Monday, March 2, 2009

Christian Turns 16 Months Old

Our Little Prince Charming turns 16 months old today! It occurred to me that I didn’t give updates for months 14 and 15 … ooops! So here’s all the updates for his grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, and the casual visitors to our blog:

The Vitals – At his recent Dr. appt., Christian was 22 lbs (15-20th percentile), Length was 30 ¼ inches (25th percentile) and his head was still way off the chart. Its funny to see him next to other kiddos because his head is usually WAY bigger than any other kiddo head. Well … he just has a lot of brain in there!

The Daycare Gig – Christian made it through his first three days of daycare with Melissa. He cries when I leave, so that tugs on my heartstrings ... a lot! However, I know I have to leave … so I just leave. He’s not eating very well over at her house, and then doesn’t eat very well when he gets back home. But I think it’s all part of the adjustment and he’ll gradually get better about it. I’ve noticed Christian is more clingy to me now. For example, if Jonathan and I hold hands during the prayer at meals, Christian pulls our hands apart. Yesterday at Lowe’s, I was talking to an employee about something, and Christian started to get upset (Jonathan was holding him), but as soon as we ceased our conversation and the employee left, Christian was fine. And he wants me to hold him more. I’m guessing its normal that during a transition such as this, a child will get more clingy to his primary parent. And honestly, it warms my heart that Christian wants to be near his mommy. :)

Walking – Nope, its not happening. He likes to stand on his own on our bed or a chair, but typically won’t do it on the floor where he’d be more stable. Go figure …

Talking – He has been saying “mama mama mamaaaaaa” since last week. Melissa mentioned hearing it, and when I told her I noticed it too, but it didn’t seem related to me, she said he was making the sound while looking towards the front door (where I departed). He was saying it a lot this weekend, but never to me directly. We also think he might be trying to say Elmo (his most favorite “person”). Christian’s cute little sounds change to an “Eh” when he’s looking at Elmo. Or, rather, “cooing” at Elmo. We also think he might be trying to say “Bella” (the dog). But all of that is speculative … or hopeful (however you want to look at it).

The Little Personality – Christian’s days of being a mellow, happy-go-lucky baby are waning. When he gets frustrated … whoooo-eeeeeee, look out! There are two videos we let Christian watch: “Pat the Bunny” and “Your Baby Can Read” DVDs. And he LOVES them. But if he wants to watch one, and we decline …. My goodness, you’d think it was the end of the world. Or if he wants us to read one of his books for the umpteenth time and we decline … my goodness, the tears that ensue. We do our best to not cave in. It seems the mantra lately is, “What would Super Nanny do?”

Sleeping – Christian, the world’s best sleeping baby, has started waking up around 11:00pm each night. When he’s done this in the past, we let him cry it out and he usually falls back asleep. But in the past few days, that course of action hasn’t worked. We’ve found he’s usually got a big of gas, so we give him some Mylicon and soothe him in our bed for a bit. And then, suddenly, out of the blue, he’s happy … and energetic – rolling all over the bed and laughing. Its really quite funny! But then we’ve got two very tired parents who, while amused, are just wanting to get some sleep.

It goes without saying: We just love Christian more and more each day (if that is possible). We love seeing his transformations and achievements. We love that he’s a funny little boy and makes us laugh and laugh. And we thank God for blessing us with being his parents!