 ounces of water, and about 8 ounces of water every day.   Quite a change from when you would only drink 2 oz of milk at a time.  You still want your bobo at night, naps, and if you see it laying around the house you pick it up and plop it in your mouth.  At night time if you lose it you search the bed with your eyes closed until you find it….but if you don’t want it you throw it as hard as you can out of the bed.  

Little Man, you are just sweet, and I love the huge hugs you have learned to give every day!  You are just funny…you love to be tickled, chased, and played peek-a-boo with!   You are you perfect….nothing else to say!   You make us laugh every single day and you are just a joy to be around *(unless you are hungry or tired!) You are so handsome…..everyone still tells us “WOW, he is so dang cute!   I am so, so, so, lucky and proud to be your momma!

Love you to the moon and back,

Mommy