15 months

15 months old!

I keep meaning to write other posts besides the monthly milestones, but life gets in the way! Wilder is  active and fun these days. He's currently trying out all kinds of sound effects, from "vrooming" and rasperries, to soaring vocals, sounding like he got punched in the stomach and roaring like a lion. He's really meticulous, and gets frustrated with himself when he can't stack his blocks perfectly or precisely pop his toy frogs. But most of the time he laughs and smiles. Life is fun when you're Wilder Dean, and we enjoy watching him explore his world. We love his snuggly, sweet hugs and his laugh lights up our days.

This month, Wilder:

• Weighs 18 lbs 15 oz (5th %). Last month he had clothes on and a full diaper, so he didn't lost weight or anything. Height: 30 inches (12th %) and head 45 cm (8th percentile). His pediatrician says he's doing great!
• Still wearing 12M clothes, but shirts are getting a bit short.
• Still sporting 8 teeth
• Stands up, squats and rotates from the hip while freestanding. He pushes his lion walker fast around the house for long stretches of time. He's moved to the tile where he can really fly! He's also learning to turn it on his own.
• Says "mama" "mimi" "dada" all the time. He'll respond to questions like "where is papa" by pointing at the right person in photos or in the room. He connects illustrations in abstract form like whales in a book and on his wall. You can ask him to show you things in books like "where is the lion? Show me the blue truck? Where is the goldfish?" and he'll point them out.
• Loves to play outside as long as you'll let him. He'll stuff mulch in tree stumps, pluck bark off the tree, dig around in his sand box and his favorite is hunting down fluffy dandelion flowers to squish.
• He uses silicone-handled metal forks and spoons really well. He eats a ton! Yogurt is still his favorite, but he loves homemade stir-fry and rice.
• Still nursing, but no more bottles
• Likes to pop anything like a tiddly wink, from garbanzo beans to blueberries to his toy frogs. He's really good at it.
• He wakes up between 7-7:30 am, naps around 12 for 90 min-2 hours, and goes to sleep around 7-7:30 pm. He usually wakes up once in the early morning, but sometimes sleeps through the night.

Here are more photos! This was Tuesday, with our "snow." We went out with Mimi to check it out! He thought it was cold and very slippery. :-)

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today would have been my mom's 60th birthday. She's been gone nearly 4 years, but somehow it seems much longer. So much has happened since then. I still miss her every day, and especially now as I'm also a mom.

Today, I sat in my mom's rocking chair and sang to my baby the same songs she used to sing. I thought about the early memories I have of my mom. Her denim dresses, her comforting arms, her ready smile. Her mischievous pranks. The way I always knew she was in my corner.

I wonder what memories Wilder will have of me. Will he know how much Zach and I love him? Will he know I will always support his dreams? Will he know that my arms are always ready to hold him?

So many questions I would ask my mom about parenting. I imagine the way my mom would love Wilder to bits. How she would hold him in her arms and let him show her everything he discovers. How I'd probably have to wrestle him away for nap time because she would just want to hold him one more minute.

Days like today, I miss Mom most of all. But I'm so thankful to see her in my baby's squinty early morning smile, and his easy laugh. Even his stubby baby feet remind me of her. And tonight, I'm going to make one of my favorite dinners she used to makeL She used to call it "Garbage" (Garbahj all fancy) and it's just ground beef, veggies and pasta cooked in a skillet, but I loved it. Thanks Mom.

14 Months

14 months

We are so enjoying spending time with our little BOY! Wilder is animated and happy most of the time. He laughs often and likes to tells us things in baby language. He hums as he eats his food, whether it's a few puffs or a delicious meatball. Doesn't matter--he'll let you know he's enjoying it. It is amazing to watch how he observes things in his surroundings. He's still cautious, but definitely an explorer. He'd love to be outside all day long. He has a sweet disposition, he is constantly trying to share, but he does show his will at times when we don't let him do something like go down the stairs on his own. He's got his own ideas about things! We're so happy God put Wilder in our lives, and we love watching him grow in mind and body.

