The Powells

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Saturday, August 18, 2012

First, I just have to say YAY for all the molars coming in! Poor buddy got all 4 of them within a month and was understandably not happy about it. The last one broke through on August 13. He was such a trooper though. There were many, many fussy days but I think he only woke up once at night throughout this whole process. Hopefully the incisors don't give him as much trouble as the molars did. His 15 month appointment is scheduled with Elise's preschool physical at the end of the month, so I'll update with official stats at that point.

Stats: Approximately 22 lbs and 31.5 inches. He wears 12-18 and 18-24 month clothes (can only get away with the bigger sizes because of short sleeves and shorts, the 12-18 month pants for fall still have to be rolled up). He wears size 5-5.5M shoe and has 12 teeth.

Sleeping: Still continues to be a great sleeper. Goes to bed around 7 and wakes around 7, and is content to play in his crib upon waking. Naps from 12:30-3ish. Sometimes he goes down easily and other times he cries for a minute or so... this seemed to coincide with the fussiest teething days as he has been fine since the fourth molar popped through.

Eating: Jack definitely had more picky moments at the table this month, but I think the cause was either teething or eating a meal too close to sleeping time. For breakfast he usually has a few of the following: scrambled eggs, yogurt, part of a waffle or bagel, fruit, dry cereal, etc. For lunch and dinner his favorites are most meat (turkey, grilled chicken or steak, and shredded meat like roast or carnitas), cheese, beans, fruit, sweet potatoes, "adult food" or anything that looks like it comes from our plates. This kid used to refuse fruit on his tray but he will now eat just about all of it, including kiwi, watermelon, peaches, blueberries, bananas, strawberries, etc. He usually gives his green vegetables to Boss, though he did eat several stalks of asparagus earlier this week. He still likes purees from the Sili Squeeze, so that's how he gets spinach, broccoli, peas, etc. He drinks mostly water and some milk. I'm trying to be careful with the milk quantity due to Elise's milk sensitivity. They have maybe a cup of milk 4-5 times a week. He's still nursing 2-3 times a day but I think we'll be done with that sometime this month.

Learning: Jack understands SO MUCH. Of course, he doesn't always obey instructions, but it's amazing how much he picks up on. He finally resumed talking and signing again around the end of July. He uses "please" and "more" all the time and also says these words: Mama, Dada, Nana (banana), ball, bah ball (basketball), dog/doggie, uh oh, tee (a request to brush teeth), keys, eat, chee-o (Cheerio). He doesn't say "no" but he does shake his head for "no", which is pretty funny because the hair swishes back and forth. He's picked up a few more words since he turned 15 months last weekend, so I'll save those for another post. It seems like he starts saying a new word every other day and also has started mimicking some words when we say them.

Playing: Jack is still a very busy little boy. He is ALL over the place. He isn't quite running yet, but he does have the cutest little power walk. He loves to climb up the stairs but hasn't figured out how to get down yet. When we are out, he does great in the stroller but if you try to carry him in your arms, he just squirms and wants to get down and walk everywhere. He loves to go to the park and anywhere else that he can just explore. He is very interested in the animals at the zoo and the aquarium.

His favorite toy BY FAR is the Little Tikes basketball hoop and bucket of balls that we bought with birthday gift cards. If I say something like, "Do you want to play with Daddy?" or "Do you want to play in the playroom?" he immediately says "bah ball?". It's pretty cute. We had to stop taking balls as a toy in the car because inevitably I'd end up chasing one down the driveway, parking lot, or street when he decided to throw it. He loves to play catch and to make baskets. He isn't very interested in the Fisher Price Learning Home, which was Elise's favorite toy at this age, but Mike pointed out that it isn't the biggest toy in the house any more. The basketball hoop, play kitchen, play house, and Cozy Coupe are much more interesting to him. He also likes to play with a bucket of duplos, but that quickly turns into a huge mess.

Interaction with Big Sister: I will be the first to say that having 2 kids is a WHOLE different ball game than having just one. There is no comparison, really. It is hard... harder than I expected and definitely more difficult than the transition from 0-1. Having Elise by myself for 12 months while Mike was deployed was easy 98% of the time. Honestly, I never thought that being a mommy was hard until we hit a rough patch around Elise's 2nd birthday. These days, with a toddler and a preschooler, I am exhausted at the end of every day, even on the really great days! I really love getting one on one time with each child. However, I would be so sad if E and J were only children. They have so much fun together. Don't get me wrong... there are certainly times when he continually pulls her hair or she "helps" him when he doesn't want it, and there are times when they are both screaming or crying about something while I'm trying to cook or do something else essential, but for the most part, they have a blast just running around and laughing and playing together. Jack is much more content to play away from Mommy if Elise is there. When Elise wakes up in the morning, the first person she wants to find is Jack. I am so happy for them that they have each other.

playing peekaboo in the play house

Random things: One of the funniest things about Jack is that he absolutely loves to brush his teeth. We probably brush teeth at least 5x a day, with or without toothpaste. As soon as he crawls up the stairs for something (usually a diaper change), he immediately walks to the bathroom and says "tee" over and over again until we give him his toothbrush.

