Happy 19 Months to Peyton

Weight- You were 23 lb 9 oz at the doctor on April 5th which was your 18 month check up. You only gained about 3 lbs in six months which was kind of shocking to me, because you seem SOO much bigger than you did around your one year birthday! I suppose your weight distributes differently as you grow though...

Hair- Finally accomplished something here! You frequently sport pig tails on the top/side of your head, or one pony on top. We finally got you some hair ties right before spring break. Your hair was getting so long it was in your face all the time and when you had a runny nose (or had food on your face) your hair got stuck to your face.. icky! It was time. Now I had to win daddy over on the ponies but I think he's finally convinced that they are simply another avenue to your cuteness! Plus it cuts down on clean up to not have food or snot in your hair, win win in my book!

Clothes- We've finally had some nice weather which has allowed us to wear some outfits in your 18 month stock that you couldn't yet. I was kind of bummed that there was one dress that I took you easter egg hunting in (green one) and it was probably the only time you'll wear it. It was kind of tight across your upper body. I was just noticing tonight that your 18 month jammies might be getting on the short side... Well some at least.. .Thankfully as we get into the warm weather you won't need footies and you'll be good to go for awhile in the non footie jams.

Teeth- Not much new in this department, I mean I'm sure you're getting more teeth but I've kind of lost track of which ones you have and don't have. Now perhaps this belongs in this 'teeth' section... To get you to sit still while I do your hair, I have discovered a trick... I give you your toothbrush and let you brush your teeth while sitting in the bathroom sink and I can do your hair. It has worked this month... we'll see if it continues. I love how much you want to brush your teeth, but you still need some help since mostly you wiggle it around a bit and suck the toothpaste off.

New Skills- You have made many improvements at the park in skill development. You are very proficient at slides, and you are getting better at climbing up small steps on just your feet instead of 'crawling' up them. You are still very safety conscious (which I appreciate) and if a step is too big, up or down, you use your old skills of crawling up or scooting down backward.
Your words are great! You know every animal sound in "The Very Busy Spider" which we keep in the car. You can also name a few animals, dog, cat, bird, turtle, monkey. You are getting good at two words and we'll start working on three at a time. You know several foods, which is helpful. You still have a very helpful nature about you. We can ask you to throw things away, push buttons, load silverware in the dishwasher, get your diaper, put your hairties away, etc and you will do it if you know how. Now sometimes you say No, but you do it anyway which I think is kind of funny :) You have got a few phrases down and I really enjoy watching your development as you learn routines. You know exactly what to expect like at bedtime or when it's time to get ready to leave. You get the right stuff and you go to the right places. It's so cool to watch you become a little person!


Foods- Most things... This month the most exciting development is your progress in using utensils. You are getting so much better at using forks and spoons. You know how they work, essentially how to hold them and how to get food into your mouth with them, WIN! Now sometimes it takes you longer than you'd like so you'll still use your other hand to shove the food in, but we offer you utensils with each meal and you at least attempt them probably 50% of the meal.

Favorite moments-
I love to watch you explore your world, inside our house and outside too. You spent a good 20 minutes playing with diapers the other day (hold your horses, they were clean!). You were in your jammies and we were playing for a bit before bedtime. You would get a diaper, sit on the floor, stretch it out, open it up, and shove it toward your crotch since you know where it goes. Then you'd toss it aside, get up and repeat with a new diaper. You probably did this with 10-12 diapers one at a time, then since you had a big pile, you gathered them up all into your lap and kept shoving them onto yourself. It was hilarious as I just sat off to the side observing, daddy asked a few days later.. what the heck happened to all these diapers? Just little moments like that are so precious.
You are fascinated with rocks outside, touching them, picking them up, moving them, giving them away, putting them back. It's fun!
You are the director of your own life for sure! Just tonight, daddy and I were sitting on the couch chatting, you were wandering around, you came over said 'please' and held out your hand wanting mine, I got up followed you... you took me to the stairs, and wanted to go up.. it was apparently time for bed, and you were taking me to get you ready! How great is that!? I hope that sticks around, it was about the right time and everything. This has happened a handful of times lately at bedtime and it's incredible!
One more... the other day our said 'up please' and 'diaper' and you needed a new diaper! How great is that... potty training sometime soon?

Least Favorite moment-
Last night!!!
No seriously, you had gone to bed all wonderfully... and daddy and I were about to go to bed. I seriously finished brushing my teeth, turned out the light and you started crying.. after letting you cry for a few, I went in to try and comfort you. We snuggled, I laid you back down, you went nuts... so I decided that we could go downstairs for a bit. That usually works, take you down for maybe 20 minutes, let you forget about whatever woke you up in the first place, and away you go....
Well we were downstairs watching Charlie and I decided to see if you wanted to snuggle against me. I lay you down so we're chest to chest, you immediately lay down for about 5 seconds, then lift your head and... barf... right between us, not a lot, but enough to scare you and totally gross me out... So begins... I go up, wake daddy up to help clean us up and walk you to the bathroom (all this with us sandwiching the barf between us. Just as we're headed into the bathroom, you barf again... well I will spare you all the details but we went through 5 pairs of jammies, both big living room jammies, countless kitchen towels, one bath/shower, two pairs of jammies for mommy, both bathrooms got cleaned... oh and my fave, your special blankie had to go through TWO cycles of wash! (ok that should give you a clear picture of our evening) yucky! We called the advice nurse for the first time ever because you were sick so many times in such a short time. I felt so bad for you, no one likes to be sick, but when you're so young, it's just scary! I think that you had just overeaten and had an upset tummy because when you awoke today you were happy as a clam. (I say you overate because I think in a two hour span you ate a can of peaches, a piece of cheese, and probably 2 cups of applesauce. Why so much applesauce? Well you were so good at getting it on your spoon that you just kept eating it and wanting more!) Needless to say, it was not an awesome evening in the Holm house!

Anything else?
   I am sure I will be amazed throughout your entire life, but I can't believe how much you've grown in the last few months. You don't look like a baby anymore, you are like a little person! You're lovely and I am so thankful to have you and daddy!

Pics? Tomorrow? maybe? -- hey I would like credit for having this posted ON your 19 month date :)