13 Months Old

Now that Cody & Jaden are over halfway to 14 months, it's probably about time to update you on their 13-month habits & milestones. Here are our little whirlwinds!

Jaden & Cody, actually somewhat posed!

Jaden (L), Cody (R) - This is what usually happens when
we try to pose for pictures these days!

Cody (L), Jaden (R): How they're happiest -- in motion!

One common question we receive with our energetic 13-month-olds is: "Are they getting into everything yet?" We can answer with a resounding YES! This month in particular, Daddy & Mommy have had to go to the next level and think extra-creatively with toddler-proofing our home. 

Examples: Our fireplace is now bubble wrapped and covered in cardboard. We now have a trashcan that locks (thanks for the GREAT idea, Aunt Kim!!) and that is weighted down with sandbags so it can't be knocked over. We removed the handle from our china hutch cabinet. The basket holding our newspapers is now housed in the garage. The boys' bedroom nightlight must be removed daily lest we find it in their mouths again! 

Sigh. It certainly is true that the boys are getting into everything! The good thing is that our active boys are constantly curious and very perceptive. We know that these traits will only continue to help them learn as they explore God's world.

SLEEPING HABITS

• Good News: rarely sleeping in bed with Mommy or Daddy anymore, fall asleep for bedtime at 7:30 very easily with little to no crying, rarely cry out through the night, still love their 2 daily naps
• Bad News: EARLY waking times (closer to 5:00am for much of this month)
• Perhaps this means we need to transition soon to one-a-day naps... a trial for a new month!

EATING HABITS

• Fast, eager eaters
• Basically eating all our same table foods
• Often "beg" at our feet for a sample while we're chopping up food
• Favorite food: any dairy product (cheese & yogurt)
• Favorite snacks: fruit, graham crackers, string cheese, yogurt melts
• Had first taste of ice cream -- a BIG hit!
• Nurse only 2 times daily (morning and evening)
• No more bottles (hooray!!!!)
• Drink whole milk from sippy cups for meals & snacks (although Jaden is still quite messy)
• Happiest time of day is right after mealtime! 

LANGUAGE

• No specific spoken words yet, although loud babbling back and forth is constant in our home!
• Great at following basic directions
• Love listening to stories before bedtime and naptime & have definite storytime favorites

PLAYTIME

• LOVE playing outside (in sandbox, pushing lawn mowers, using the water table & pool, popping bubbles blown by Mommy or Daddy)
• Absolute favorite outdoor activity is lifting the hose up and down (go figure!)
• Enjoy walks and listening to airplanes (instantly stop whatever they're doing to find the airplane in the sky)
• Love playing hide-and-seek & running after Mommy or Daddy
• Enjoy putting small balls up to their mouths and making a funny noise while "bopping" them out of their mouth (a cool trick learned from Daddy!)
• Any shoes left out are an instant magnet! Daddy & Mommy have to hide theirs carefully.
• Indoors -- love playing downstairs best
• Favorite toys: their push riders  (and giving various toys or balls "rides"), their alphabet fridge magnets, the ball popper, their Little Tikes basketball hoop

DEVELOPMENT

• Confident walkers, even on uneven outdoor surfaces
• Have attempted some climbing (side of the bathtub, the couch, the stove)

OUR LITTLE J-MAN

• 23 lbs. 3 oz.
• Loves popping his head up to play peek-a-boo with others
• Enjoys carrying his large ball, even though it covers his face and blocks his view
• Loves playing with his baby Einstein mini-books
• Gets really warm and red-faced when outside in the heat
• A more impatient eater; swipes up a ton of food at a time into his palm
• Was a victim of biting twice this month (one time we could count the teeth marks on his arm even the day afterwards!)

THE CODESTER

• 21 lbs. 13 oz.
• Seems to be in constant motion
• Doctor is concerned about constant fluid behind his ear; have appt. with an ENT specialist this month to see about possible tubes in his ears
• Enjoys climbing onto his Cars push-toy and rocking back and forth, waiting to be pushed
• Gets easily frustrated when his push-toy gets stuck; forcefully pushes it back and forth and whines until getting help
• Carefully picks up food with his pincer grasp

It's obvious that we no longer have 2 babies in our home. We love our busy little toddlers! Happy 13-months, little guys!