Tag Archives: talking

Dear Emmett – 15 Months

Posted on November 9 by Jillian416 • 0 Comments

Happy 15 months, Emmett!

I love you! Did you know that? I really truly am madly and deeply in love with you. I am so grateful that you are my little boy. I think our biggest news this month is that you completely self-weaned from breastfeeding on Sunday, 9/29/13. You woke up one morning and really resisted latching but eventually you did it, that night you refused, so you got a bottle of Whole milk. The next morning (Sunday) when I tried to put you on your side to nurse, you pushed back and started crying and got VERY upset. I stopped pushing and determined that you had decided you were done and you haven’t had breast milk since.

I had originally set a goal of 18 months in regards to nursing you, with the caveat that if you decided to wean on your own, sooner, I’d go with that. I’m glad you felt safe and secure enough to wean yourself, but I won’t lie, I had a difficult time with it. I had no idea that when you nursed for the last time, that it would BE your last time. I hadn’t relished the moment we had nor did I try and capture any of the memories, because I assumed there would be a next time. I’m definitely not mad or upset with you, it just taught me to begin treating each moment like it could be the last and to enjoy those moments fully. I’m so happy that we had a full 14 months of breastfeeding! You’ve spoken your first word…. “Hi!” I’m sure it’s because your dad and I constantly say it to you, whether we walk into a room or find you looking at us, we’ll say “hi.” It is really adorable to hear! Your second word was your favorite fruit, banana! The first time I heard you say it was amazing! It was amazing that my little boy was learning to speak and associate words with objects. When you say the word, you typically say “nana” and have said the full word 1 time. Your dad or I will repeat what you said, only with the full word, to hammer home what you’re learning. We are SO proud of you! Over the past month you’ve said what seem like other words, like “buh-bye” or sometimes you’ll say “momma” but they are not with any regularity (yet) so I’m not sure if you know what they actually mean yet. Either way, you’re growing so fast! Over the last month you have become so much more aware. When we talk to you, you actually seem to know what we’re saying, if we speak in simple direct sentences. You know what “no” means and will typically stop what you’re doing, even if you go right back into it a second later. 😉 We can also ask you to “come here” or ask if you want “up,” and you understand very well. It’s just amazing watching you progress from little baby to toddler boy. You love making the monkey sound! Anytime we’re watching something on TV and there’s either a picture of a monkey or someone says the word monkey, you start going “oo-oo-oo-ee-ee,” it is so so cute and I just stare at you with a huge smile on my face because you blow me away. You’re also really good at making the cow and doggy sound when prompted, but of course you won’t make any sounds when we see someone new or visit family. Then you get really shy and either hide your face in your dad’s or my shoulder. I don’t mind, I’ll take the snuggle! Oh my goodness! I love this! When you’re getting ready for bed, after you’ve finished your nighttime milk, we have a ritual. I take your bottle and give you your binkie. Then I turn on your sound machine, put your blanket on my shoulder and flip you around to cuddle and rock. Previously, that’s where it would end but now you point towards your stuffed monkey (your “lovey”), once I give him to you, you pull him in close and tuck him under your little chin and then tuck your hand down under your belly. My heart melts every single time this happens and it happens nightly. I LOVE you! You’ve also become really really aware this week. When we talk to you, it seems as though you are starting to understand and sometimes I know you understand because when I ask you a question you’ll respond by shaking your head (no) or you’ll reach for what it is I’m offering you. It’s really neat to see this recognition occur, you’re becoming such a little boy. I can’t exactly put into words what it feels like when talking to you and seeing your recognition but it is such an incredible thing to see.

Fair warning **TMI**

To round out the month we had what your father and I called “poop-pocalypse 2013.” What a mess! It was early in the morning on a weekday, so I was putting my makeup on and your dad was making our breakfast and you were bopping around the kitchen, like you usually do. Your dad finished what he was doing and grabbed you and took you into your bedroom to get your diaper changed, he pulls down your pants and your diaper overflowed out of the leg hole of your diaper and down your leg. I finished what I was doing and came to help your dad clean you up, you’re at the age where you don’t like to have your diaper changed so we almost always have to hand you something to play with, so I handed you your shoe. When I looked closer at the shoe, there was poop ALL OVER IT! And now, since I’d given it to you to play with, it was all over your hands. AHHHHHH! I took the shoe away, cleaned your hands up and then tossed that shoe and it’s pair right in the trash, I just couldn’t bring myself to clean it. We got you all cleaned up and sanitized and then we walk into the kitchen… There were little baby poop-prints all over the kitchen floor. OMG! It was literally everywhere! It was late, we all need to get to work and school, so I quickly sprayed Lysol everywhere and cleaned it up that way. I just couldn’t leave poop-prints on the floor throughout the day. When your dad got home from work that night, he mopped the whole floor, but my goodness that was the biggest mess you’ve ever made. Hopefully that never happens again! Alright baby boy, that’s your 15 month update. I am excited to see what else is in store for us!

