15 Month Stats.

Will was not a happy camper at his appointment today. He was ticked off the moment they tried to measure him, and he was not happy until we were out of there. His growth has stayed consistent, and now he is 24 pounds, 32 inches long. The only thing my pediatrician said is that his vocabulary is a tad lagging. Will says "Dada" and "Mom", and tries to say dog, but otherwise it's a lot of babble. His babble sounds like conversation, and he does say words like bye or hi, but not in context yet and not on command. The pediatrician said to just keep reading lots, which we do already, and definitely nix the paci except for bed. Will LOVES his paci and stashes them for easy access (quite sneakily, I might add), so this will be a challenge. Still, I know it's important and it'll encourage him to talk more without his paci, so to the crib it goes, and ONLY the crib.

Here's some other random things he's doing and preferences he has at 15 months:

• He loves reading, but still reaches for his favorites, Are You My Mother?, Guess How Much I Love You,The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and So Big!. He will pick any of these books out of a bin, bring them to you with a smile, then plop down on your lap to snuggle and listen. It's adorable, and likely my very favorite part of the day.
• He has become a bit more picky with his eating. He loves crackers, mac n' cheese, peas, pancakes, bananas, applesauce, and meatloaf, cheese toast, and PB&J sandwiches. I can't seem to get him to like more veggies, but we try and try again. He drinks his milk easily and has been off the bottle since 12 months. He prefers the straw sippies over ones you have to hold up (he's a tad lazy in that way!).
• Elmo makes him smile, and he loves his "Best of Elmo" DVD. We restrict it to once a day, but he loves that 20-something minutes of Elmo singing and dancing. He also loves when Brian or I play with his Elmo puppet. Those Sesame Street people know what they're doing!
• We have received great snuggles lately. Will has become so cuddly. Of course, we've always tried our best to snuggle with him, but now he initiates it often. Nothing warms my heart more when he walks across the room to me, then gives me a giant hug and kisses. He does the same to his Dada. It's the best!
• Will likes his shoes. He'll bring them to me and hold up his foot. He wants to wear them all of the time. I guess that's a testament to Pedipeds and their comfort!
• He's a great walker even though he's only been at it a month. He is so fast and keeps me on the go during playdates. These days I cherish nap time as it's the only time other than when he's in bed for the night that I truly get to sit down for any length of time.
• The boy just might be musical! He hums to songs, especially "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," and he is usually on pitch and has the same rhythm. Maybe this is completely normal, but we like to think he's got some talent there! American Idol 2016???? Ha!
• He is a little Linus! Never before has he had a real attachment to any one item to the point where he wants to drag it around until now. He's taken a liking to his baby blue minky-dot blanket (the same type of blankie his cousin Levi sports). In the morning, he'll drag that blanket around and rub his face against it smiling. It's really cute. I wonder if Target still has that same blanket - I may need to get a "backup blankie" if I think the attachment will stick.
• It's so clear how impressionable we are on this little boy. He imitates us and looks at us adoringly. It reminds us of the huge yet precious responsibility it is being a parent. We continue to improve ourselves to lead by example and are so grateful for our Will.