We've gotten to swim with some friends this month and Jack loves the water. He thinks it his hilarious to dunk his face in the water and will repeatedly do it and just laugh and laugh and laugh. He also thinks he can swim and constantly tries to squirm away if we're holding him. He does love the baby float though.

Another thing I love about Jack at this age is that he is so affectionate! He loves to give hugs and kisses and loves to lay his little head on my shoulder when I pick him up. He also loves to walk up and hug my legs. He'll even let me rock him for a few minutes before I put him in his crib. He is definitely a little mama's boy and does not like for us to be separated, even by just a baby gate. We love this little boy and can't wait to watch him grow up, as long as he doesn't do it too fast. :)

(blue eyes and major nap hair)

Having fun in the play house (with a ball, of course!)

(We decided to do a haircut in the middle of this photo shoot... you can see the before and after. Don't you always eat a snack with your toothbrush?)

(showing off a molar)

and of course, some action shots...

Jack with Gram and Grandpa during their Baltimore visit in July

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Jack - 14 months

**I wrote this at the beginning of July and thankfully, this phase has finally passed. He now has 3 or 4 molars and is a much happier child. Whew! I'll go ahead and post it anyway and then do another update at 15 months. Maybe I can actually get that one done on time.

This has been the toughest month yet for my sweet little Jack. We've officially entered the phase of tantrums and he's replaced words/signs in favor of screaming/shrieking. Eeeks! He's also getting molars and is very, very attached to mama right now. Praise God that he continues to sleep wonderfully. Otherwise, I don't think I would be a functioning adult right now. Three and a half years is a piece of cake in comparison :) He also is very content to ride in the stroller.

In June, we spent 2 weeks in Texas visiting family and friends. It was a wonderful trip! The kids had a great time with their grandparents and we got to celebrate Jack's birthday and take Elise to Sea World. The kids were SO great while we were there. We were there for 15 nights and Jack slept 12-13 straight hours every single night except one (when he had an unexplained fever). I was really amazed that he did so well in the pack and play. Woo hoo! He started his fussy/clingy stage while we were there, but since there were always extra people around to hold him and play with him, it wasn't a big deal :)

Stats: Jack is about 22 lbs and 31 inches. He's wearing size 3 diapers, but I think we might switch to 4's pretty soon. He wears mostly 12-18 month clothes with some 18-24 month onesies and pjs. He outgrew his first pair of shoes and now wears size 5 pediped sandals. I'm not actually sure how many teeth he has because his poor gums are so swollen on the top and the bottom. His molars are causing his gums to look blistered and swollen like the ones in his 11 month pictures. Poor baby!

Sleeping: As previously mentioned, he's been sleeping great even though he's fussy quite a bit during the day. He's pretty much dropped his morning nap. I occasionally put him down for one, but he usually just plays in his crib. He sleeps from 7 pm - 7:00/7:30 am and takes a nap from about 12:00/12:30-3:00. He goes down very easily and is quite content to play independently in his crib upon waking. He still sucks his thumb when he is going to sleep and it is quite cute.

Eating: He's been picky off and on this month, but I think it has more to do with getting molars than anything else. His favorite foods are black beans, yogurt, dry cereal, most meat, blueberries, sweet potatoes, bananas. We are still nursing 3 times a day but I'm getting ready to drop the pre-nap feeding.

Playing: Jack's favorite toys are balls and anything that plays music. He loves to carry around the Fridge Farm, the drum, the Baby Einstein takealong tunes, and anything else that he can repeatedly turn on. He started walking 100% of the time on June 20 (meaning that he would stand himself up as soon as he fell down instead of crawling somewhere to pull up) and loves to carry toys around and explore. He can make the playroom look as if a tornado hit it in just a few short minutes.

Learning/Communicating: As mentioned above, this month has been extremely frustrating because he is fussing/shrieking/screaming instead of using words or signs. Hopefully this passes quickly! His receptive language is very good. He can follow 1 and 2 step instructions and understands quite a bit. He is also very affectionate right now. He loves to climb in someone's lap and give a quick hug/lay his head down for a few seconds and then continue playing.

Here are some pictures from his birthday party in June. We couldn't have done it without our parents... they were such a big help! Mike's sister, Jennifer, was the creative inspiration around all of this and made the adorable cupcakes. Thanks, J!

First up, a little swimming and splashing...