Your turn!

What were some of the fun things your child did at 15 months?

Want to read the other Dear Emmett’s I’ve written? Check them out here.

Filed Under: Emmett

Dear Emmett

Posted on May 27 by Jillian416 • 0 Comments

10 months!? 10 whole months old! Insane!

This month’s post is a little late because your baby cousin and her family were in town to celebrate her first birthday, so we were busy visiting.

Don’t worry, Emmett doesn’t normally ride in the front seat. He was only here because he had just finished nursing.

In last month’s post, I shared that you were still army crawling, it was literally the day after you turned 9 months that you started really crawling. I was in the other room and your dad yelled for me because (as he said it), “Your boy is crawling!” I ran in but you were already back on your belly but within no time, I got to witness you crawling. What a big boy! Here’s a funny story, I was picking you up from day care one day and I asked your teachers whether they had seen you do your big boy crawl yet, both girls said no. As if on cue, you stopped playing with your toy, got on your hands and knees and crawled over to me. It was adorable! Both teachers were very excited for you, and I can’t say I blame them. I am endlessly proud of you!

We celebrated my first Mother’s Day. You and daddy got me such nice and thoughtful gifts, a beautiful new charm bead for my Pandora bracelet and a gift certificate to my favorite salon, to be used for a massage or in another pampering way. Daddy also took us out for breakfast, it was a buffet and the food was really good. You weren’t really into anything, except for the french toast and a small piece of bacon. Then we went down to your Grammy’s house to spend the afternoon with her. It was a perfect first Mother’s Day!! I can’t wait for every year to come. 🙂

Remember last month when I said you were getting better at standing up and were slowly starting to coast? Well, you are now a pro at pulling yourself up and moving along, whether it be your crib, the pack and play or our couches. You grab, pull up and MOVE! Your dad and I have had to be much more careful about what we put places since you’re able to reach things now. Pretty soon, the coffee table will be completely empty because you’ll be able to reach all the way across.

Last month I also mentioned how we had started placing you at your motorcycle and how you’d take a couple steps and then fall down. Not any more, now you stand up behind the motorcycle and take it clear across the house. Your dad or I will follow behind you because when you bump into something you don’t yet understand how to back up or turn, so we help you readjust but you’re doing so well. I wonder if by next month’s Dear Emmett, you’ll be walking independently??? I think the reason you’ve excelled so quickly with walking with support is because of day care. They have a bunch of different toys for the babies to stand and walk with, so you get loads of practice.

You continue to be breastfed but we’ve reduced the amount that we send you to day care with. Instead of 3-six ounce bottles, we’ve been sending you with 3-five ounce bottles and it seems to be working out well. You are still a pretty good eater! Some days you don’t feel like eating a lot but for the most part, you are willing to try anything. You love grilled cheese sandwiches and also peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, when we can’t get you to try anything else, you will usually eat either of those two.

We also experienced your first ear infection. But we never would have known you had an ear infection if we hadn’t had your 9 month appointment. You were never cranky and your mood never changed, so it was very surprising when the doctor looked in your ear and said you had one. You were on amoxicillian for 10 days and loved the taste of it. I’m glad the ear infection didn’t cause you any pain, but I am also glad that your doctor caught it when he did.

Speaking of your 9 month doctor’s appointment, you weighed in at 23 lbs 2 ounces and 27 inches long! Big boy! You fell into the 95th percentile for both height and weight for a 9 month old. You’re even beginning to wear 12 month clothes because 9 month stuff is getting too small. Your dad and I are in for it!!

I think you’re teething again because you’ve been drooling like crazy, shoving even more stuff into your mouth and you’ve had a pretty bad diaper rash (which I’ve heard is an indication of teething). I wonder which are growing in?

We think you are learning the sign for ‘more,’ but it’s hard to tell if it is that or you clapping because they are so similar. We just keep doing the ‘more’ sign hoping that you will catch on. You also say a lot of mamamamam’s and dadadadada’s but we’re not sure if they actually mean momma and dada yet, but each time you say one or the other we repeat it and point to the correct person.

You unfortunately also got your first black eye this month. 🙁 I got a call from the director of your day care while I was at work, letting me know that you had fallen and bumped your eye and it had bruised pretty badly but that you were perfectly fine and seemed very happy. When I got to you at the end of the day, I couldn’t believe how dark and big the bruise was, poor guy! I guess what happened, was that you were pulling yourself up on one of the bookshelves and you went to grab a toy and let go at the same time and fell and slammed your head. It took nearly a month for those bruises to heal but you are finally back to normal.

As each month passes and we get closer and closer to a year, I am amazed at what you are able to do. You seem so inquisitive and curious, I can’t wait to teach you everything and more.

Filed Under: Emmett, Family