Sarah Shalley Photography: Parker {Sixteen Months}

My Parker boy,
I can't possibly put into words how suddenly BIG you are. Your personality and vocabulary have both EXPLODED! You are {sometimes sweet}: running up to me to grab my leg, snuggling with me on the couch as we eat snacks and letting me rock you for a few minutes at bed time. However, you are mostly independent and constantly show me how you can do things all by yourself. You LOVE to know EVERYTHING...and I am in love with how your little brain soaks up every bit of information I give you. You learn new words and new sounds all the time. I teach you a sign for something and you're immediately repeating it - in context. I hope that you are always this eager for knowledge, sweet man. You're funny! I laugh with you and at you all day. You love to dance anytime you hear music. You make silly faces and enjoy playing chase or being tickled. You're in love with your dogs and your Daddy and talk about them all the time. You help me feed the girls every morning and very sweetly call "nooooooney" to come get her bites. Anytime you hear them barking or jumping on the door you help me tell them "noh-noh" (we love the way you say this!). Your favorite toys aren't toys at all. Bowls and containers have become a hot item and you are usually pouring something from one thing to another. I really love that you're starting to have and use your imagination as you pretend to stir things or drink from an empty cup. You're growing up and are somehow Mommy's little boy instead of my baby.

Eating - *Same as 14 months. You're still a decent eater when you feel like it. You love bread and fruit for breakfast and will eat whatever we come up with for lunch and dinner. Some faves are grilled cheese sandwiches, peanut butter, pizza, yogurt, green beans, grapes, raisins, bananas, cherries, muffins, waffles, biscuits, smoothies, french fries, chicken nuggets.

Sleeping - You're doing GREAT at one nap a day. I put you down between 12-1pm, depending on what time we started our day. You sleep anywhere from 2-4 hours and I've had to wake you up several times so that you would be able to sleep at night. Mama has NOTHING to complain about, thank goodness.

Measurements -At your 15 month appointment you were 24.1 pounds and 31.3 inches. You wear 18-24 month clothing. I think you've slowed down in the growth department and seem to be getting taller/thinner than heavier. When I took you back to have your ears checked, you weighed 25 pounds!

Things You Do

RUN
pour items from bowl to bowl: magnets from fridge, snacks, balls, leggos
walk down the steps in the garage with little help
walk down the driveway and across the street to friends' houses without holding my hand (i'm watching you VERY carefully and prefer for you to hold my hand, but you don't love to do that)
turn the water on in the tub
empty the drawers in my bathroom and pull out items from under cabinets
hum "Clean up, Clean up" tune
feed dogs your snacks
tell the dogs "no-no" when they bark
call the dogs by name "Nooooney" and "Bull Bull"
make a ton of animal sounds: dog, cat, horse, cow, sheep, duck, lion, elephant and sometimes monkey
count "1, 2, 3" and throw your ball
say hi to everyone you see, or even to me a million times a day
speaking jibberish in longer phrases/sentences
signing: more, all done, please, hungry, grapes
say owie when something is hurt and sometimes come to Mama for me to kiss it
throw a ball -- ALL THE TIME. your aim is getting better and I am sometimes clocked in the face
ask to go see Rybee/ Ry Ry
respond to us with our names
crawl behind the couch
cry to read more books at bed time. you LOVE to read
give high fives
ask to go " night night" when you're sleepy
put shoes on people
brush hair

This Happened

spent lots of time at Aquatica. each time we go you get braver and braver.
swung at Landa Library. they have an awesome playground that is in the shade!
sat in a booster seat like a big boy at Wings N More
first flight! you loved looking at all the airplanes and made tons of friends on our trips to Florida, Tennessee and back.
2nd beach vacay in Destin, FL. you liked playing in the sand a little and were very interested in the water but would not get in it. your sweet Baba played with you at the pool.
road tripped to Atlanta with Mommy and Daddy and did AMAZING in the car. we visited the Georgia Aquarium -- the largest in the world.
road tripped to Tennessee to see 26 Aldridge relatives. we hiked and played in the cabin with our cousins all week.
STOPPED drinking from a bottle! you're such a big boy. i'm so proud of how easily you let it go.
spent lots of Tuesdays with Bekah and Hannah - went to the zoo, SA Children's museum, did some shopping and had lots of fun.
rode the tractor with Chief
Ellie Isaminger was born!
road tripped with Mommy to Ft. Worth for Sarabeth's baby shower
diagnosed with your first ear infection. boo.
Mommy bought you a popcorn popper ( I swore my children would never own one)
Baba, Cookie, Hannah and Bekah spent a few days with us
celebrated Daddy's shop being open ONE WHOLE YEAR!
celebrated Chief's birthday and visited Wilson Ranch
spent 2 nights at home with Daddy and Grana while Mommy was away. i missed you!
pooped in the bath tub
I said "look at Mama" when you were in trouble and you responded with "cheeeeese"
you moved to the big boy class at school and now need a nap mat! no more crib!
we said bye bye to bottles and no longer get any milk after dinner. it was painless and i am so proud of you!
you're eating McDonald's chicken nuggets and french fries out of an open container/cup on our road trips -- so big!

Words You Say
I officially give up. You're talking up a storm so I'll just start listing a few of my favorite sayings and sounds. Sorry that Mommy can't keep up with how quickly you pick up on new words, sweet boy!
A few new words -- tree, water, bubble, chief, cookie, berto, bekah, hannah, baba, tractor, truck, book, bath, parker, paci, toes, shoes (zoos), nose (nee). You're also starting to recognize objects as we drive down the road and will sometimes holler them out to me.