Month 15 was a whirlwind but that's no surprise, right? It seems like every month is a whirlwind with a fast-growing, busy-bee toddler in the house! We are officially approaching big boy territory, that's for sure. Alden has started getting really interested in self-care activities like bathing, combing his hair, putting on his lotion and powder, and is starting to have some interest in the potty. He knows all of his main body parts (arms, legs, eyes, nose, hair, etc.) and will point to them when you ask. It's really adorable :) Especially since he refuses to point to his belly unless he also lifts up his shirt. I guess it's not really his belly unless it's uncovered ;)
He loves to be outside but is not usually a fan of the hats and sunscreen involved :) This was the first day we actually got him to wear his hat for more than 3 minutes!
 |
| Mama knew there was a reason to keep those Mardi Gras beads! |
He's independent and opinionated as always and surprises us every day with the things he's learning and doing. The tantrums come and go in phases, with a few days of pretty much non-stop whining, crying, tantrums and then a few weeks of wonderful little normal Alden. I'm sure the weird days are linked to developmental growth, teeth (his canines have been trying to come in FOREVER!), allergies, etc. but, man!, they are no fun. We have taken to calling him alien Alden on days where he's just out of sorts all day. It feels like we have a different child in the house sometimes :/ Most of the time, though, he's such a fun little guy to be around. He's playful and loving and curious and I just love watching him grow up.
His nighttime routine has become more smooth with less fighting before he goes to sleep. We still have some rough nights but overall he's doing really great! We are living proof that, for some kids, no amount of sleep training or sleep techniques or tricks will work. Some kids just aren't great sleepers and they take a long time to get there on their own. I feel like we can finally say we've gotten through the worst part but the kid may sleep in his crib until he's 4 since I'm imagining hellish scenarios of trying to get him to stay in a toddler bed. Haha! I know there are a lot of families whose 18 month olds are already transitioning to a toddler bed but we are definitely waiting as long as possible for that leap. We've only really figured out a good routine to get him to sleep in the past few months so I'm not messing it up for a while ;) He sleeps with a stuffed animal (a beagle named Copper) every night now and we're really starting to notice him get attached to it for comfort as well. I had a blanket for far longer than I should admit publicly (yes, I still have it in my dresser drawer) so it wouldn't surprise me if he ended up with a long-term comfort item.
 |
| He sleeps in such big boy positions now! * |
He's a good eater but we have started to see some evidence of the infamous toddler pickiness. There are some nights where he just won't touch what we give him, even if it's something he happily gobbled up the day before. This should be a fun journey! :) We can always get fruit in him, though. The boy would survive on fruits if we'd let him.
We also had some time to squeeze in some fun activities this month. We had a blob day with some friends and their kids that was a total blast! If you're looking for something fun and pretty easy to do with small kids, check out this backyard water blob. We had so much fun!
 |
| blob day! |
 |
| hanging out with my bud Kilby Ann |
Alden loves to climb and wrestle and is almost running. He keeps learning new words and there are quite a few that he consistently says but that we just haven't figured out yet. It's so frustrating for all of us when he's clearly trying to tell us something and we just can't get it :/ At his 15 month well visit, he weighed 23 pounds 8 ounces and was 32 inches tall. He's in the high percentiles for height (like usual) and relatively lower percentiles for weight (like usual). So our string bean is still nice and stringy ;) He's wearing 18 month shirts (except for some that are still gigantic on him) but is still wearing mostly 12 month shorts! He's got such a long torso that we have basically abandoned any kind of onesie or john john and 90% of the time he's wearing separate shorts and shirts. It's the only way we can find clothes that fit! I would like to make a plug here for someone to standardize clothing sizes. It's absolutely ridiculous that we can buy the same size clothes from two different stores and them fit completely differently. At least we've found a couple brands that fit him well so we can always find him something that we know will work :)
 |
| now that he can get on the couch by himself easily, he like to play with the remotes while he relaxes :) |
 |
| getting to ride in the big carts at Publix for the first time :) |
 |
| he's a professional mess-maker but I love him anyway |
Nick's parents were in town for a short visit and we got to enjoy some Lowe's time and yummy breakfast at Mama's Boy.
 |
| 3 generations of Danish genes :) |
I also got around to doing some things around the house. Since the time change, Alden has had a hard time falling asleep in his bright room. It was high time for some blackout curtains. We bought the patterned panel at Target and I just grabbed some blackout fabric from JoAnn and sewed them together. This photo is from before I ironed it all so it looks a little wonky but it already makes his room feel more grown up! I wasn't sure whether his window (and room) was big enough for two full panels on the window but I've definitely decided that we're going to add another full panel to fill out the look. I'm also going to add a broad strip of bright green fabric to the bottom to add length and a pop of color. Maybe I'll get some better photos when it's all done :)
Then, we finally got started on our Alden wall! We had started collecting frames and photos to put up of Alden's first year but couldn't figure out where to put them, then my mom suggested creating an Alden wall on a short section of our hallway. We, of course, thought it was a great idea and set out to get some of those frames hung! They will eventually all be white, black, or silver because the hallway is getting repainted in a pretty gray and I like the way those frame colors look against gray walls. For now, I get a little smile on my face every time I walk past and get a glimpse of my little man :)
 |
| his birth day shadow box |
 |
| the first artwork he brought home from school |
much love, L&N
No comments:
Post a Comment