Fifteen Months!

I truly do not know how it happened, but Kiss and Cookie are 15 months old and counting! I was pretty sure this couldn't be true, but alas it is! The time goes by so fast, so FAST! June was a blur, May was a blur, was there even an April???? Didn't we JUST celebrate their first birthday, like yesterday??? Apparently not...

We just had their 15 month well child visits and these kids are getting BIG.
Kiss weighed in at 24.2 lbs, is 31.5 inches tall and has a noggin that is 48.2 cm!!
This puts her in the 75% for both height and weight and in the 98% for head circumference.

The "big" girl

She is all kinds of toddler and her current milestones include:
About 15 words (woof, now, that, stop, no no no!, uh-oh!, da, stop, roar, moo, baby, nana (banana), mome (mommy))
Putting two words together ( like Now and That, as in "I want that, now")
Following directions (arms up, find your...belly button, eyes, teeth, tongue, hair...you get the idea!)
Walking, nearly running, pushing her baby doll stroller, shopping cart, chairs....
Stacking and sorting her toys (she loves to put things inside of one another)
8 teeth (4 top front, two lower front, and 2 top molars). She likes to use them as tools - we are discouraging this!
Scribbling with crayons and markers and sidewalk chalk
Reading books and turning the pages, pointing to her favorite pictures
Following 2 and 3 step directions (go into your room and bring me your blanket)
Feeding herself with a fork and spoon (versus just playing with it and sometimes hitting her mouth)
Temper tantrums......
Sitting in her very own chair and "reading".....getting up and pushing said chair over

Kickin' it Kiss Style

Being nicer to her brother (Really!! She's been hitting him much less lately!)
Playing with play-doh (she loves to sort the colors and stack the containers

At 15 months I would have to say her favorite things are her baby doll stroller (a going away gift from SN), books, anything she can organize and sort, her Daddy, watermelon, grapes, graham crackers and her Blankie!! She is also pretty attached to the pacifier....but this we are discouraging!
Sassy Kiss is "all done" with being a baby and is all about being a big girl. She is definitely finding a lack of language frustrating...we will all be a bit more content when her language develops to the point she can more easily express her needs/wants. I anticipate that in another month or two this area will explode and we will have a full fledged talker on our hands. Maybe we should enjoy the silence while we can???

She's got something to say...are you listening??

Mr. Cookie is such a love!!!! and remains a bit selectively active. I have dubbed him "The Dude". He is seriously such a dude! Extremely laid back, and I mean this literally. Why sit up if you can lay back? Why chew if you don't have to? Why walk if someone will carry you? We've all heard the phrase "carrying him is like carrying a sack of potatoes" but Cookie gives this phrase new meaning! He loves to be carried but puts zero effort into it. He is literally dead weight, where Kiss will cling to you like a monkey, Cookie is just there - expecting that you will do all the work...laying back! He weighed in at 24.6lbs (just ounces more than Kiss) but you would swear he weighs a good 5-8lbs more than her...because he is dead weight! He is 31 inches tall and has a head circumference of 46.2 cm. Although he and Kiss are nearly the same size, this puts him in the 25% for height and weight and in the 70% for head. It was weird to me how big the deviation is between girls and boys ....

Are you talkin' 'bout ME??

So Cookie is still hanging onto babyhood (with the help of Mommy and Daddy) and according to the Pediatrician it is time to move on. Sob!! Sad day for Mommy.
Cookie has always been a good 6-8 weeks behind Sister, partly do to gender differences and mostly due to personality differences, but that gap has slowly been widening to a difference of months versus weeks and this is not a good thing. Anyone who knows Cookie knows that it isn't a lack of ability, it's a lack of motivation. Why would the dude do it if the dude doesn't have to?? Nobody said he wasn't extremely smart! So long story short, Cookie has just entered baby boot camp!! It's time to walk, talk and chew your own food buddy! The easy life is over! but there all kinds of new and exciting things to discover over in toddler land!

Chew Baby Chew!

So although Cookie is not walking, or talking (or chewing) he is doing all kinds of other fun and cool things.
Dancing! He is a dancing fool, give him a beat and watch him go

Gottcha!

Imitating. He can imitate sounds dead-0n. He will "sing" along, have a conversation with you in perfect babbelize and imitate gestures to a tee.
He loves to "talk" to the kitties and puppies. I am sure it means something to them, they seem to stop and listen.
Follows one step commands (throw me the ball)
Follows directions like arms up, find your head, eyes, nose.....
Clapping. He is a clapping dancing fool. And he has RHYTHM!
Reading books and turning pages (loves the textures & will stop to pat the bunny, etc)
Playing with his crib aquarium
Splashing at the splash pad, in the water table, in the baby pool - he loves the water!

Follow me to the splash pad!

Balls. All balls, any balls!

Throwing, pounding, patting
Pulling pots and pans out of the cupboards
6 3/4 teeth (4 top, 2 bottom and 2 pesky molars that are trying to break through)
Hugs! and Kisses
Any musical game (patty cake, pop goes the weasel...)

At 15 months Cookie's favorite things mostly revolve around music. He loves to dance and clap and "sing". He loves to pound on anything and listen for the sound it will make, any toy that makes music is a favorite but he also loves balls and throwing things! He is such a boy! His food preferences still tend to meat and potatoes, although he is a fan of graham crackers too. He is the fastest crawler in the West and until a few weeks ago wouldn't even put pressure on his feet - BUT he is now a cruising fool! He took 4 steps yesterday and 4 or 5 today. He is standing strong and tall and will be taking off on his own any day now!

Almost there...

No true words, but when asked what the lion says will ROAR! and can often be found saying uh-oh! to his sister or the dogs (usually when they have done something naughty).

That about sums up the current adventures of Kiss and Cookie (aka, The Diva and The Dude) at 15 months. We are about to embark on a whirlwind of developmental achievements as we head towards 18 months. Stay tuned!!!

The Diva
The Dude