Holden: 14 Months

 Stats:

Weight:18 pounds, 8 ounces (on our home scale which is always wrong)

Length: 30.5 inches (as measured at home)

Diaper: Size 3 in disposables (Huggies Little Movers), but I think we may be getting closer to moving him into Size 4s & mid-rise, 2nd snap setting in our cloth.

Clothing: He has less then a handful of stuff that is 9 month that still fits, but is mostly in 12 months & 6-12 months right now. He also has ONE pair of pjs from Gap that are size 12-18 months that fit well.

Shoes: He's currently wearing his size 4.5 Wide Stride Rites or Size 4 Freshly Picked Moccs when he wears shoes (which is still pretty rarely).

Milestones:


11/19: Took 5-6 solo steps. The most he had taken at the time.

11/27: First time getting to actually enjoy Thanksgiving dinner. He loved it, but he just loves food in general so no surprise there. =)

11/27: Started taking unprompted solo steps.

Nursing:

This has been nothing short of weird. He is still nursing, but suddenly decided that he can cut it down to 3-4 sessions during the day. He's been doing this for about 3 weeks now so I guess it's our new normal. I'm not really complaining since it gives me more then 3 hours at one time to do something, but it was definitely an overnight thing. He's still doing fine with nursing anywhere & everywhere, occasionally he will get distracted by his brother or the tv, but he does pretty well for the most part.

Solids:

He's definitely still a big eater. Even with teething, he's still enjoying his food quite a bit. Some days he may only eat 2 meals instead of three, but the days he does that he certainly makes up for it by eating a TON. He is still loving food in general & is willing to try just about anything & everything we put in front of him. His favorites currently are any & all meats, fruit pouches & Crispex cereal (dry). He has no issues feeding himself & will get REALLY mad at us if we even try to feed him anymore unless it's something like ice cream or yogurt. He has started to show some interest in using a fork or spoon & we've been letting him go with that a bit, although it tends to be quite messy. He also still prefers to drink from a regular cup & just started to drink from a straw cup when necessary. The only sippy cups he likes are the kind that are like a real cup & can be sipped from. When he actually wants a drink he can handle the sippy cup pretty well, otherwise he just LOVES to dump all the water out & play with it. He's getting a lot better with the snack cups, but he still likes to shake all the crackers out & make a huge mess. =/ He thus far has only had water & cow's milk for drinks, but he still isn't the BIGGEST fan of milk just yet. He IS STILL toothless at this point, but can manage all types of food in pretty decent sized bites. He has had honey that was in the glaze on a meatloaf & didn't have any troubles with that, so now nothing is truly off-limits other then the obvious foods like raw carrots or popcorn.

Sleep:

He had a week or so where he slept through the night pretty consistently & let me tell you, it was AMAZING. Unfortunately, it's been REALLY hit or miss since Thanksgiving. I don't know if it's a teething issue or what, but it was pretty terrible. Up, literally ALL night for 3 nights in a row screaming. I REALLY hope this kid gets some teeth soon. =( He is still going down for the night between 7:30-8PM most nights & waking for the day around 7:30/8AM. He is napping without problems most days & has been taking either one or two naps daily. I'd like to transition him to one nap eventually, but I am not going to push it & we will just continue to do what he needs for the time being. He generally likes to nurse before going to sleep & he actually has started falling asleep more often just after. Regardless,  he still usually goes down drowsy, but awake for both naps & bedtime. He is still taking a paci to sleep & as well as other times during the day. We have no plans to take it away anytime soon, but I do plan to start only letting him have it during certain times of the day & not making it accessible at all times. <---- That WAS my plan anyway until he got sick again. =( If he stays healthy we will likely start instituting pacifier restriction AFTER we get home from our Christmas visit. He also really likes to cuddle with blankets while he's sleeping or getting ready to go to sleep, but does not have a particular favorite lovey at the moment. He's been sleeping in his crib every night, all night. He will ONLY sleep in his crib, the PNP (if at someone else's house) or in the car...he is definitely not a fall asleep anywhere kid (but neither was C at his age).

