Liam and Gibson: Liam at 15 Months

Fifteen months have passed since Liam was born. It truly is amazing how fast kids grow and develop and change literally everyday.

Personality: Liam is still pushing boundaries, messing with things he's not supposed to, and throwing fits when we make him stop. Throwing fits have become his specialty. There was a period of time earlier this month when Liam would throw huge fits at bedtime. We would try to hold him (because he likes it usually), and he would hit our faces and push hard against us to get down. Not acceptable! That's when we would put him in his crib and let him cry till we all calmed down, because seriously, I'm not getting mauled in the face. Saying "gentle, gentle" wouldn't do anything. I don't want Liam to ever think hurting someone is ok. I need to learn how to handle times like these. Thankfully, those fits only lasted a few nights, and then he magically went back to being calm at bedtime. There's definitely been some tough moments this month, and he's still too young to understand discipline. He just thinks we're making him stop doing something that's super fun! I know Liam is learning to explore his world and explore his relationship with us, and that includes seeing how we react when he does something, either good or bad. We clap for him a lot when he does something good or follows directions. He loves to be clapped for; he usually joins in. Not all of Liam's personality is difficult these days. He becomes more affectionate all the time. He runs to Will to give him hugs and smooches. If I'm on the floor with him, most of the time he's trying to get in my lap or laying his head on my leg. The vast majority of the time, he is a sweet boy! When leaving him in childcare at church, he's gotten clingy, and does typically cry when I leave. However, the teachers tell me he stops after a few minutes and is perfectly fine the rest of the time. When I pick him up, he usually screams with happiness! Yep, he's still a screamer. Eating in restaurants with him is hit or miss. Sometimes he's fine, and sometimes we have to take turns eating while the other takes him outside. Oh, and diaper changes are the worst! Silly me for thinking he might not want to walk around with poopy pants.

Skills: As I mentioned in a previous post, Liam is definitely saying more words these days! It's still so strange to hear a proper word come out of him! He does two animals sounds: moo for cow, and ah ah ah for monkey. He can also identify cows, monkeys, and dogs, either by making the sound in the case of cows and monkeys or saying the word in the case of dog. I've been signing with him a lot more lately. He still just does the one for more, but sometimes puts his fingers in his mouth when I say the word "eat." Eh, close enough I suppose. Liam can now identify his feet when we ask him, "Where are your feet?" He grabs them proudly! That's the only body part identification so far. He's been stacking wooden blocks for awhile, but now he loves to build with his plastic Lego-y style blocks. Like I've said before, Liam just seems to understand so much more now. The other day I told him I thought his monkey (little plastic one) was under the couch, and then he got on his hands and knees and looked under the couch! I really had no idea he knew the word couch. He's also gotten really helpful at getting himself dressed or undressed (umm, when he's not throwing a fit about it!). He pulls his arms through the holes, lifts his feet to have socks put on, and can pull his t-shirts off over his head.

Food and Drink: Liam still feeds himself fruit and veggies! Broccoli seems to be his favorite. Really the only new food this month is probably peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Yay for no peanut allergy! I still have not been giving him any cows milk, even though all tummy issues have been resolved. He does eat yogurt and cheese, though, and seems to do fine with those. And yes, he's still drinking his milk from a bottle. He absolutely refuses to drink it from his straw cup! He's also been working on his spoon and fork skills this month. He's getting there, although he usually still misses his mouth and isn't good at getting the food on the fork or spoon yet!

Events and Firsts: Probably the biggest first was that we had a babysitter stay here with Liam for the first time! He's spent plenty of time in the church nursery, but this was the first time someone other than my mom had watched him at our place, and that has only happened a few times. So it was a big deal to us. She watched him for two hours while Will and I went to dinner to celebrate the 11th anniversary of our first date! We had a nice dinner together, and Liam was well-behaved and "charming." Liam played in a mall play area for the first time. Our friends Crystal and Brian and their two kids were in town, so we met them at the Galleria to visit. Liam spent his time in the play area constantly walking around, sometimes touching things, and occasionally escaping the play area and heading straight for a dress shop! I think he was drawn to it because it was bright, colorful, and right outside of the play area. Will and I took turns chasing him, so it wore us out. I sold some of Liam's baby things at a consignment sale. I sold the items I don't want to have to store away until the next child because they take up too much space. I also sold his cloth diapers. Right now we're just using disposables until I figure out what kind I'd like to get him that will work until he's potty trained. I'm already tired of using disposables full-time, so I"m looking forward to getting some cloth again. Liam also got to experience the Olympics for the first time. He watched some with us and clapped for the divers! Next time the summer Olympics happen, he will be 5 years old! One recent event was my birthday and Will's birthday, which happens to be the same day! We ate at Johnny's Pizza with friends! Then today, I took Liam to the local library for really the first time since he was a little baby. He played in the play area with some friends who just happened to be there as well for a little while, then it was time to run up and down the rows making lots of noises! And of course, pitching a fit when I tried to get him back in the stroller. I will definitely be taking him more often and hopefully we can actually check out items next time. I didn't have my library card or my license (discovered that surprising fact at the checkout counter). Then we walked around outside for about ten minutes so I could take some pictures of my crazy 15th month old!

Teeth: Still just four teeth. I'm still wondering when he'll get more. I don't see any on the verge of coming in.

Favorites:
- throwing fits (ugh, but seriously, he seems to be a fan of this!)
- seeing dogs and saying "dog"
- walking and exploring
- playing with plastic blocks and building towers
- eating broccoli and cheese cubes
- drinking water from straw cups without flow-limiting valves
- socks (obsessed!)
- identifying his feet

Here are some pictures I took at the library this morning: