Maverick at 15 months

Maverick is going to be 15 months on the 12th of this month. And he is doing so many precious things- so it's time for an update! I think in a previous post, I mentioned that he officially started walking at 13 months! And he is into everything now! He can climb the stairs and he has been practicing "going down" on the last couple of stairs. It's so funny how he knows not to go down from the very top. We have rod iron bars at the top of the stairs and he will stop right there and let you know he is ready to go down. Speaking of the bottom two stairs- this is where he goes to eat his snack. He still sits in his high chair for meals; but when give him a snack, he walks over to the bottom of the stairs to sit down and eat. It is so funny. We are actually getting ready to get rid of the high chair and bring down the table from the play room for him. He is already sitting at the table to play with his laptops (and Danica's markers when she leaves them there); so we think he is ready!

Maverick loves to eat. We noticed how much he is eating between bottles and began cutting back on his milk a bit. We were feeding him close to 24 ounces a day, but he loves his meals, so we thought we would cut back to about 18-20. That gives us 3- 4 ounce bottles during the day and a 6-8 ounce bottle before bedtime so he will sleep through the night. He asks for his bottle by saying "Bah".

His favorite snack is Cheerios. When he is ready for his cheerios, he goes to the drawer where I keep the kid bowls. He gets a bowl and walks over to the pantry door. The only downside to this is that he does it a lot and does not like hearing the word, "No". We spend so much time in the kitchen and noticed that Maverick was always going to the panty or the refrigerator wanting something. So in efforts to cut back on his snacking- I have to move everyone to the living room and turn the lights off in the kitchen. I think it might have a lot to do with the cold weather, too. The cold keeps us in a lot more and I think everyone just gets bored and wants to eat. It helps if I encourage them to play in the playroom instead of hanging out downstairs.

Maverick also loves bathtime! Whenever I announce it's bathtime, he begins to walk towards the bathroom (or the stairs if we are down), and repeats "bath" over and over until he gets there. Danica did the same exact thing so I'm loving it. We also wrap him in a towel and hold him in front of the mirror, "look at that baby". He just laughs. I remember how we used to do that with Danica, too.

When it's time to go night night, I ask Maverick if he is ready to go "rock rock". If he isn't ready, he shakes his head and says "uh-huh". If he is ready, he says "rock rock". I rock him in his bedrooom and sing songs until he falls asleep. His favorites are Twinkle Twinkle, Wheels on the Bus, Jesus Loves Me, and Take me out to the Ballgame. But he almost always falls asleep to Brahms lullaby- whether I sing the words or hum the music.

Toys that make noise and books are his favorites right now. He says, "book", and points out the things that he knows. His favorite book is a book called Choo-Choo. We read it to him everyday. Now when Thomas the Train comes on the television, he says, "Choo-Choo". On every other page, choo-choo is followed by woo-woo and Maverick loves it when I say it. He also loves Brown Bear and prefers Joe to read this one to him. Its funny how he has a preference for the person reading it to him based on how the person reads it. Mema reads him most books during the day and she teaches him a lot. So by the time I'm home and reading them- he will turn the page back if I didn't point out all the pictures he knows. In Little Blue Truck goes to the city- his favorite is the skunk and the motorcycle. In Choo-Choo, he likes the ladybug and the princess. He makes a "D" sound when he sees the princess. Mema told him it's Danica!

Maverick is all boy! He like to bang his head on us. And sometimes it hurts. He just laughs and laughs. My guess is that we laughed some time ago and now he is getting stronger. We also made a mistake when we let him throw his toy balls. I fear the day his balls are not so "toy".

He isn't really into television yet, but will look and point at things he likes. We know he interested in Curious George, Thomas the Train, and the Cat in the Hat. I show him Sesame Street on the I-pad. That's the only thing I can show him that will keep him from poking. Because he watches everyone "poke" from page to page- that's what he likes to do with them. My I-pad was disabled for an hour one day when he kept poking the wrong passcode. LOL...

Never a dull moment with Maverick! We are so excited to watch his little personality unfold. And he is the sweetest baby. He loves to give hugs and kisses. And I love it when he pats me on the back when he gives me love. Danica used to stroke my hair when I held her in my arms. She still does it sometimes. He is not talking as much as Danica did at this age, but he is super smart. Even though he does not say things, you can see so clearly what he knows when you watch him respond to things. And he is very much a physical baby. He really is into everything (Danica-not so much). You give him one drawer, he wants all of the drawers. You show him a cabinet- he wants to go through all cabinets. But if you tell him to put stuff back, he will. He makes us put our shoes in the closet when we take them off. And you have to give him one of the shoes, because he wants to put one up, too.

Now I'm rambling. I can go on and on and on, so I'll stop here. I just wanted to make sure I document this stuff so I never forget! We are so proud of you, Maverick! Every day!