15 Months Old

Yesterday, our little one turned fifteen months old. He is changing a little each day, and I am trying to savor every moment that I can. I realize that I have not kept track of monthly updates, so I decided to do one while I had some time. I knew I would get behind, but I guess some updates are better than none. I just want something to look back at in the future.

I forgot to schedule a fifteen month well visit, so I don't have his weight and height measurements. He is in 18 months pants and 18-24 months shirts, though. His favorite words are hey, yeah, whoa, and oh. He likes to wave and say "Heee-ey!" to people who aren't looking. When they acknowledge him, he acts shy and turns to me for approval. He answers "yeah" to most questions. He also says, "Woah, woah, woah! Oh, oh, oh!" when he is upset about something that you are doing (e.g. picking him up to go change his diaper).

Recently, Joel started refusing certain foods (like vegetables and meat). He just wanted to eat fruit, pasta, snacks, and cheese. This lasted about a week or two. He's been doing better the past few days. I know there are more of these episodes to come, but I'm glad that he's back to eating like he was before.

Joel is down to one nap and has been for a while. I tried to hold on to two naps as long as possible, but he gradually went down to one nap around thirteen months old. He wakes up between 8:30 and 9, naps between 2 and 5, and goes to bed around 9:30. I have found that it's becoming easier and easier to get work done, now that he is napping for one long period of time per day.

Lastly, we are to a new stage of child-proofing. Joel has started using things to climb up onto furniture (end tables, couches, chairs, bath tub). I am more nervous now than ever to leave him unattended for any period of time.

I'm sure there is a ton more that I could journal, but it's time to get to work (Joel's nap time). Praise God for such an awesome kid! 

New Board Books

J-man has recently shown an interest in letters ("What are all these things on my wall?"), so I wanted to started gradually introducing him to letters. I deciding to try two things writing his name on things and talking about his "special letters," and reading alphabet books and pointing out the letters. I should have known that it was dangerous for me to start looking at alphabet books for toddlers, because our family of three loves reading. Needless to say, I ended up ordering eight books. Only two are ABC books. The reason I'm sharing is because I love some of the books we ordered. They are also extremely affordable. I should note that all of the books below are about God and Jesus. We already have a huge collection of books about animals, music, toys, etc. So, I wanted to expand our collection. Some are a little advanced for Joel, but there's nothing wrong with reading above his level.

God Made Me by Jane Taylor: a good review of body parts (eyes, nose, mouth, tongue, feet, hands, ears) and the five senses; perfect for our little guy; recommended for ages 1-5

Jesus Loves Me by Debby Anderson: starts and ends with the traditional song; also goes through dressing, eating, cleaning, learning, playing, bathing, and praying; good for ages 1-3

If Jesus Lived Inside My Heart by Jill Roman Lord: talks about how Jesus can use you (your eyes, hands, arms, mouth) if you allow him to enter your heart; shares how your life can reflect Jesus and how he loves us even when we mess up; a little advanced for now (recommended for ages 2-5); was so good that I had to order now

My Day with Jesus by Alice Joyce Davidson: tells the Palm Sunday story from the donkey's perspective; tells why people were waving branches; shares the Great Commandment (love God, love neighbors); will read this year, but will probably be more appropriate for next year; recommended for ages 1-4

My ABC of God Loves Me by Thomas Nelson: shares an attribute of God or Jesus  for each letter (M-Messiah, N-near, O-obedient, V-victorious, W-wise, etc.); probably a little advanced for now, but it's never too early to start sharing about God; recommended for ages 1-4

I wanted to share in case others were looking for good ideas for Easter. My Day with Jesus would be great to share a little before, since it's about Palm Sunday. We got them all from www.christianbook.com. I hope some of you can enjoy these as much as we are!