Dear Levi,
You have grown up so much in these last three months. At 15 months old you are no longer a baby but quickly on your way to becoming a little boy–and on the verge of walking! Now that you’ve mastered pulling yourself up and cruising, you’re starting to find your balance and momentarily let go of whatever you’re using for support to stand on your own. It’s clear that you’re feeling more confident on your feet because you only need one hand to hold onto the coffee table when walking around it. Your first solo steps will be coming any day now, I’m sure (and I’m starting to freak out in anticipation!).
When not attending your weekly Baby Maestro music class or sign language class, you and I run lots of errands or play together in the basement during the day. It makes me so happy to watch you engage in independent play. You are even more interested than before in your Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Fun with Friends Musical Table
Shortly after you turned one, you entered the “fill and dump” stage of toddler-hood. First it was flipping over the plastic bins holding your LEGO Duplo blocks
About a month or so ago, you lost interest in sitting in my lap for story time. That was around the same time you decided you were done with breastfeeding. I hadn’t done any planning; you simply weaned yourself off over the course of a couple weeks. To be honest, I think was more heartbroken over not reading to you than I was about not nursing you anymore. Thankfully, you still love books and are content to sit in your crib with several board books while I quickly shower and dress in the morning.
For a while you had dropped the “ma” syllable from your vocabulary, but it’s recently made its return along with “ma-ma” (which makes me very happy!). Your babbling voice is the sweetest, and sometimes it even sounds like you’re singing. Besides “ma-ma” and “da-da,” we understand that “cak” means quack, “mmm” means moo, “puppa” means puppy and “cuh-cuh” means cookie. Without anymore prompting from me, you sign when you want “milk” or “more,” although your version of “more” is clapping your hands instead of tapping your fingers together.
You took a liking to milk instantly, chugging the first 4 oz we gave you after you turned one. Now your tastes vary day to day, which makes mealtime extremely frustrating for me and Daddy. You’re generally a fan of carbohydrates and fruit and dislike all vegetables and most meat. We have to feed you baby-friendly pouches of pureed veggies mixed with fruit so you can get some leafy greens into your diet. As for protein, you’ll sometimes make an exception for taco meat and meatloaf. You also seem to like refried beans, and macaroni and cheese is one of your favorites. With you, the messier the better!
As for tricks, you’ve got many: You know where your feet, toes, head and hair are located, and when we ask you to show us your nose, you shove a finger up your nostril. Classy. You lean your head in when I ask for a hug or a kiss, and you’ll happily give a high five to just about anyone. You wave constantly at strangers, especially if you hear somebody say “bye-bye!” and will deposit into my hand little pieces of trash that you collect while crawling. Somehow I taught you to open your mouth when it’s stuffed with goldfish crackers, but you’re on to me now–you know that if I ask to see your mouth and it’s full, I won’t put another goldfish down on your place mat.
Oh, and you also dance on cue, which is hilarious for us to watch!
We’ve recently entered the separation anxiety phase, and it’s awful. You cling to my neck like a little monkey if you even think I’m going to leave you someplace. And when I do have to leave you, like in the gym’s babysitting room, you howl and wail with giant tears streaming down your face. It’s almost unbearable for me, but I know that I can’t give in. You usually calm down after a few minutes if sufficiently distracted, but sometimes you refuse to stop crying unless somebody holds you for the entire time I’m away. I feel so guilty for leaving you at Fit & Sit when you’re crying that I’ve pretty much stopped going to the gym all together!
On average you sleep from 7pm until 6:30am, but recently you’ve passed out as early as 6:45pm. I still refuse to start my day before 7am, so if I hear you making noise in your crib (that is, if you’re screaming), I’ll pop in to put your dropped pacifiers back in your crib. You’ve recently been waking up earlier and earlier; sometimes we hear you as early as 5:45am. Not cool, baby guy. Not cool.
Around 14 months, you transitioned to one nap a day. Unfortunately, the length of your mid-day nap can vary in length from 1.5 – 3 hours, which sometimes makes it hard for me to get lot of my stuff accomplished while the house is quiet. I put you down around 11:45am after you’ve eaten a small lunch, and you get another snack when you wake up. Breakfast is still at 7:30am and dinner is between 5:30-6pm.
Your current stats: At your 15-month doctor’s appointment (your first since you turned one), you measured 31″ long, keeping you in the 50th percentile for height. You weighed in at a whopping 21 lbs 10 oz and jumped from the 4th to the 15th percentile for weight! I knew your pediatrician would be satisfied with your weight gain because you felt so much heavier in my arms. You’re wearing size 4 diapers and mostly 12-18 month clothing, although some of your 9-12 month shirts still fit.
No matter how big you get, though, you’ll always be my little baby guy. I love you!
xoxo
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To document Levi’s growth during his second year, I’ll be photographing him during the months he visits the pediatrician for his well check-ups. Levi will continue to wear a numbered white onesie corresponding to his age in months and will sit in a chair next to his blabla doll for continuity. See all of Levi’s monthly photos here.
{photo taken on October 21, 2012}
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