Niall's 14-month update

Our toddler now:

- weighs between 18-18.5 lbs (we estimate, probably still ~5%).  He's in mostly 9-12 month clothing (12-month pants are still long for him)

-has big eyes, long eyelashes, a big head, dimples, a small amount of hair and six (four upper, two lower) teeth

- drinks a combination of pumped breast milk (I'm still pumping 1-2x during a workday) and cow's milk at daycare (about 70%/30%), and nurses 3-4x per day on demand when I'm home--upon waking, before bed, and before naps, but he's more distractable and sessions are shorter.  He's pretty demanding in his high chair at the table when hungry (and opinionated on what is presented). His favorite foods include cereal with yogurt, fruits (especially blueberries, grapes, and bananas), beans, peas, carrots, broccoli, noodles, soups, and peanut snacks. He  tends to spit out anything that hints of meat (unless ultra pureed), and, as a result, still takes an iron supplement. He'll drink water and cows milk with meals in a sippy cup. He loves to hold and self-feed with a spoon or with his hands!

- is in mostly fitted cloth diapers during the day (with flushable liners) and size 3 overnight Huggies at night. He is very regular and, if we can get him there in time, usually poops on the potty first thing in the morning (sometimes it's in his diaper) and sometimes after dinner.

 - is doing great at the infant room at daycare, where he attends five days (two are three-quarter days). He loves his teachers, most adults (and seems to have little to no stranger anxiety). He's been relatively illness-free in recent months, which is a blessing.

- started walking about two weeks ago at 13.5 months. At first, it was just a few staggering steps which we had a hard time capturing on camera, but then progressed within a week to walking across the room. He will now get up from sitting position to walk, but still sometimes crawls, as he's very fast that way, having had 7 months to hone that skill!

 - loves to play with markers, water, cups, (dog) bowls, dog (Pepper), tupperware, as well as stacking rings and shape-sorter toys. He loves opening and closing cabinets, drawers, and pulling books off tables and shelves. He loves using toys as percussion instruments.  He loves to climb onto stools, furniture, and other high places, and has had more than a few head-bumps as a result.  He's got a great throwing arm (which includes books, toys, and food off his tray) and seems to have a left-handed preference.  He loves being tickled and baths. He will now start to listen to short board books (signing for "more" when I finish one). He does well in around-town car trips (we just moved him up to a rear-facing but convertible carseat from the infant bucket seat) and stroller rides, as well as in the front-facing Lillebaby carrier.

- hates: wearing socks, being strapped in the carseat without being moving, lying still for diaper changes, and having toys taken away from him by us or by his brother

- has a handful of words, including "mama," "meh" (milk), "dah" (dog), "dat" (that), "ball," "no," "yeah," "bah" (brother),  and I'm pretty convinced what I thought was "over there" was not a one-off as it has been repeated. He can purposefully sign  "all done," "more," "milk," and  "dog."  He's obviously trying to communicate with pointing and crying whines and so we're trying to teach him some more signs like "help," "up," "change diaper," "sleep."  He follows commands, points at everything, and claps when he's proud of himself.

- sleeps well in a crib at night, sharing a room with Iver (for the past three months). After a bath and a nursing session, he goes to bed in his footie pajamas and sleep sack between 7 and 7:30 p.m. within a few minutes of being put in his crib drowsy.  He sleeps until between 5 and 6 a.m., happy and cooing (unless he is sitting in his morning poop), and sometimes even beats his (historically poor sleeping) brother awake.  He generally naps twice, once in the morning around 9 a.m. or three hours after waking, and around 1:30 or 2 p.m., although he sometimes fights the second nap and has refused a few times at daycare.  There are no signs of crib-escaping, and we count our blessings that we have such a wonderful sleeper!

Here's one of his first real "walks" caught on camera(pardon my discussion of my robe sash!)

 

 

Brothers in stripes (and black leggings)

Not always smiling...

Here is what Iver was doing at fourteen months. 

We're going to have to get serious with the babyproofing now that we have a walker!  Onto the next phase...