16 months old

I'm behind.  Again.  In just 10 days, Max will be 17 months old!  And I'm still working on the 16 month old post.  And this time it's been so long that I'm not even sure which of his new tricks he learned since he turned 16 months old. :(  I'm sorry Max.  Life has been busy.  Most of it has been fun...but we're also planning a big move and it's taken a lot of time.  And work...oh my...work has been so very busy that when I get home, sometimes I just can't really look at the computer anymore.  I will try harder sweet pickle.  I will.  

So I guess the biggest news is that Max moved from the infant room to the Chickadee room at school.  This happened just after the holidays and while the first few days of dropoffs didn't sound like much fun (read tears and Kenny having to have someone pry Max from his arms in the morning at school), it didn't take long before Max was feeling right at home in his new surroundings.  I'd hazard a guess that the playground has something to do with how much he loves it.  The babies play on a nice carpeted deck but the Chickadees have a playground with slides and sand and they get to play on the blacktop with balls and bikes.  So much fun!  I am also amazed, again, that he quickly learned how to nap on a cot and seems to be doing fine.  With both kids, I worry about the sleep the most.  But both have figured out the cot thing right away and taken to it just fine!  

We went on a few playground hunts in January too - since it has been a wonderfully warm winter!  We've had many days in the 60's and even a few in the 70's!  This picture was New Year's Day...and it was warm enough to not even need a jacket!  YAY!  Anyway, we picked a few playgrounds in the city and took off to see what they had to offer.  It was so much fun and at several of them we ran into friends from school!  Great minds think alike...

Anyway, back to Max...he loves books and animals and making animal sounds.  Books about animal sounds are the best things ever! His room looks like this pretty much every night.  

After a bath, and getting on his jammies, he goes through book after book after book.  Once I sit in the chair, he hops up in my lap and we read some more until it's time to snuggle.  He goes to bed wide awake and is usually perfectly content to snuggle with his baby (glo-worm) and rub the tag on his lion.  We don't usually hear from him until morning - 6:30ish usually.  Sometimes in the middle of the night he'll lose his paci and not be able to find it, but it's rare.

He has some words, but he mostly communicates with grunts and squeals.  I'm ready for words.  But he definitely knows what you are saying and will get his point across one way or another.  Not to worry!

He wants to do everything Jack is doing.  Everything.  I think he plays so differently than Jack did at this age, just because he plays like Jack does.  He gets out animals and plays with them.  He'll march them around and make their sounds.  It's pretty cute!  

He's a bit more rough and tumble than Jack too...even now.  Max will climb up things and fall and move on without so much as a second thought.  He's adventurous for sure!

They still really like being with one another. Jack gets upset from time to time if Max isn't doing something right or takes something that Jack was playing with, but it usually only lasts a few minutes and they are back to giggling together.

I don't think anything really changed in his diet this month and we didn't have any illnesses that I recall.  I've kind of given up counting teeth.  He's really turning into a big boy and losing the baby-ness.  Though he still loves his paci!  He is definitely less reliant on it than he was last month though.  I'm not sure he'd sleep without it, but he can survive awake time without it for sure. 

We're loving life with these 2 sweet little red-headed boys over here.  There are days where I really am in awe that they are mine.  

Thanks Max, for another wonderful month and for letting me be your mom!  Love you sweet pea, love you to pieces!