Health:

He was well for about a week/week & a half & then came down with acute spasmodic croup that ended in a cold. That coupled with MORE crazzzzzzzzzy teething was NOT a winning combination. Ugh. It was definitely a rough month.

Social:

It's official, he truly does thrive with more structure. He loves a schedule & predictability & if we deviate much (especially from his normal bedtime) all hell breaks loose. Despite this, he truly is a social being & gets bored VERY easily. He definitely still seems to do better on days where we are out & about/around other people, but I think that is just part of keeping things exciting & new. He really is an independent little man & gets super frustrated when he can't accomplish something that he thinks he should be able to on his own. Along these lines, he also can throw a MEAN temper-tantrum if we take him away from something he wants (aka screaming, arching his back, kicking his legs). He has seriously been testing his limits this month & actually laughs when we tell him "no-no" or just smiles & shakes his head. Trying to deter him or distract him or redirect him DOES NOT work either as he will IMMEDIATELY return to the scene of the crime & try to commit it again & again & again. He is seriously a very spirited & strong-willed child, much more so then his brother ever was so it's a learning experience for me, for sure. He is still a total flirt & loves to make eyes/smile at pretty girls. He also loves to wave & say "Hi" or "Bye" to everyone that he sees (or even to just no one.) He also really likes being around other kids/babies & animals. He still thinks his brother is pretty cool, but is starting to get old enough to the point where they can start ACTUALLY fighting over toys. He is very lucky that he has such an easy-going & sensitive brother who cares when he cries & *usually* just goes ahead & gives in to him. He also still really loves our dog & gets super excited anytime the dog pays him any mind what-so-ever. He likes to throw food on the floor during mealtimes for him as well. Ugh. He still babbles a fair bit, but he can also now say Carter, Jack, kids, doggie & a few other things in addition to Mama, Dada, & hi. He occasionally says things that sound like other words, but I think it's just coincidental at this point. He definitely hasn't been talking as much lately or really even learning any new words & he definitely isn't talking even half as much as his brother was as this age. He is still not exactly what I would call a "cuddle baby", but he does like to lounge on me on the couch these days while watching Mickey. He has also fallen asleep on me in the recliner chair multiple times this month which NEVER happens. Speaking of Mickey, he doesn't really like to watch cartoons like his brother does, but he LOVES Mickey Mouse Clubhouse & get SUPER excited anytime it comes on. It's pretty adorable actually. He is STILL a HUGE momma's boy & has had A LOT of separation anxiety this last month. He will NOT stay in the nursery at church & if I leave the room while we are at someone's house & he notices I'm missing he freaks out--Yes, still this. We finally got Skype & he loves to talk with my parents & interact with them over the computer. It's so cute how much he loves that he can see their faces, it really helps with the whole being 6+ hours away thing.

Physical:

He is such a little booger! He is always up to something & is basically a little baby monkey. He is ALWAYS climbing. Climbing, climbing, climbing. On EVERYTHING. The fireplace, the train table, his little piano, the new little table, the toy shelf... Ugh. He is also cruising & wall/furniture surfing like mad. He walks holding onto one hand & has taken up to 6-7 solo steps between people or between pieces of furniture. He was doing so well for a while & I thought he was actually getting closer to really walking, but it seems like it was 1 step forward, two steps back on this one. He's stopped even having any interest in attempting to walk on his own. =( He has been standing more on his own without holding onto something without us "making him", but has yet to stand up in the middle of a room yet. He can crawl REALLY fast & I think he just sees this as easier & more convenient at this point so he sticks with it. Besides, lord knows that THIS kid will only do something when it's HIS idea. There will be no forcing him into walking, it will be on HIS time. Just like everything else.

 Likes: Bath time, being nakey, climbing, being in the little stroller, Jack, Momma, nursing (yay!), drinking from a cup, chewing on everything, Daddy, his brother, snuggly blankets, his paci, other kids & Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

Dislikes: Diaper changes (THIS x 10), being unable to do things by himself, having to wait for ANYTHING, the sun in his eyes, having to get dressed, having his hands/face washed/wiped after meals, WALKING, long car rides.