15 mos

Winston hit the 15 mos mark last week and he has grown up quite a bit since the last time I did a post about him. Like I mentioned before, he is loving all the space we have here in Austin and I feel like he is running 90% of his day, which means awesome cheek jiggling :) He is still just as happy as can be and is in a very playful, giggly stage. We love him soooooo much!

Here are a few details:

• Stats: 26 lbs., 32 1/2 inches- he is definitely tall for his age.
• He climbs up and down the stairs by himself.
• He has 10 teeth, including his top molars and one of his bottom molars starting cutting through this morning!
• His favorite book is The Zoo I Drew by Todd H. Doodler.
• He makes animal noises for dogs, sheep, cows, owls, lions, and ducks.
• He always does a funny little squeak when talking to babies.
• He can do all the slides at the park by himself and his favorite is the big, twisty slide.
• Whenever he goes under something (even if it's much taller than him) he ducks his head and holds his arms straight out behind him, kind of like he's pretending to fly :)
• He loves lasagna, fruit, shrimp chips, & pancakes.
• He says mama, dada- finally, he called Tyler mama for a long time.
• He says yes and no while shaking his head.
• He says hot (tah, tah) whenever he is eating and then he blows on his food. He also understands the oven, stove & microwave are hot, the slides in the sun are hot, and he says it everytime we get into the car on a hot day :)
• He waves hello and goodbye to everyone he sees.
• He loves reading and is learning to color.
• He eats most of his meals with a fork by himself and he's getting better with a spoon.
• His eyes/eyebrows are very expressive- when he falls down and you tell him he's okay he furrows his brow and stares at you as if to say, "I'm definitely not okay."
• When he's protesting something he glares at you and sits down where ever he is, and once in a while lays down flat with his arms and legs spread out. There isn't usually crying and never screaming involved. I think it's really cute & funny and it obviously beats the typical tantrum.
• He still loves playing any kind of peek-a-boo game.
• He sings in a high-pitched voice and does whenever he hears music come on, especially when the organ starts to play at church.
• He loves to dance, mostly spinning in circles and bouncing.
• When he is really excited or really angry he stomps his feet super fast.
• He is OCD about cleaning :) Seriously, he is constantly cleaning the leaves/acorns off the driveway and Welcome mat. He also picks up rubbish at parks, the church, the market, or where ever and hands it to me to throw away. He wants me to immediately throw his dirty diapers away without being distracted for even a second. He vacuums with his toy vacuum very seriously, and when he's playing with something and it's time to go do something else, he always hands it to me and then hesitates, takes it back and puts it where it goes. Oh, and he puts our shoes and clothes back in our closet whenever he finds them elsewhere. 
• He loves baths and like to wash his face by himself. He also likes to stick his face down in the water and try to blow bubbles.
• He thinks it's funny when other people jump.
• He is still obsessively attached to his swaddle.
• He has amazing dexterity- He likes to hold small things just so and is definitely interested in detail. At the park he regularly sits on the playground and picks up wood chips and arranges them in his fingers so he very carefully slip them through the tiny holes in the playground floor.
• He is down to one nap right in the middle of the day and is still sleeping 11.5 hours a night.
• He gives everyone kisses, and always leans in for a hug and kiss after he does something he's not supposed to...
• He talks a lot and it now sounds more like distinct sentences rather than random noises. You can also tell from the fluctuations in his voice whether he is saying something silly, important, or if he is upset.
• He gives me the sweetest hugs, wrapping his chubby arms around my neck.
• He likes to have his teeth brushed/gums massaged.
• Every morning when he wakes up he says "mama" and then when I get him he immediately goes to the bedroom door and calls "dada".
• He knows the pantry and refrigerator have food in them and when he's hungry he'll go to the door to ask for something.
• He loves to throw all of his balls down the stairs. He also gets very excited when he sees a truck or a bus and points them all out to us. And he is starting to carry sticks and rocks around with him. He is a boy. (Side note: The other day as he was picking up sticks and leaves he ran over and handed me what I thought was a bunch of mulch, but it turned out to be a giant, buzzing cicada bug. Neither me or the bug really liked the transaction, but W thought it was pretty great :)
• He loves dogs, but when they get really close he does a very high-pitched, nervous giggle.
• Whenever he bonks his head, he puts his head down and walks over to me for a kiss better.
• He is very shnuggly these days.
• Whenever he gets a hold of a phone, or remote, or baby monitor he holds it flat under his chin and does a very fake laugh over and over again- I think he might be making fun of me...
• He likes being tossed into the air.
• When he's being silly he does things with his eyes closed, i.e. leaning in for a kiss, walking, trying to pick something up, etc.
• He likes to hold your finger and point to things in his books
• He does the cutest "Where is it?" face with eyes and mouth wide open and both arms outstretched with his palms up.
• He signs please, thank you, "all pau" or finished, and sorry.
• He can point to either his or my eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and puka (bellybutton).
• Lately, with these molars growing in, he'll random start to whine a little and tug at his mouth. If I ask him if his teeth hurt he'll say yes and then open his mouth so I can see or massage his gums.
• He has the best smile and dimples ever!

Tyler doesn't like it when I do his hair cause he looks like a little boy and not a baby :(

Our handsome boy