17 Months Old

17 Months Old
Wearing an outfit from when I was little (which Kevin had one similar to, too).
Holding shoes to keep him distracted and seated (see below). :)

His stats (from BabyCenter):


Height: 34 inches (90th - 95th percentile)
Weight: 28.6 pounds (75th - 90th percentile)
Head Size: 20 inches (above 95th percentile)


What he's doing this month (Blogger is being lame and won't let me bullet without whiting out all of the text, so I'm using asterisks instead):


**He has a new obsession with shoes! He likes to bring ours to us (we say thank you) and then wants us to put them on. He'll do the same with his, too--he'll get some out of his closet, bring them to us, and 'ask' us (eh-eh-eh) to put them on him. He's also done that with our shirts/shorts some. He'll bring them to us like, 'Okay, time to get dressed, up and at 'em! Chop chop!'


**Since our Boise trip, he is also obsessed with the broom (Juniper had a little one they fought over). He likes getting ours down from its hook and carries it around the house (much to Peter's dismay--he cowers). Outside in the garage, he likes to get down and carry the broom and snow shovel around the yard.


**He has started to bite a little (just rarely) out of frustration and/or when he's tired. We're trying to stay calm and not react to it to see if he will just stop doing it. 


**Similarly, he still gags himself from time to time at mealtimes if we aren't paying attention to him and/or if we're over in the kitchen, prepping more food for him to eat. I/We try to stay near him/engage him to keep an eye on it. Again, I'm trying not to overreact to it to see if he will just stop.


**We have been using sleep sacks for the past few weeks since the whole climbing-out-of-the-crib incidents, and they are working. I think we'll continue doing so for now and not convert his bed just yet (going on the advice of my sister who has already transitioned Juniper to a toddler bed).


**He has started mimicking some, i.e. if I hand him a brush or comb, he will try to comb his hair with it now (instead of just trying to eat it).


**When we dress him now, he'll put an arm or a leg up to help us.


**He has started putting things back where they belong/picking up after himself a little--when folding laundry a few weeks ago, he laid on top of it (like he does) and knocked a few pieces off the couch. Without prompting, he picked them up and put them back in the pile for me. If he knocks a magnet off the fridge, he'll pick it up and put it back. He also likes to pull a lid off of something (like from a spray bottle of hair product) and then put it back on.


**He is a problem solver! He has started pushing the wicker storage cubes around the room and next to his gate (meant to keep him in the room). He hasn't yet scaled the gate, but he's thinking about it. He also does this with his music table to our built-in bookshelves in the basement (I posted a pic of that a few weeks ago).


**He points to things (i.e. articles of clothing, food) and says 'Dah?' and we tell him the name of the thing.


**When we talk to him lately, it seems like he's actually pausing to listen and process what we're saying. And when he talks, his 'words' are starting to sound more like real words. 
With that, he knows things--when I say, 'Okay, let's go to the basement!' he runs to the basement door. When I say, 'Alright, are you ready to go?' or 'We've gotta go!' he'll go to the back door and stand. When I say, 'Alright, we need to change your diaper,' he'll go to his room (where the changing table is). One day a few weeks ago, Kevin was home and I said, 'Where's Dada?' and he walked around the house, following Kevin's voice, until he found him.


**He still LOVES when we say 'I'm gonna get you!' and chase him around and 'get' him. He just giggles and giggles.


**He has started this really cute thing where he says, 'Da? Da?' and puts his hands up like, 'Where did it go?'


**His t-ball skills are improving--he's really good now at making contact. We may or may not have researched t-ball leagues (not until he's 3 years old). :)


**Current Tooth Count: 16 (he's gotten 4 new this month!)

Outtakes:

 So throw your hands in the air, and wave 'em like you just don't care

 The whole outfit

And throwing down the shoes after realizing we were tricking him into sitting still.