Since my last update on Blake was before he was 1, there has been a lot of changes since then! He is now a walking, talking, brilliant toddler (don't all moms think their kids are brilliant?) I can hardly remember what he was like at a year old. He definitely keeps me on the go and LOVES learning and soaking up his environment. Here is what he is up to now...
Physically: His weight has pretty much stayed consistent this past year, he is 25 lbs now and in the 38th percentile. He has grown in length considerably between his 15 month and 18 month check ups. He still looks like a mini-James but I have gotten more comments on how his facial expressions come from me. Even James has admitted in seeing a bit more me in Blake recently. to me, its just fascinating how there are so many facets to this little kid and how he is constantly changing. But I'm glad to know there is a little something of me underneath all that mirror-image of his dad! :) Blake took his time in learning to walk. He finally got the hang of it at 15 months. He just wasn't interested in taking steps. He had been standing and cruising long before his 1st birthday but he was having more fun in crawling around than trying to walk. I knew that it would happen where just one day he would go for it, and that would be it, and I was right. We were in the nursery one Sunday morning and he stood up and decided to walk to the toys and to his little friend Graham instead of getting down and crawling. Then the rest of that week, he chose to take more steps and do less crawling and before I knew it he had stopped crawling and was walking as his preferred mode of getting around. It didn't take him long once he decided to do it.
Finally walking before the fun of summer hit! Which meant he could enjoy playing outside more and going to splash parks and playgrounds. That was what I wanted, for him to at least be walking by the time warm weather came around so he didn't have to crawl around playgrounds.
Eating habits: Fruit tops all for this kid. He loves any and all fruits and probably gets his 5 servings of fruits/veggies all from fruits these days. He has fresh fruit at pretty much every meal and it was so easy to do since fresh produce abounded this summer. But sadly, veggies are at the very BOTTOM of his list. When he was a baby and ate pureed veggies, he loved them. Now, its really hard to get him to eat any. He might eat peas, carrots, and potatoes but he doesn't all of the time. Anything green, he usually won't even touch. I have tried seasoning the veggies, doing raw and cooked, mixing it up with other things like rice or pasta, but he just turns his nose up at it. He'll eat them if its in a pizza and mostly will if its with eggs but otherwise he stays away from them. I figure that we just keep trying and someday he will decide to eat them or at least TRY them! He is a pretty good eater otherwise so I guess I should just be content with what I can get. He mostly drinks only water or milk for his beverages and doesn't have much prepackaged junk to eat. Whole grain breads/rice/pasta, fresh fruit, lean meats, and natural or organic dairy is usually what he eats. Sweets are a rarity as are frozen foods and fast foods. So I think I am doing pretty well.
Looks healthy to me!
Language: He picks up new words all the time now. His vocabulary is probably around 100 words or so and the majority of words that he knows to say, he also knows in sign language. He picks up on things so fast and loves to imitate. He is a little parrot and tries hard to repeat things that we say. Of course his speaking and signing is not 100% correct but I can usually understand what he is trying to say. Its really nice knowing that he is learning to communicate in sign language because he is able to converse with my own parents fairly well. Its my hope that he will be fluent in ASL so he can enjoy his grandparents on their level. Plus they get a real kick out of seeing him try to communicate with them. He signs and speaks interchangeably with all people at this point so of course he hasn't quite grasped that not all people know sign but I think its been a huge help in his language development and communication skills. Sometimes he'll say a word that I can't quite figure out but if he uses the sign for it as well, then it makes it easier for me to grasp what he is saying.
He is also doing more 2 and 3 word sentences which is fun to hear. He'll say things like "daddy work bye-bye", or "tree outside". Yesterday when we had both sets of grandparents over he said "two papas", which I think meant that he realized he had 2 grandpas in the same room with him! See, brilliant, I tell ya. ;)
Personality: He is still very easy-going and very sweet and cuddly. He loves snuggling with his stuffed animals or blankets and gives hugs and kisses easily. He is very social and friendly to most people but females get it more generously than men. He is very much a mama's boy and prefers me over James which isn't always what I want espcially when its the middle of the night and James tries to go in and comfort him and all I hear is Blake crying and saying "mama, mama!" Its sweet but can be exhausting!
He is really into trucks and all kinds of motor vehicles. He loves to learn and identify different cars/trucks and has started playing more with car toys and dump trucks. Everytime we are on the road, he points out almost all the trucks we pass and he keeps saying "truck, truck" until you acknowledge that there was indeed a truck that went by. Then he'll say "where truck go?" and you have to explain that the truck went bye-bye in the opposite direction and he'll respond with "bye-bye truck". Its quite entertaining. Its also fun to watch him play with his cars and make engine noises for them. He is all boy!
He loves books and has his own little book corner in our living room with his books in a basket and a small chair that he can get in and out of on his own. Often when I am in the kitchen doing things and its quiet, I'll peek my head around and see him in his chair looking at different books. He even tries to read them "outloud" by saying what picture is on the pages.
There has been a stubbornness that has come out more recently. He has definite opinions and uses the word "no" and "ok" to get across what he wants. This happened a few mornings ago...
me: "What do you want for breakfast, Blake? Do you want toast?"
blake: "no"
me: "Do you want a bagel?"
blake: "no"
me: "Do you want pancakes?"
blake: "no"
me: "Do you want cereal or eggs?"
blake: "no"
me: "Do you want oatmeal?"
blake: "ok, oatmeal!"
And he ate his oatmeal without asking for anything else. So I guess he knew what he wanted! Sometimes he will even tell me what he wants to do. He'll say "go night-night" when he wants to take a nap and says "poopy" while he is in the act of doing just that. He has thrown his fair share of tantrums and has tested my patience numerous times but I love this kid all the same. He is a joy and delight and I love watching him grow into the person God wants him to be.
Saying "cheese!"
My little man. Mwah!
There is probably plenty of things I missed but this about sums it up. He's a great little kid and we are blessed to have him.
