Jackson's 16 Month Update

Today is my (not so) baby's 16th month birthday!!

I've said it before and I'll say it again: what this boy lacks in size (at his 15 mo. checkup he was in the 25% for height, 5% for weight, and 95% for head, no joke), he makes up for in personality! He is such a sweet little goober who likes figuring things out on his own and giving kisses to his family and to the garden gnome.

Here's what we've been up to this month:

Weight: 19 lbs 7.5 oz.

Length: 30.5 inches

Nicknames: Jax, Bubs, Jax Lee San, Goober, Baby, Jacksie

Wearing: 12 & 18 month clothes (18 month shirts fit pretty well but the pants are still way too long); Size 3 diapers

Sleep: Ugggggggggggggg*takes a long breath*ggggggh.. this has been a rough couple of weeks for us. Jax has been sleeping for only a few hours at a time in his crib before waking up, crying uncontrollably, and then coming into bed with us. Then once he's in bed with us, he cries off and on in his sleep.. Mommy and toddler are both very, very tired. We can't wait for the rest of these stinking teeth to make their big debut (more on that below..)!

Jax likes: Bella, opening & closing doors, doing whatever he sees mom or dad doing, playing outside, pushing anything with wheels (so he can walk), saying no, reading, going down slides, his toys/eggs from the Easter Bunny, chalk & markers, stickers, "Good Eats", clapping for himself

Jax dislikes: When he can't get something to work right away, being told "no", sitting still for too long, teething, when he's walking with mommy or daddy and we let go of his hands in an attempt to get him walking on his own, sitting in the shopping cart

Food: Veggie burgers, cheeses, oatmeal, Greek yogurt, Belvita biscuits, breads, crackers, snack foods, peanut butter, sugar, veggie noodles

Teeth: 10 teeth!! He had his first ever dentist appointment on Thursday (which he wasn't too happy about) and she was shocked to see that ALL of his remaining teeth (minus to 2-year molars, of course) are coming in at once! Poor, poor baby.. now we know why he isn't sleeping well.

Happenings: Mommy's 25th birthday, multiple play dates/family visits, staying with Great Aunt Nancy during our birthday date, yard work/lots of outside time/park play, second Easter, first fishing trip, first Easter egg hunts, and playing around the house.

~I'm so happy to report that Jackson is FINALLY starting to enjoy being read to and "reading" himself (video below). Before this month, he was always too squirmy to sit through an entire book so this has been a welcome change of pace~ 

~Shopping with this kid has become a nightmare.. he will not sit in the cart and wants to get out and "help" push the cart. He's SO close to walking but seems to be lacking the confidence to actually do it on his own without holding onto something or someone! Hopefully next month's update will be about him walking on his own..

~Not that I'm complaining, but this boy is a complete mamma's boy (unless my mom -- his Grammy -- is around.. then he only wants her)! I think we're attached at the hip because we're together all day every day but I'm hoping he'll begin wanting to play with other kids/adults in the coming months.

~This kid is definitely a toddler and wants to do EVERYTHING himself (pictured: I took him to the coolest toddler gym last week and all he wanted to do was open and close the door by himself). If he sees Brandon or me doing something, he picks up on it quickly and wants to try it for himself. I'm sure I'm a bit biased but he just seems so smart to me and is able to pick skills up almost immediately.