O baby at 11 months

Weight: Somewhere over 20 lbs...?

Height: No idea.

Clothing size: He basically lives in 18 month rompers, night and day. A few 12 months separates still fit too.

Diaper size: Cloth. Travelled a lot this month and used disposable during trips, so I actually know now! Size 3.

Feeding: THREE NURSING SESSIONS A DAY! Throwing a party for myself. He's fought the sippy cup, but is making a lot of progress lately. He's still eating pureed fruits and veggies, but also is starting to like table foods. Chicken, green beans, pasta, cheese, bananas, avocados whatever.

Sleeping: Same- 2 naps a day, and still sleeping roughly 7p-7a every night.

Milestones: He's saying "Mama" with meaning!!! 7 teeth now... He's still not very interested in crawling. Every time I put him on his belly, he rolls over a few seconds later. He can scoot backwards some, and he's tried to pull up once...  He can get his butt in the air, but can't get to his feet yet. Kid basically just wants to either be held all the time, or be sitting and playing with toys.

Likes: Baths. Being held. The pool. Being outside.

Dislikes: Teething. Airplanes. Long car rides. Getting diaper changed. Not being held. Not being able to see Mama....Separation anxiety is at its peak. Freaks out if I walk TWO FEET AWAY. Not just leaving the room, people. Leaving his side!!!! Poor kid.

Adventures: 1st plane ride to see Uma and Pap in Phoenix. Road trip to TN to see family and honor Grandmom L's life. Pool. Lots of outdoor play.

What we couldn't live with out: Ergo. Double stroller. Don't I say this every time?

Best part of parenting this age: As much as I hate that he screams bloody murder any time I'm not within reach, it is pretty sweet how much he loves his Mama. :)

He's always kicked his little foot up on stroller rides!
I love it.

Pool days are the best days.

Cousins in TN.

Hardest part of parenting this age: I said this last month and I'll say it again... I think this has been his fussiest month yet... Lots of crying over teething and not being able to move. :(

Grahammers at 2.5 years

Age: 2.5 Years

Stats: 31 lbs, 10 oz (50-75th %), 36 inches tall (50th%) Always pretty average. 

Clothes: 2T 

Favorite Foods: Granola balls- he beggggggs for these things. We don't give him many desserts, so this is his favorite sweet treat. Any fruit-- blueberries and strawberries seem to be his favorite, but really he just devours any fruit. He also loves chicken, grilled cheese, and yogurt. He's a pretty good eater overall and doing wayyyyy better on veggies now. He's not a huge fan, but will willingly eat some now (without being hidden). Sweet potatoes and peas are the easiest for him. And he gets spinach smoothies and carrot muffins all the time. 

Words: He's finally taken off with his vocabulary. He seemed to be a late talker, and my pediatrician recommended we have him evaluated by First Steps at his 2 year checkup. Between the holidays/ traveling/ paperwork, it was about 6 weeks before they actually evaluated him. And they said he was fine! Whew. He finally started putting two-word phrases together, now repeats almost anything, and speaks in simple sentences. My favorite is to overhear him in his crib, jabbering to himself before he falls asleep. Lots of times he just randomly will list off his favorite things... "carousel... Chet... Cori... Liam... MOPS... bus... teddy..." Bahahaha. He also has a love-hate relationship with appliances/ anything that make loud noises. So several times a day, we will go through that list- "all done vacuum?" "dada all done drill?" "mama all done blender?" etc. He also lives all day in the fear of going to bed, and he knows Owen takes more naps than him, so he's constantly saying, "Owen night-night! Graham play!" My favorite thing lately has been in response to the fact that I've been trying to help him transition from one activity to another without meltdowns, but telling him when we're going to leave a place in "two minutes." Now when we arrive at a place he really loves (a friend's house, the gardens, etc.), he'll immediately look at me and say, "no minutes! no minutes!" because he doesn't want the warning that we're leaving soon! Hahahaha. He's also singing along to songs now, which is completely adorable. 

Activities: Pool. Splash pad. Music class. MOPS. Grocery shopping. Children's Museum. Playdates. Parks. Gardens.

Favorite Things: The CAROUSEL. Seriously obsessed. Splash pads. I think he is finally outgrowing his love of buckets. He is moving onto playing with actually toys- he loooooooves stacking blocks into "big tower!", making food in his play kitchen, pushing buses and trucks. Still loving musical things. We were in the car the other day for an hour and he requested "Oh How He Loves Us" the entire way, over and over again. He's also in love with "Wheels on the Bus" and asks Nonnie to sing it for him anytime we talk to her on the phone. He LOVES being outside still- swinging, sliding, climbing, walking, digging in dirt, whatever. Still adores Teddy. Thinks Owen is the best. Favorite books are getting longer- Berenstain Bears cars book, Are You My Mother, etc. He loves standing on anything and declaring himself "tall!!!" 

Mom's Proudest Moment: Being brave enough to jump in the pool the first time near the water this summer!!

Dad's Proudest Moment: Graham singing along to hymns with him. Andrew has sung hymns over this boy since day one, and they have been our go-to for him during times of fussyness, for us to remember God's grace during hard moments of parenting, and just wanting to pass on a legacy of tuning our hearts to God's faithfulness through worship. It has been such a joy for us both to hear Graham's voice start singing right along.