This month, Wilder:

• Weighs 19 pounds (with clothes on and a slightly wet diaper, so that could be off!)
• Still wears 12 month old clothes, but he just got a pair of big boy shoes from Stride Rite size 4W.
• Still has 8 teeth but he has been teething off and on.
• Got a real, honest-to-goodness, little boy haircut from our friend Les.
• He can stand up ALL BY HIMSELF! This happened during our anniversary dinner. Sharon sent us a video at the restaurant! He's so proud of himself! Most of the time he cruises quickly grabbing onto things or the wall, but he's also taken a few steps toward a ball. And he's pushed a walking toy all over the place. But not really walking yet.
• This week he learned how to climb up the stairs and he can go up the entire flight. We follow right behind him but he's a man on a mission. The gate is a necessity now... we had it down the other day and he made it up three stairs in the time it took me to take away one of Wilder's toys from Ellie!
• He can make connections. He can go around the room from one spot and point at each photo of Zach and I together on the wall. If we read about a horse, he'll go point at his rocking horse. If he looks at a photo book with a picture of Pierre the cat, he'll go point at Pierre in real life. He'll pull out a stuffed elephant from a fabric box, point at the fabric stitched image of an elephant on the outside of the box and make an elephant noise. He recognizes people in photos and will then point to them in real life. He knows what the moon is in books and points it out in every book he has, just like he'll point at the moon in real life.
• He's obsessed with airplanes. He hears one and has to go look for it in the sky.
• He uses a spoon just about all of the time with his meals. He eats a lot now! Right now his favorite foods are stir fry rice, yogurt, pomegranate seeds and pears. And puffs. He also likes toast or bread.
• He pretty much only uses a straw cup now, no more bottle when I'm not around! He's not nursing as much as he was, but we still enjoy that time together.
• The biggest change this month is sleeping. We've dropped to one nap, but it averages starting at 10:30 or 1. We shoot for 1 and sometimes he doesn't make it that far. Either way, he's napping about 1.5 hours. We've moved his bedtime up to 7-7:30 p.m. and he happily sleeps till 7 am. Sometimes he'll wake once in the night.
• He is such a snuggler! He hugs often, cuddles when he's tired, hugs the kitty, hugs his stuffed animals--he is a lover.

We took these photos today after Wilder got to visit the zoo for the first time. These are in the front yard. :-)

13 months

13 months old!

I'm done with the monthly stickers, but I still like to capture a snapshot of the month, so here are some from Christmas morning, Wilder's 13 month birthday. :-)

This month, Wilder:

• Has mastered cruising and is beginning to let go of support. He's got pretty good balance, but our careful guy is reluctant to take steps without backup. He gets around quickly though, by holding onto things and crawling!
• Started stacking blocks and other items on Tuesday!
• Said his first words: mama and dada. He's also said "puffs" and "moon". He knows who people and pets are, and nods his head when you ask him things like "would you like a drink of water?" "Do you want to see the Christmas tree?"
• Loves all the Christmas decorations and the tree is a new fascination every morning
• Is obsessed with the advent calendar
• He'll do a spin on his bottom to get to a new direction
• Shares his food, toys, you name it with anyone!
• Still loves reading. His favorite books right now are Curious George Goes to the Zoo and Where is Baby's Puppy? He will point things out in the books and laugh when you finally find whatever character has been hiding.
• Takes 1-2 naps a day and wakes up once in the night.
• Eats lots of things. Right this second his favorite food is pomegranate seeds, followed by yogurt and strawberries. He enjoys almond butter toast too.
• Playing outside is his favorite activity besides reading. He loves leaves!
• He's wearing 12 month clothes. Pants are still a bit long.
• He's such a sweet, happy boy. He laughs at everything and loves participating in conversations with laughter. He is our joy!

More photos!