Sweet 'n Sour

I am fascinated by the 15 month old mind. Every day includes quite a few moments where I am able to witness the development of a new connection or the discovery of a new ability. I believe this is one of the greatest joys of parenthood and a privilege I do not take for granted.

Our backyard is home to several bunnies. Since I do not own a garden, I consider them to be welcome friends. Every morning, when I raise the blinds in Ryan's room, he and I look out the window to see if the bunnies are out and about. Yesterday, we were both thrilled to spy four bunnies hopping around and nibbling on grass. We moved from window to window along the back of the house to maintain the best view until they eventually bounded away. The minute they were gone, Ryan got up from my lap and began digging through his basket of books. I could tell he was looking for a very specific book. I was stunned when he finally pulled out The Runaway Bunny! Beaming, he brought it right to me so that we could read it immediately.

Yesterday afternoon brought another surprise. Ryan was playing with a round, blue block, when he suddenly lifted it to his lips, pretended to drink from it, and even smacked his lips. He looked at me and clearly said, "Wa-wa!" (water) as he held up the block. He then proceeded to offer me a "drink" as well. I almost felt as if I could see a switch in his brain flip in order to open up the wonderful world of imaginative play.

Other notes of interest:
*Ryan weighs 22 lbs., 8.5 oz. (25th percentile) and is now 31.5 in. tall (50th percentile). He's grown almost 3 inches in 3 months!

*His vocabulary has expanded to about 15 words. The most common word we hear is "more," which usually means, "Give ___ to me NOW!"

*He dropped his morning nap in late April (a very sad day for me as that was often my shower hour). He now sleeps from 7 p.m. - 7:30 a.m. every night and usually naps from 12:30 - 2:30 p.m.

*He still only has 8 teeth, but all four of his one year molars are about to come in and his incisors won't be far behind.

*Ryan has become an outstanding eater. It is rare that even a vegetable is refused. He eats almost as much as I do or so it seems. He is also mastering the use of a spoon. It's messy, but he is now able to get most of the food into his mouth.


*Like his father, Ryan is interested in gadgets and how they work. Light switches, the knob on his fan, cell phones, and remote controls can occupy him for quite some time.

*Climbing is his new favorite pastime. Walking and even running are old school now! Thankfully, he's too short to get into any dangerous situations...yet.


So, you've heard all about the sweet, but there is some sour in the life of a 15 month old. Temper tantrums are now a daily occurrence - in fact, he usually has 3-5 per day. Some days are better and some are much worse. It began with crying and foot stomping, but he recently starting incorporating high pitched screaming, kicking, and arching his back.

I would rate this tantrum a 6 out of 10 (10 being the worst). It's hard to get a 10 on video, because, when those occur, I am solely focused on keeping my cool and offering him the opportunity to regain control in his crib. Of course, he usually refuses my kind offer, at which time the offer becomes a command. While the tantrums aren't exactly fun, there are plenty of times where I have to work hard not to smile over his theatrics. He's just so darn cute.