17 Months Old!!

 January 5, 2013 - February 4, 2013

Throwing a fit

Here we are at 17 months old. And my Little Man has been one huge ball of crankiness lately. We chalk it up to teething, since he's a hot, drooly mess, and is constantly chewing on his fingers. Plus, after feeling around in his mouth, I noticed last week that he has cut 2 more teeth - his left top and bottom right canine teeth, bringing the total teeth count to 14 teeth. The other 2 canine teeth are almost on their way to breaking through. Last night he had one of the worst nights he's had in a while. He was up most of the night, couldn't get comfortable, and was only (semi) happy in our bed. Sprawled out laying on top of both Matt and I of course. But that's ok because, despite the exhaustion I had today while at work, I enjoyed the cuddles and having him in bed with us.

Mister Little Man was so cranky

Cael is also on the brink of weaning. I just know it. And I'm slowly coming to terms with it. Fortunately, I feel like my breasts are adjusting comfortably to it (as opposed to being engorged and painful). He hasn't nursed the last few nights, as he shows no interest in nursing or cuddling for that matter. But he's been nursing most mornings when he gets up between 5:30-6:30. Some mornings he'll go back to sleep in his crib if it's early enough, but others, he's up for the day. Lucky Matt. My original goal was to breast feed for 18 months, and I'm almost there. I can't force Cael to nurse if he doesn't want to, just because I want to. I've been fortunate to get 17 solid months (minus the 5 day nursing strike) of nursing, and that makes me really proud. Plus, my job is sending me to a conference in Ohio at the end of April for 3 days (4 days with travel), so I really should be weaned by then. There'll be no sense in not nursing for 4 days, and then going back to nursing. It's bittersweet for me, but I'm handing it better than I thought. And better than I would have if Cael started weaning a few months ago. Unfortunately, that means the Girls with deflate completely, and there's no going back from that :-/. Oh well, I should have expected it. It is what it is, and definitely worth the breastfeeding.

Cael in his new car seat. He looks comfy

We reached a "milestone" this weekend. Well, I consider it a milestone. Others wouldn't. We traded in Cael's infant car seat, and got an all-in-one convertible car seat. I had a really hard time getting rid of the infant seat, but we really had to. We will most likely not have any use for the infant car seat in the future, and it would only take up room. Plus, Cael was almost too big for it, being 31.5" tall, and the seat went up to 32 inches. His head was supposed to be no less than an inch below the top of the seat back, and it was getting closer. So it was time. Plus, by trading in the seat, we saved 25% off the new seat, which took $57 off the $230 price tag. In addition, we managed to earn $55 in R'Us Bucks by using our BRU MasterCard so much when we moved. A point for every dollar. So we got the seat for $128 after taxes, and it goes up to 100 pounds. It can be used as an infant/toddler seat rear-facing, a booster seat forward-facing, and a booster seat with the seat belts in the car.

And yes, we still have Cael rear-facing, and he'll be that way for a while longer. It's the safest for him. But I won't get on my soap-box about that. Matt doesn't think Cael will be comfortable with his legs bent and/or folded in the rf'ing position, but I assured him he'll be fine and doesn't know any different. So rear-facing he will stay. Oh yea, we got the Evenflo Symphony 65 seat. So far, Cael looks really comfy in it.

Mama and Cael after his bath

Cael still isn't talking much, but is still chatting in baby language. I keep reminding him that he has one more month to get his butt in gear and start talking. Otherwise, the pediatrician will think about sending him for an evaluation. I know he's probably just being stubborn, or being a boy, because I know he understands most of what we say. He's just not talking. He still doesn't say "mama", which pains me, but he also doesn't say "dada" too often or in the right context. He's gone back to saying "what's that" or "what's this", but in a high-pitched, question-asking tone. He also says "thanks" when you give him something. He is also still saying "nice" whenever he pets the dogs, but his "nice" can also be confused with "Tyson", which we also think he's trying to say. Hopefully he'll start picking up talking shortly.

Setting up and playing with his dinosaurs

I know he's understanding more and more with each passing day. For example, he knows (and gets excited) when I ask if he wants to take a bath. He runs to his bathroom excitedly, and bangs on the bathroom door to get in. Once I open the door, he points into the tub, and jabbers. He even tries to climb in with his clothes on. He also understands when I tell him to take off his socks and pants, because he sits down and starts tugging on his socks. He can't get them off on his own, but if I pull them down most of the way, he can pull them the rest of the way off. I started teaching him to put his dirty clothes in the hamper, so while the tub is filling up, I'll tell him to "go put your socks and pants in the hamper", and he'll pick them up off the floor, walk into his room, and put them in the hamper. It makes me so proud, and teary-eyed at the same time, because he's getting so big and independent.

Like father like son!

Cael goes back to the pediatrician on March 5th. That'll be his 18 month appointment, right back on schedule. I believe he gets a few shots then too. But I'm also anxious (in a good way) to see what he weighs and how tall he is. I've been keeping track every other month of Cael's height on the growth chart. Right now, he still fits into most of his 12-18 month shirts, and is also now wearing 18-24 month shirts. He is in 18-24 month pants, otherwise they're too short on him. I absolutely adore the Children's Place jeans on Cael. They fit him so well, and he looks so cute in them. He's also rocking the size 5W StrideRite shoes we got him for Christmas. My Little Man has a big foot. Unfortunately, I think that means he won't fit into the Keen water shoes I bought last summer on Zulilly for an awesome price. I think they're a size 5 or 6, and they'll probably be too small come the warm weather. Bummer.

I haven't done this in a few months, so I'll do it this month:

Some of Cael's Likes
Country music! Every morning, Matt will put on the country music channel, and Cael will sit on the floor or couch, and watch music videos wide-eyed. He also loves dancing (bouncing) to some of the songs.
Grapes! Cael will eat a whole bag of grapes, by himself, in about 3 days. He goes NUTS over grapes.
Chasing the dogs He gets such a kick out of chasing Tyson with an empty water bottle. He swats at him, and laughs hysterically as Tyson sprints past him, almost bumping into him.
Reading books He will still sit on his bedroom floor and flip through his books. They don't stay in his basket for long. Currently, all his books are NOT in his basket, and are sprawled all over his bedroom floor. Currently, his most favorite book is Go Dogs Go by Dr. Seuss.

Some of Cael's Dislikes
Brushing his teeth Cael screams every time I brush his teeth. Initially, when we started brushing, he liked it. Now, he hates it, and I have to basically hold him down.
Diaper changes Still. After 17 months, you would think he'd figure out we're not trying to kill him, but clean his butt. But nope, he screams bloody murder.
Getting changed There are many a days where I come home from work, and Cael is still in his PJ's. Some days, Cael will throw a fit if Matt tries to dress him. So he just doesn't bother, and I don't blame him. Cael has almost mastered the "going boneless" technique, as Matt calls it. Basically, if you pick him up under his arms, he throws his arms up, and slips through your hands, falling to the ground like a wet noodle. I have to go through this each night as I try to get him changed into his PJ's for bedtime.

Just reading my book on a car ride to MD

Baby feet!