15 Months

Stats:
Weight:  25.5lbs   (83rd percentile)
Height:   32.25in  (82nd percentile)
Shoe Size: 6
Clothing Size:  18 months pants, 24 months tops

(I was in disbelief at his weight and height!  He has always been in the 50th or 60th percentile.  He really took off over the last 3 months!)

Here he is inspecting his band-aid, after getting his finger poked at the dr

 

It is almost unbelievable to me that I have a 15 month old!  It is amazing to watch him develop into a little person, who has his own very unique personality.  In some ways, it makes me happy, in others, it makes me sad. I think there is always a special place in a parent's heart for the oldest - they are the ones we learn on.  (And, oh boy, do I have a lot to learn!)  Poor kids.

Max knows what he wants and he definitely makes it known.  He is a strong willed little boy, who loves to push limits.  Most toys don't hold his attention for more than 2 minutes. He loves to get into / do things he knows he shouldn't. (This is common, I guess, right?) The two biggest things right now are turning the TV on and off and climbing behind the couch (to play with the computer printer). There are tons of other things he likes to get into (phones, computers, daddy's glasses, cameras), but those are the newest and most common at the moment. 

He seems to be very independent and secure. He started going to a baby-sitter's house once a week and has no problem at drop off - or all day long, for that matter.  He goes in the nursery to play while  I help out with religious education at church. He barely even notices when I leave. When I come back to pick him up, the ladies tell me, "He's the only one who didn't cry." I am so happy about this! It's great to be able to leave him and not worry the whole time I'm gone. 

Max signs please, thank you, hot and all done.  For "I love you," he blows a kiss.    

His vocabulary has really picked up over the last few weeks.  He says, "Dada, Hi, Bye, Pa (Paws and Pumpkin), Ba (Bath and Ball) and Jesus on his own.  He has started copying a lot of the things we say recently (uh oh!)

He regularly says "Hi" to Jesus when he walks by a crucifix in our home.  "Hi Je-sus," with a wave.

He likes to "read" the Brown Bear book.  He will sit in the recliner and say "b b b b," with the rhythm we use in reading the book.  He is quite the dancer.  He really has some rhythm.  ;-)  I walked into the church nursery last week and Max and his buddy, Charlie, were having a little dance party.  Hilarious!

Having fun with Julia at Notre Dame!

 

He is doing pretty well on the food front . . . getting less picky, but as I'm learning, the pickiness comes and goes. Some of his current favs: pb and grilled cheese sandwiches, hot dogs, cheese quesadillas, pizza, strawberries and applesauce. Still doesn't like pasta or many veggies.  I know, healthy, right?  Hey, you do what you can . . . and then fill the rest with a multi vitamin!

He loves the vacuum / broom / rake.  ( I hope this love doesn't stop. Haha!)  Yesterday, he helped unload the dishwasher by taking the plates out and handing them to us.  He tries to be such a "big" helper. 

We try to get him outside at least once a day to run around and get some energy out.  With the cold weather coming, this is going to be more of a challenge.  I think we are going to join the Y soon, so he can run around there and we can take advantage of the pool.

When we ask him if he wants to go to bed or take a nap, he runs to his room, we put him in his bed and he goes to sleep with no fuss (usually).  Part of the reason he does this is because we have this.  It was a gift our friends, the Parrotts, gave us before Max was born.  He loves it!  I only let him turn it on when he's going to sleep at night, so it's a novelty.  He sleeps about 11 hours at night and still takes 2 naps a day, usually 1-2 hours long.  He is a busy kid when he's awake, he needs his sleep!

Riding for a Cause

This morning, we rode in the R!de for Refuge, which is "a family-friendly cycling fundraiser that supports the displaced, vulnerable and exploited." It's a really cool event, b/c we could choose what charity we wanted our money raised to benefit. Our team (Brook, Hannah, Max and I) rode for the Lakesh0re Pregnancy Center. This is an organization we are passionate about. So often, the pro-life side is ridiculed for being against abortion, but forgetting the babies once they're born. Well, this center helps babies before AND after they're born. It also helps their moms and dads. It provides counseling, parental education, clothing and food to families that need help.  The small paid staff and many volunteers are incredible.  They are some of the most loving people I and know and they honestly care about their clients and want to give them hope.  I just love them!

So, when Hannah formed a team and asked if we would ride for the Center, we were "in."  We raised $2000 over the last month, thanks to some very generous family and friends.  Before we knew it, the event was here . . . I have to admit, I wasn't too excited about riding with the forecast I was seeing - 50 and possible rain.  Let's be honest, I'm not quite the serious biker.  I mean you would never know that by seeing my $40 garage sale find beach cruiser, right?  ;)  Oh well, we signed up and it was only 5 miles, so we were doing it.  The starting point was a church in Spring Lake.  As we drove in, I was overwhelmed with emotion - there were hundreds of people who came out to ride in the rain for their respective charities in our little community!  There were avid bikers and there were amateurs, like us.  There were solo riders and there were families.  There were tons of volunteers!  And every one we encountered was so kind and truly had a servant's heart.  The organizers of the race were SO thankful we were there and made it known.

The ride began and so did the rain, it even hailed a little, but we had fun.  It was actually a pretty ride along Spring Lake with all the fall colors.  Max did pretty well in the bike trailer.  As long as he had food, he was happy.  :-) 

When we got back to the church, there was a delicious lunch waiting for us, prepared by this new bakery in town.  The food was amazing - soup bread bowls, sandwiches, salads, make your own pasta and, of course, wonderful baked desserts.  They donated much of the food.  Again, overwhelmed at the generosity! 

All morning, I felt like I could cry.  I'm not sure why it affected me so much.  I guess, with so much bad in the world, it's wonderful to know there are so many good people who truly want to help those in need.  It was refreshing to be surrounded by some of those people today.  This will definitely be an annual event for our family!

Lookin' good!  (Don't be jealous ;-)))



 

 

Eating animal crackers and sporting the Dora helmit (Thanks, Sophie!)

 



Post race - we made it!