16 Months

(This post is l-o-n-g. There's another new post beneath it, written a while ago but just published today.)

Here's another 'unexciting, but must document this stuff' post just to list what Alex is up to these days. We're so thankful for a healthy, happy little boy. He's definitely moved beyond baby & into toddler, so we cherish those rare snuggles and baby moments these days!

Some of the photos in this post may be repeats - sorry! Just trying to add some cuteness to the boring lists! :)

Words

Our little guy is such a chatterbox. I know every child is different; some talk more at this age, some talk less. Alex has a pretty good vocabulary for a 16 month old, though...and we hear new words almost every day now. Yesterday he said "vegetable"...well, it was a little more like "pubble", but he tried! :)

He will sometimes put two words together "daddy bye-bye" or "puppy ball", for example, or he'll use a word and a sign together to make his point.

Here's a list of his current words, with his pronunciation in parentheses:

1. up ("bup")
2. cup ("cup-cup" or "cuh")
3. cracker ("cock-uh")
4. phone (with mouth closed, "own")
5. spoon ("poon", used for spoon or fork)
6. bowl ("bow-bow")
7. ball
8. balloon (with mouth closed, "oon"
9. bubbles ("bubbas")
10. hot ("hah")
11. cookie



12. Mama
13. Daddy/Dadda
14. puppy ("puppa")
15. Grandpa ("boppa")
16. Papa
17. Grandma (usually "Mandma")
18. car ("Cah" - he must be from Boston)
19. truck (used to be "cuck", but now saying "Cah" with more emphasis)
20. Whussat?
21. Bye-bye
22. sock ("Kah")
23. shoe ("Kah" or "Sue")
24. oops
25. Whoa!
26. Uh-oh (UHHHHH!)
27. bath ("baa")
28. push ("Puh" - for pushing something or for turning on the tv, lightswitch, etc)
29. vroom-vroom ("voom", usually)
30. Boom!
31. stuck ("K, K, K")
32. Whee! (on a slide, swing, etc.)
33. nigh-nigh
34. duck ("kuh")
35. woof-woof
36. meow
37. Go!
38. vegetable ("Pubble")
39. park ("pock")
40. baby
41. door ("doh-doh")
42. No-no
43. obey ("bay")
44. potty ("pot-pot")
45. Amen ("mem" or sometimes "A-mem")
46. birdy (he says this without opening his mouth; I can understand it, but I have no idea how to type it!)
47. snack ("ka", which can mean an Alex-snack or a dog treat for Maggie)
48. book ("Kuh" - ah, yes, we rely heavily on context with all his K words!)
49. block ("Kuh")
50. Cool (Coo!!)
51. There are probably more words, but none are coming to mind right now.

Signs

Alex now signs and says, "Baby, baby" several times a day. Sometimes it's just for fun; other times, it means he wants to watch his Baby Signing Times video. I really need to buy him another volume, as I think he knows every sign in volume #1. I'm watching for a used DVD on ebay, as these videos are $17 full price!

Here are his signs:

1. swimming
2. banana
3. cookie
4. birdie
5. dog
6. diaper
7. bye-bye
8. milk
9. all-done
10. please
11. more
12. horse
13. cereal
14. potty
15. fish
16. he recognizes many more signs, too...

Foods

He's a skinny little thing, weighing only 20 lbs 3 oz at his 16 month pediatrician visit. Pipsqueak! The funny thing is, Alex loves to eat...and he does plenty of that! As long as he's healthy and happy, that's what matters to us.

He likes to have a spoon or fork, and he usually eats from a plate. We can tell when he's not hungry anymore, as he'll usually pick up the plate and try to turn it over...which, of course, we discourage!

I decided to stop nursing him at 16 months, and that last nursing was a sad thing for me. It means my baby really isn't a baby...and I lost my one chance per day to snuggle a calm, cuddly Alexander. The past week was a little hard for Alex, and he still signs 'milk' every once in a while, but he's doing just fine without.

Favorites:

• drinkable yogurt
• white grape juice (half water, half juice) and sometimes peach juice...doesn't care too much for apple juice
• bananas
• grapes, strawberries, melons...fresh soft fruit of any kind, really!
• canned pears or peaches
• applesauce
• goldfish crackers
• cinnamon goldfish crackers
• honey nut or banana cheerios, golden grahams, chex - as breakfast or snack
• sloppy joe
• tomato soup
• grilled cheese
• homemade banana muffins with mini chocolate chips
• pancakes or waffles
• taco meat
• mostaciolli
• french fries (rare, rare treat)
• cookies (almost as rare a treat as french fries)

Thinking about those rare cookies, we had ONE lonely Chips Ahoy cookie sitting in the package. I decided to spoil Alex with that cookie last week, and I showed him it was the last one before I threw away the empty package. Alex stood in the kitchen, smiling and holding his cookie. When I turned to the garbage can, I heard my little guy SCREAM and turned around to see him sobbing. Maggie had eaten the cookie - the one and only cookie, the very rare treat - right out of Alex's hand. The poor kid just sobbed! This was right before his bath, and he cried quietly in the bathtub...cried quietly while I got him ready for bed...refused his bedtime cereal or water...and still whimpered as I read him his Bible story before bed. When you're 16 months old, that's a tragedy. Poor kid!

Things To Do






Go, go, go! That's what Alex loves to do - 'on the go' every waking moment. He's also learning about obedience, though...and can even say the word 'obey' and know what it means. He understands when he must sit still, and he will usually obey. Given the choice, though, he's going to be moving, moving, moving whenever he can

• swiffering the floor
• cell phones & remotes
• Baby Signing Times dvd (the only way he will hold still for 25 minutes, lol!)
• blocks (I build, he destroys)
• cars & trucks
• wagon
• throwing a ball
• giving Maggie her ball
• going bye-bye
• giving kisses
• playing with belly buttons
• baths/water play
• blowing bubbles (or trying...)
• reading books
• clapping
• flushing toilets
• closing doors
• going "bup" (upstairs)
• using pens or crayons
• walking around the yard
• watching "Elephant Song" on YouTube
• playing in the yard
• sidewalk chalk
• riding his garage sale fire truck






• slides and swings
• playing chase/hide with Daddy (Mama will suffice if she's the only one available)
• watching trucks on the road (SO exciting!)
• finding sticks in the yard and carrying them around
• checking out any electronic he can get his hands on
• playing with his toy train from Karen
• Grandma P's turkey baster
• Grandpa S's remote control truck
• fridge farm magnet toy
• naming people in pictures
• pointing to objects in pictures when asked ("Show me the dog, Alex")
• dragging Maggie around the house on her leash (or daddy, if daddy puts the leash on his belt...that always brings giggles)
• "helping" Mama with laundry
• bringing his clothes to the hamper after his bath

I may add to this post as things come to mind, but that's all the time I have for now! :)