The Months Count For Something -15 Months

I use to cringe when I'd ask someone how old their baby was and they'd tell me in months.  I always felt like if your baby was a year and 4 months you needed to say he was a year or a year and a half old.  If your baby is 22 months you needed to say he was almost two.  I notice though once they hit the age of two you don't hear people say say he's 25 months - you'd say, he's two.  It has to stop at some point.  I don't guess I go around saying I'm 373 months old....that's just silly.  I've always wondered what's the big deal - why is it important to say Hill is 15 months old and will be 16 months old in a week? 
I understand now why a mother does this.  Developmentally they do so many things between the age of 12 months to 24 months.  Each month or sometimes each week it is like a new phase, a new step to new things, new words, new hilarities.  The months count for something significant.  It's not really just because the mama is going through some "My baby's not a baby anymore therefore I need to declare his age in months" stage.
So since I haven't done an update on Hill's plethora of knowledge in a while here ya go...

At 15 months - Hill knows his routine and knows where places are and who people are.  You can be in his bedroom playing and say take this to Dada in the living room and he will waddle on into the other part of the house to his Dada.  You can say it's time for your bath and he will go and try to get in the tub.  You can ask him to go get a book and he goes to his bookshelf and picks out a book (or three) for us to read any time of the day.  It's really sweet when he hands you the book then reaches up for you to hold him and read it to him.  Chip says he looks like a little duck just following you around walking behind your every move.  He can't really walk and look around yet, he has to concentrate on his feet.  Therefore he's always running into people or tripping himself when he tries to look up. 

Now that the weather is nice this little boy would live outside if we let him.  He will go to the back door or garage door and try to reach for the knob and make his whiney "uh-uh-uh-uh" noise.  I'm sure it's frustrating not being able to talk and know what you want to do.  Even though he knows what the words outside and inside mean he can't say "Mother, I would like to go outside please" so he just looks at you reaching up saying "uh-uh-uh!"  Then once he gets out there he has to investigate everything from acorns to grill brushes.

He knows how to clean up his toys and put things away.  I'm going to give a big prop to daycare for that one.  Yay!

Most recently my favorite thing is our conversations.  He's a big jib jabber and makes a ton of sense to himself.  I play along.  When I ask him questions he usually nods his head yes or no with an expression like he really knows and is into what you are saying.  Here is an example of our conversation last night before bed.
Me: Did you have a good day today? 
Hill: shakes his head yes.
Me: Did you thank Jesus for such a good day? 
Hill: shakes his head yes.
Me: Are you ready for night night? 
Hill: shakes his head no.
Me: Are you going to have sweet dreams? 
Hill: shakes his head yes.
Me: Do you love your mama? 
Hill: says, Mama while shaking his head yes.
Me: Do you love your dada? 
Hill: says, Dada while shaking his head yes.
Me: Are you a lucky little boy? 
Hill: shakes his head yes.
Me: Let's go night night now. 
Hill: shakes his head no.

Not to be outdone by his awesome listening skills, his recognition and verbal skills are fairly advanced if I do say so -- because I am his mother and think he's hung the moon and invented electricity as well as all other creations that were just genius.  Here are a few words he says and recognizes:
Dog, Dada, Mama, Bye bye, Bah-bah (still calls his sippy cup his bah-bah), ball, bird (burr), bear (buuer), light (ite), duck, banana (nyah-nyah), shoes (shuussh), fish (sshhhh), hello, socks (docks), diaper (diurr), dirt (duhhrr), brush (bsshh).
He knows where his eyes, ears, hair, mouth, nose, tummy, belly button and feet are.  He is still extremely ticklish and loves bathtime.  He knows what brush your teeth and brush your hair mean.  When he's thirsty he says bah-bah.  He likes to randomly flush the toilet.  When he sees a picture of a telephone he holds his hand to his ear and says "hello."  He wants to turn all the light switches on for you.  He still eats his crib, I hope to have that fixed by the weekend.  Loves to throw things...any ball or thing that looks like a ball or something like his sippy cup, sticks, or toys - - pretty much anything mobile he can pick up gets thrown...and he usually follows his efforts with a loud grunt "like UGH!" as if he threw that toy as hard as he could.  Pure boy, I guess. 

