15 months old!!!

Seemingly overnight, our little boy learned the power of his head movements. Shaking back and forth means no, and nodding up and down means yes. It's a wonder we made it this far in his young life without him being able to express himself in this way. Maybe he just got tired of us doing the wrong things and he decided he better start this now, before we make him do something crazy. But again, it was just an overnight change. He started nodding late last week, but it was more of a whole body nod. He couldn't just nod his head. He had to put his back into it. And we weren't 100% sure that he knew what it meant to nod. He just knew that it got a positive response from Mommy & Daddy, so he kept it up.

However, at Grandpa's house this weekend, he was asked several yes or no questions, and each question received a nod or a shake. And we realized that he "got it".

"Tyler, do you want a snack?" Tyler nods his head emphatically and reaches for his snack cup. "Tyler, do you want to go outside?" Again, nods his head emphatically as he sprints for the door. "Tyler, do you want more?" Shakes his head, and then turns away.

I love the fact that he can communicate with us in yet another way as his vocabulary grows.

Tyler also had his 15 month appointment last Friday. He weighs 24 lbs. 9 oz and is 32.5 inches tall. This puts him in the 50th percentile for weight, and about the 75th-90th percentile for height. His pediatrician was thrilled with his stats, and even more thrilled with his developmental skills. She said that he "walked beautifully" for a 15 month old (whatever that means - haha) and was pleased to see that he was indeed saying about 10 words, even though he doesn't say them often. She said to keep doing what we are doing, and gave us some skills to watch out for as he nears 18 months of age. Believe it or not, Tyler's already doing many of them and she was pleased to hear that. Some of the skills included stacking blocks (he is a pro at this), learning cause-and-effect by dropping things into buckets (done), and learning 3 - 5 new words. She also commended me on making it to the 15 month mark with breastfeeding.

Well, we almost made it at least. Tyler nursed for the very last time a week ago Friday. We had gotten down to one feeding a day, and that was the one as soon as we woke up in the morning. But sessions were getting shorter and shorter, and I was feeling ready to let go, so we did. And neither one of us has turned back since. I've been a little sad here and there when I think about it, but then I remind myself of what I was able to give my son and of the bonding that he & i have shared in these last 15 months. I was able to give him something that no one else could, and no one else could share in (as selfish as that sounds). I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat. And Tyler has done well with the weaning too. We have a new morning routine now, one that includes breakfast with Daddy, then getting dressed with Mommy. Travis used to always pick out Tyler's clothes, and now it's my turn! I love it!