17 month updates

So Lil J is now 17 months.  Time sure does fly.  I sometimes sit & watch him & can't believe how big he has gotten so fast.  It seems like only yesterday he was a teeny tiny little helpless baby that would not survive without me.  Sure, he has a lot of growing & maturing to do still to be called "independent", but he is far more so than he was at birth.

He now weighs 27 lbs (50-75%), is 32" tall (25-50%), & has a head circumference of 20" (>95%).  I don't think I've bought him any clothes all year (though maybe I did buy a few back in January, but I'm pretty sure my last shopping for him was in December, along with Christmas shopping).  But he is now growing again.  I remember in his early days how amazingly fast he was flying through his clothes.  It was nice to have a break, especially financially, but it's also nice to know that he is getting enough nutrition, evidenced by growing.  So he has pretty much grown out of all his 18 month clothes, with the exception of some shorts & pants (he has a long torso like both mommy & daddy so he usually wears a smaller size on bottom).  He has now grown out of most of his 24 month clothes as well & is moving into size 2T now.  I found absolutely nothing when I went to Carter's this time.  I LOOOOVE Carters for baby clothes, but not so much for toddler clothes.  They have a pretty small toddler selection & had absolutely NO toddler clothes on the clearance rack (with the exception of shorts).  So I doubt I will ever set foot in Carters again, makes me a little sad.  I had headed to Kohls (my fave store for me), but didn't find a whole lot there either (both on clearance as well as regular price stuff).  I had first gone to a Target (well, was actually already at Target & decided to take a look at clothes for him since we were needing some) & I honestly only found TWO shirts.  I was really disappointed.  After having such poor luck at Carters & Kohls as well I headed to a different Target & found a really nice selection of toddler clothes there.  I will have to remember to just head there first the next time we need clothes.  It seems at most Targets & WalMarts 75% of the clothes are for GIRLS, which seems kinda ridiculous to me.  I guess that's what sells most though.

I'm in the process of moving him up to size 5 diapers as well.  His overnight diapers are already size 5, but his regular diapers are still size 4, we should be finished with them in a day or two though & then he'll just be in size 5 for both.

Lil J is trying to talk more & more now.  He still says "Hi Gizzy" to the dog.  For a while he was saying it to everyone & I would tell him "that's silly, that isn't Gizzy, that's [fill in the blank]" & it seems like he's finally getting it & now just says "hi" to everyone.  He says it over & over all day long & I answer each time to encourage him to talk more.  Occasionally he says other things, but not consistently.

Last year I spent the birthday money I received to buy him "your baby can read".  I laughed about how priorities change once you have kids.  And this year I spent my birthday money on a trampoline for him.  He LOOOOOVES to jump, so I'm hoping he loves it.  It arrived today.  So far he understands what it's for, but is a little nervous about it.  He is always nervous & wary of anything new.  I recall being the same as a child & hating being pushed.  So I do my best to just relax about it & give him time to warm up to it on his own.  A couple of times now he has walked up to it & pointed at the foot on it & said "blue".  The feet on it are indeed blue, I'm just a little surprised cuz I really haven't worked with him much (me personally that is) on colors yet. But his toys & "your baby can read" videos do address colors, so perhaps he's picking it up there.  There are just so many things to teach little ones, I can't seem to get to it all yet, but I feel I have plenty of time to get there still.

He's eating 4-5 times each day.  He's still picky.  He usually has cinnamon toast for breakfast, though some days he has french toast or eggs or pancakes (I found a new pancake recipe that he really likes--I do too).  He still loves pretzels, freeze dried fruits, chips, things like that.  He likes quesadillas too.  I usually sneak some black beans in there too.  Occasionally he'll step out of his box & eat some chicken or yams or other new items.  These usually have to be on someone else's plate though, for him to want them & enjoy them.  And I still put fruits & veggies in his goat milk kefir.

His naps vary a lot now.  Some days he takes a morning nap & others he doesn't.  Most days he takes an afternoon nap, but occasionally he'll skip it.  Some days he takes both morning & afternoon naps, & some days he only takes one or the other.  And occasionally he takes neither.  It varies a lot.  I just have to keep an eye on him, on his behavior & mood & watch for clues that he's needing a nap.  He's usually really good about nap time & bedtime.  Occasionally he'll cry at first, usually for naps, very rarely for bedtime.

That's all the updates I can think of for now...........