He has probably about 11 teeth.  I can't get in there to see unless I hang him upside down and tickle him.  I tried to count and I think I counted 11 or 12. He is getting his top right 'i' tooth and it's coming in crooked.  Very crooked, ok crooked is an understatement - it's sideways.  I can't help but wonder if it has to do with it being parallel with his incomplete cleft.  Dr. Shell said he didn't think it did, usually the lip doesn't effect the teeth unless there is a palate issue, which we didn't have.  I guess at some point we will need to go see a pediatric dentist.  Guess we have to start saving now for braces.  With inflation braces will cost as much as college by the time he's of age.

Everyone in our house has a nickname:  Katie Lou is Goose. Foxy Mama is Fox.  Foster is Brown, Bubba or Buddy.  Hill is no exception.  We usually call him Buddy (which also makes Foster come too) or I call him Baby Bear.  When he's being silly or I need his attention I call him Hill Hawkins.  Not in an "I'm using your full name come here now" manner Hill Hawkins though.  We mostly call him Buddy or Hill.  When Chip and I talk about him it's usually, "Did you see My Buddy...."   When Chip and I went to Hill's Easter party at school the other day the teachers were saying that they have nicknames for everyone.  So we had them go around the room and tell us all the kids nicknames.  I'm not sure if they were humoring me, but they said Hill's was "Smart Boy."  I've actually heard Judy call him that before when I went to pick him up.  Yup, I'm braggin'...

Moods:  Hill is usually a very laid back, fly by the seat of his pants type kid.  For the past week he's been very clingy to me.  He went through a similar phase probably back in February, but nothing like this go round.  Not one person can console him but me.  It sounds sweet and heart warming that he wants his mama....it's not.  Don't get me wrong I love it that he loves me and depends on me and looks to me for nurturing, but 24-7 screaming unless he has me is a bit tiresome...for everyone.  Not to mention it really hurts his Dada's feelings.  It has made our morning routine a bit hard and after work when I want to relax for a minute impossible.  Chip researched this stage a little and found one article that said once they start walking everything in their world changes so rapidly they are overwhelmed with new things and so busy that they look to one constant norm (which would be me.)  They also said that this usually happens in children that are very emotionally sensitive who absorb their surroundings more so than other children their age.  This kid for sure has his fathers sensitivity levels and when someone is crying he always stops what he is doing to make sure they are ok, sweet little bugga.  I can always see the extra thought in his eyes as he is figuring out and taking in the details of a new situation or a new toy. They said that children with these behaviors (sensitivity & detailed) tend to be more creative intelligent adults.  Well, that is fabulous and encouraging but I hope we make it to adulthood before we all jump off a cliff.  Kidding.

These are all just theories, it could be as simple as he's cutting a new tooth or he has a headache.  I'm trying to not read too much into it, but it's really really hard having a monkey glued to my hip 24-7.  I don't want him to get in the habit of "needing" me or having someone having to hold him.  Yet if he's not ok then of course I want to be there.  Daycare said he's been really clingy and noted a difference in him too.  At home if you do something he doesn't want you to be doing it's literally the end of the world with big tears, red face and an occasional fall to the floor as if he just can't take anymore.  I wonder if I threw myself on the floor and cried how he would react.  I may try that next time because ignoring him doesn't do any good either.  I'm up for any suggestions.  I hope the terrible two's don't start before age one and a half.

This too shall pass.  I love that Hill turns to me for comfort, but I want our realtionship to be healthy and not a dependent relationship where it affects him socially.

The things he's learned and the things he's doing constantly amaze me.  Chip and I are the parents that sit up and talk about how sweet he is or how smart he is even after he's gone to bed.  One thing is for sure...we love our little boy beyond comprehension.  We are so lucky, and don't take a second for granted.  Even if he is a cling-on monkey with a bad temper it's all part of the package and I wouldn't trade him for the world.  I can't wait to watch him learn new things.  How fun is being a parent?!?  By far the most rewarding thing I've ever done!