Hellobee

There has been a big shift since M turned one in which our baby has turned into a little boy. Three months ago he was just starting to walk and now we can barely keep up with him. But even more than that, he is coming into his own person and is starting to do things on his own. Physical changes are harder to notice when we see him everyday, but his face is definitely maturing. I’m going to be so sad when his chubby little cheeks and leg rolls disappear.

One of the most surprising things to us at this age is that M is already developing his own little sense of humor. When he is done eating dinner, he will lock eye contact, hold his arm out, pause for a second then drop the food. He has an attitude that we weren’t prepared to see so young and it’s so hard not to laugh. The best part is how pleased he is with himself when he does something he is proud of. He has also started copying our behavior and sounds. There was one day when Mr. Ice Cream was checking for squeaks on the stairs by pressing down on different spots. A few days later as I was helping M down the stairs he paused, and started pressing down on the stairs. He obviously didn’t know he was “checking for squeaks” but he had a huge smile on his face like he was doing something important.

Another notable personality trait that we’ve observed is how independent M is. He boldly explores without concern for where Mr. Ice Cream or I are. New faces can can still give him pause but he doesn’t hesitate in a new space. He cried once when we dropped him off at school, but has cried on more than a dozen occassions when we picked him up.

One thing we know is that M loves to push things – wagons, laundry baskets, furniture, shopping carts, etc. We have even seen him try to push the car. When he is really focused he tucks his head down and pushes with all his might.

Even though M isn’t talking yet (at least not in a language we understand), there are words he understands. He recgonizes “Nutri-grain bar” and “Roomba,” and will start bouncing up and down in excitment when he hears either. He even points and says “oomba, oomba” as soon as he sees the vacuum. And because Roomba takes quite a beating when M is around, most days we keep it hidden in the pantry.

There have been some discrepancies about M’s first word and when it happened. But the general consensus is that his first word is “ball.” If you ask my mom she will tell you she first heard him say it back in November (11 months), but Mr. Ice Cream and I are more convinced it happened around 12-13 months. Lately it has been all about two syllable sounds. Right now Daa-Do is the sound of the week.

The biggest challenge we’re facing right now is tantrums. If there is something he wants to do, he doesn’t want to be told “no.” That means if we are in a store and we try to guide him in a different direction, he’ll get pissed. Luckily, his tantrums don’t last long but they’ve happened a couple times while we’ve been out. Since Mr. Ice Cream and I had so much luck with Dr. Harvey Karp’s “Happiest baby on the block,” we recently tried “Happiest toddler on the block.” The jury is still out whether his methods for calming a tantrum work.

Overall, our favorite things about this age is watching M figure things out – that a light switch turns the light on, that a button makes a specific sound, etc. Here are a few more memorable moments from this age:

Memorable moments:

1. Loves to be chased. When Mr. Ice Cream covers his eyes and starts counting down from 3, M will squeal in excitement and take off running. Usually he only runs a few feet away so when Mr. Ice Cream opens his eyes M is standing in plain sight. We usually pretend we can’t see him for a few seconds because we love hearing him giggle with glee.
2. M loves to turn on light switches. When Pops and Bebe were here, Pops taught M to hit the light switch, then point to the lights and say “boom” when the lights turn on. Now whenever the lights come on M points to the ceiling and says “boom.”

What has your 15 month old been up to?