15 Months!

Eli had his wellness check for 15 months yesterday.  Besides for being stuck waiting for-ever to be seen (in a practically empty office), everything went well.  His doctor has been on maternity leave, so we hadn't even seen her in almost a year.  It was nice to catch-up a little, and I finally had the chance to thank her for telling us to let Eli "cry it out" when we were sleep training him last June.  She was my lifesaver!  : )
Here are Eli's stats:

Weight: 22 lbs. (16th%)

Height: 31 in. (46th%)

Head: 46.5 cm (30th%)

The Dr. asked how Eli's doing with table foods.  Well, not great.  By next month she wants him to be off baby food and only eating table food.  Yikes!  Eli eats baby food very well (and I give him a great variety of them), but he's rather picky with table food.  He loves dairy, grains, meats, and some frozen veggies, but he doesn't eat fruits well.  The texture always bothers him.  I haven't tried canned fruits yet, though, so we'll work on slowly getting him transitioned.  I hope it works because I'm worried he won't get enough to eat, and especially enough variety.  

She's not worried that Eli's not talking much yet or really walking on his own.  I guess by 18 months he should be excelling at both, so hopefully that happens!  He received two shots, and after about 30 seconds of an excruciating scream, he was happy again.  Thank heavens he does so well!

Here are pictures and updates from the past month:

Looking so handsome in his church outfit!  Love his beautiful baby blues!  

Eli and I started a fun new hobby.  Every morning we sit on the floor in his room together and read books.  I've always read to him before nap and bedtime, but he's enjoying books so much more, that we added this reading time, too.  I tell him to pick something to read, and he'll hand me book after book and we'll read them all.  We read for about an hour a day (total, not at one time).  He does so well at listening to the stories (even some long ones) and turning the pages.  It is definitely an activity that I will always cherish.

Eli received this stuffed dog, Yodel, for Valentine's Day.  He was immediately fond of it, and loves giving him lots of snuggles.  For weeks afterwards, he brought that dog along with him everywhere in the apartment.  But he never let Yodel get in the way of him playing.  Instead of holding him in his hand, he would stuff Yodel's nose in his mouth, and play with him like that.  It was the FUNNIEST thing!  It reminded me of a mother taking care of her little pup.

He also sleeps with Yodel since the night he brought him home for the first time.  

That's about as close as he's gonna get to having a pet dog!  ; )

Eli still loves playing in the water.  I bathe him during the day 3xs a week, just as something fun for him that takes up some time.  He always wants to stand up to play with the faucet, which makes me so nervous!

Enjoys playing with and walking his car.

There are several funny objects that Eli just loves to play with.  One of them is the hand-held broom.  He gets it out of the closet and takes it everywhere with him.  I ask him, "Are you sweeping?" and he does a sweeping motion.  : )

He's really getting into puzzles and other activities where he has to figure out how things fit together.

I think he was trying to smile for the camera, but I got him mid-blink instead.  Funny, though!  

Again . . .

  Eli makes the funniest face and sound for when something's stuck (You can sort of see the face in this picture).  I ask him, "Is it stuck?" and he pulls his head back a little, pushes his lips together, and grunts, like he's trying to "un-stuck" it.  Sometimes he tries to open things that can't be opened, like the thermometer.  : )  Even if nothing's stuck, if we ever say the word, he makes the face.  

We painted with water for the first time!  Eli LOVED it and did so well!  I held onto the bowl of water, and let him dip the brush himself, and then he'd "paint" on the paper.  He did it for a little while, and then he just wanted to dip his hands in the bowl, or suck on the brush after getting it wet.  : )

Checkin' out his toes (which he points to on his own now!).  He is SUPER ticklish, and loves to be tickled.  When he's eating in his highchair, he'll turn around and "tickle" (looks like scratch) the highchair while grinning at me, and that's my cue to come in and tickle his tummy.  Love my funny boy!

Eli is very bright (according to his unbiased parents), and follows commands very well.  He always seems to understand what I'm saying.  He's a wonderful little helper, and enjoys "helping" me with chores such as laundry, emptying the dishwasher, and vacuuming.  His cheery disposition is quite infectious, and he certainly brightens up every day.