15 months

The boys are 15 months old!

What are we eating?

I think we have really picky eaters.  But I think I might be alone in those sentiments.  I am told the boys eat a ton during the day so the picky eating should come as no surprise when I try to feed them dinner each night.  I only see them eat dinner though so I think they are picky eaters.  The boys are obsessed with sippy cups!  They love them some juice, water, and milk.  We are still really only eating finger foods.  We have introduced a fork and spoon but at this point the utensils are only used as weapons or drum sticks.  The boys sit down to 3 meals each day (8am, Noon, 5pm) and also graze a lot during the day.  Here is a list of some of the recent foods the boys seem to enjoy tolerate.  I noted their favorite foods with a *.

Oatmeal (w/ fiber one cereal)*, Banana*, Peaches*, Blueberries*, Grapes, Melon, Prunes, Pancakes, Eggs, Blueberry Waffles*, Sausage, French Toast, Hotdogs*, Hamburgers, Cheerios, Sweet Potato French Fries, Puffs, Graham Crackers*, Granola Bars, Ice Cream*, Shredded Cheese*, Block Cheese*  

The boys still drink about 16 - 18 oz of milk each day.  We need to start incorporating sippy cups into mealtime.  It's one of the areas where we have perhaps failed a bit.  It is often hard to break "bad" habits because they really do make the days so much better!

How are we sleeping?

They boys are still sleeping really awesome at night!  (please don't jinx it)  We go upstairs for bath time each night at 7pm.  I am now bathing the boys in the big boy tub and they seem to really be enjoying it.  I can actually get both boys to sit in the tub.  This is an improvement as it took weeks for Alex to relax the death grip on my t-shirt.  I swear he was trying to pull me into the tub too.  I have not mastered bathing both boys at the same time.  It still makes me too nervous.  I really wish I would get the courage to bath them together because now we are having temper tantrums as a result of not being able to play in the tub all that long.  The boys still get a sippy cup with milk before bed.  I cannot in a million years imagine getting rid of this.  And I am sure many parents would slap me on the wrist for still giving a "bottle" before bed.  The boys are always in bed by 7:30pm each night and sleep until about 6:30am or 7:00am each day.

We are slowly transitioning to one nap a day.  And it scares the crap out of me.  I just want the boys to continue to be champion sleepers.  We were noticing that the afternoon nap was becoming a bit of a struggle.  So instead of transitioning to one nap cold turkey we have decided to shorten the morning nap in hopes of continuing with the afternoon nap.  The boys still show signs of needing to take a nap about 10am.  It's just that if we let them sleep uninterrupted they would sleep until Noon.  And then the afternoon nap would be out the door.  But there is no way for them to stay up until 7:30pm.  So we are letting them sleep for about an hour during the morning nap and then they take an afternoon nap for between 60 - 90 minutes.  And it seems to be working.  We hope to bump up the morning nap to a later time once the boys start showing signs of refusing the afternoon nap again.  

Random Stuff

* Jakob learned how to walk backwards!
* The boys can respond to some simple commands now.  "Where is your head?" "Go get me a book." "Go get me your shirt." "Where is your sippy cup?"
* Both boys have learned how to take the safety plugs out of the electrical outlets.  Yippee.
* Alex is a klutz!  I think it's because he has a big head.  He has a smorgasbord of bruises on his forehead. (please don't come to my house child services)  But at the same time that little boy is tough and as a result he rarely cries for a long time after getting an ouchie.

See my newest bump?

* They boys still love to take the vents out of the floor.
* We have entered the temper tantrum stage.  It's so much fun to try and control a 15 month old who is throwing a temper tantrum right after a bath.  I feel like I am wrestling with a greased pig.
* We are getting better about brushing our teeth.  We can at least get the toothbrush in their mouth.
* They still love Super Why!.
* They boys are obsessed with the dog leashes and can spend hours pretending to walk the dogs through the living room.  They grab a leash and drag it behind themselves just like they are walking the dogs. They will also chase after the dogs and try to get them on the leash.
* We got the boys bean bag chairs.  Too cute.

* They absolutely love to play outside.  They could spend hours digging in dirt or looking for rocks.

* They love to watch big trucks.  The garbage truck is a favorite.  And Alex is obsessed with airplanes.
* Both boys babble a lot but there are really no new words.
* Jakob - Mom, Mama, Thank You, and Bye-Bye
* Alex - Mom and Mama
* The boys love to read.  Jakob is a fan of sitting in our lap with a good book.
* The boys are still mostly in 12 month and 12-18 month clothes.  Most of which are still too big for Alex!  I almost think he will be able to wear the same shorts next summer.
* The boys have no problems walking and both boys can stand up without any assistance these days.

The boys have their 15 month appointment next week.  I am anxious to see how much they have grown.  I don't think they have really put on a lot of weight but they have definitely gotten much taller.

Mary