15 months old!

Carter turned 15 months old on Friday! I can't believe how quickly the time is flying by.

He had his 15 month visit like 3 weeks ago (scheduling error, maybe?). Pork Chop was tipping the scales at 21 lbs 4 oz (31st percentile, up from 11th) and 30.5" (36th percentile, up from 25th)...and his head was a whopping 18.75" - 76th percentile (that stayed consistent, lol)!! Guess that means he's extra smart :) I'm sure he's packed on a pound or two since then! He's got the most delicious little Buddha belly :)

He's finally growing a little hair! It's really light though, so you can't tell too much. It looks like it wants to curl in the back, where it's longer, so I don't want to cut it until I can tell for sure if it's going to curl or not :)

He's a GREAT eater. He rarely meets a food he doesn't like, and I'm so glad that he's not picky. He loves his fruits and veggies, as well as the occasional sweet treat :) I think most days, he eats more than Alex does, lol.

Carter is still nursing like a champ. He probably nurses 3-5 times a day, depending on what we're doing. I'm so pleased that we've made it this far, and am SO grateful that I have people who support me in EBF. Around 18 months we'll probably start moving toward a "don't offer, but don't deny it" kind of pattern. Alex nursed until he was 2 3/4, and even then, he only stopped because I dried up while pregnant. I can't bring myself to force wean a baby, but I would be happy if he didn't go as long as Alex did, lol. He's definitely more independent than Alex was, so maybe that'll make a difference. I dunno. One day at a time, right?

He's walking like a pro, and practically running. It's still pretty strange to look at him walking, because he's a perfect miniature person now! He just wanders around the house, doing his own thing, and seeing what kind of mischief he can get into.

He's a champion climber. He can get up onto the couch (and my desk from there!) and the bed, and does so at every opportunity. He's not so good at getting down from them though, lol.

He's still not sleeping through the night. He wakes up 1-2 times most nights, but nurses back to sleep. We're working on "sleep training". I'd like to get him to where he can get himself to sleep on his own. I think that'll help with night time wakings! Basically, I lay down next to him until he falls asleep. He's not ready to fall asleep completely on his own yet, but we're getting there! He's already made a lot of progress, he went from needing to be nursed/rocked to sleep, to needing to have his bak rubbed, to where he can do it just by having someone with him. Currently, he'll only do it with me there, but I know he'll be able to do it on his own soon enough! His sleep schedule isn't nearly as consistent as I'd like, though, because our schedule varies from day to day. He naps 1-2 times a day, depending on what we're doing. If we're out and about he'll usually fall asleep in the car in the morning, but if we're home, it's usually just one longer-ish nap in the middle of the day.

I love watching his personality grow and develop! He LOVES his big brother, and luckily, the feeling is mutual :) They're so cute, playing together. When Alex is in the right mood, they can play for hours and hours. It's so much fun :) I'm incredibly grateful that they're both really happy kids, for the most part.

And that leads to the next part, lol.......Carter has learned to have tantrums! When he doesn't get his way, or is anxious for something, he stomps his feet. It's really kinda funny. If he knows he's getting food, he'll take out his pacifier, stomp his feet, and grunt. And if he doesn't get his way, he'll cry and stomp his feet. Or else he just slowly throws himself to the ground, crying. It's really very tragic. Lol.

In general, he's doing super, developmentally. He's figuring out his shape sorter and the pop up toy (you know, where you push a button, flip a switch, etc and a little door pops up?). And he's a little monkey! The only thing he's not doing so well with is speech. He doesn't really have a single word yet, but babbles like he's saying something! And he does have some consistent sounds - he'll make the same sound for something, even if it is a generic sound! Alex has had a lot of difficulties with speech, so at least I know a little more about how to help Carter, and what to really keep an eye out for!

So, now that I've written a book, you know just what Carter is up to :)

And of course, a few pictures!