I know his first birthday was supposed to signify that he was no longer a baby and was now a toddler but I've been having a difficult time wrapping my mind around that as well.
Living in denial is becoming more and more trying though.
Lukas Ryan Kadzban, at 15 months old, seems to have left his baby-hood behind him. I'm pretty sure that at the moment when he transitioned into toddlerhood, whenever that may have actually been, I heard him say the words "eat my dust!" to the days past and the mere thought of being my baby boy anymore.
How dare he. :)
It's not so much that I miss having an actual baby around. (Well, some moments I do.) But with each passing day, I'm again reminded that he's doing to me what his sister before him did.... growing up too fast. I wish for his mom's sake he'd slow down a bit, in more ways than one.
So at 15 months, here's a snapshot of my not-so-baby boy:
This kid is busy. He came out of the womb busy and I'm pretty convinced he's intending to stay this way. Despite my attempts to slow him down a bit, he's just not interested in doing so. Liana used to love watching Baby Einstein videos with me but Lukas could care less about anything on the television. I think I've caught him watching Curious George and Mickey only a handful of times but it never lasts for long. I definitely don't need another "TV Ted" like his sister is, but it would be nice to have him sit with me for 30 minutes a day to snuggle and watch a video that might teach him something... or at least entertain him for a bit! He truly doesn't stop moving - I'm fairly certain that he paces the house and walks more miles a day than the rest of his family put together does.
He has yet to become preferential to any particular toys. However, he does love anything sports related. We have some mini-sticks that he'll play hockey with and he loves to throw balls. For being only 15 months, he has a surprisingly good arm and can already get the ball to its intended target! I often wonder if we have a budding soccer play because he can handle a soccer ball just as well. We took him to the GVSU Alumni Hockey game last night because Mike was playing and he was like a kid in a candy store. For the first ten minutes, he sat on mine and his Grandpa's lap and was just enamored by the action on the ice. In true Lukas fashion, he lost interest after that and instead wanted to run up and down the walking space in front of the bleachers. He also likes things he can push whether it be the toy vacuum, a big truck, or his sister's doll stroller.
Lukas has two comfort items that he cannot live without: his cubby and his paci. While he does have a primary cubby, he's non-discriminatory and will snuggle with other cubbies as well. He loves to snuggle up to Liana's lovey which usually leads to one of my two kids in tears. He has another lovey that a friend gave us and at times I'll catch him running around with that. When I pick him up at the end of the day from daycare, he automatically starts thrashing through the diaper bag in order to find cubby and paci for the ride home. Thankfully, daycare doesn't allow him to have these items during the daytime hours except at naptime. I'm hoping that we'll get rid of his paci's sometime in the next few months as I'm determined to do so by his second birthday. I think once we do he'll actually sleep better at night because he still wakes up and needs help finding them... despite the fact that we throw 3-4 in there to make it easier for him!
Sleeping is a bittersweet topic... he's remarkably easy to put to bed but as I just mentioned, he still wakes up during the night. I've come to accept this and I no longer stress about it because a) there's nothing I can do to change it, other than to let him cry it out, which I know does not work for him and b) I know it won't last forever. But I do think it's comical when other parents complain about their babies not sleeping and here we are 15 months later still getting up with our kid 1-2x every night! He has 16 teeth now and the only other ones he needs are his two year molars. So far it seems as though those are holding off and so Mike and I are both hoping that this sleeping issue will continue to improve.
And while I'm on the subject of teething, I must say that my children are proof that women are the stronger sex when it comes to pain. Liana was barely phased by teething. Lukas, well, he's a different story. :)
Lukas is my "sweet and sassy" boy. Mike and I have referred to Liana as our "Sour Patch Kid" for the past couple years and while that would also be extremely fitting for Lukas, it just wasn't right to use the same moniker twice. Until we come up with a better one, he'll remain "Sweet and Sassy". The kid is so full of love... I had often heard that boys are more affectionate than girls and I can now confirm that it's true. He loves to give hugs and he loves to be held (not still... just held while you're doing something that he wants to watch). He often runs up to us and throws his arms around our legs and buries his head into the space between. Just recently he's learned how to give kisses and while they're a bit wet, they're totally worth the extra slobber. He adores his sister and loves to be a part of whatever it is that she's doing. He's also becoming quite enamored with the dogs and I've caught him sitting next to Bauer and petting him.
On the sassy side of things, this kid does an A+ job of driving his mother mad sometimes! He is such a troublemaker and always getting into something he shouldn't be. Even worse, he knows it and still chooses to do it! He continues to love the trash can and the dishwasher, much to my chagrin. He's learned how to unlock and open the dishwasher and then proceeds to use it as a stepstool. (Yes, I'm terrified he's going to break it.) He's been better about the dog bowls but every now and again, I'll catch him with a morsel of dog food in his mouth. (I no longer take it out either because I'm a Grade A mom like that.) He loves to throw food on the floor once he's done eating, in addition to whatever else is on his tray. (We've lost two dishes this month because of it.) He doesn't like to listen and when I ask him to come to me, he looks at me with that naughty little grin and runs the other way instead. Finally, he's kind of an emotional basketcase at times... he cries, a lot. Over the big things and over the smallest of things. He cries most often when he's not getting his way and he's feeling angry or frustrated.
I'm absolutely certain that I'm going to have my work cut out for me with this kid and while he tests my patience over and over again, he makes up for it the minute he turns into the sweet little boy that I adore.
Lukas's apetite hasn't changed much in recent months and he is still eating us out of house and home. He eats far more than his sister does on any given day and often times, more than his mom does too! He eats just about anything we put in front of him. I really hopes that this continues and that I don't have TWO picky eaters on my hands!
In the past month, our little guy has battled pink eye, the stomach flu and multiple colds. One of the many "benefits" of daycare, wouldn't you say? We're ready to start feeling better around here and stop going through a box of tissues every few days.
Language has been a slow progression with Lukas. He started talking before his first birthday but then his words disappeared for a while. He's now trying to say more things and it's so exciting to hear him put his sounds together! His favorite word right now is "daddy" and he says it often but only when Mike is actually around. I've also caught him saying either "Lovey" or "Cubby" in the past week. "Uh oh" is a common one and he uses this when he's done something mischievous and naughty.
Lukas continues to do great at daycare. Since moving into the toddler room at the beginning of January, he's struggled a bit with getting new teachers and now cries some mornings when we drop him off. But as the time goes by, it has gotten better. He loves to play with the other kids and be in an environment where he's socially, emotionally, and physically challenged to do things he wouldn't necessarily do at home. Both he and Liana are there every Tues & Thursday.
His favorite song right now is the "Ooo eee ooo aaah aaah" (teeng tang walla walla bing bang) song. Grandpa taught him this one and he sings it all the time. He only knows the first part though and he'll sing it with the intention of you mimicking him. When you do, his smile lights up the room. It's awesome. :)
And finally, the basics: Bedtime is between 7 and 8pm. Naptime is between noon and 1pm. Some mornings he wakes up early and some mornings he'll sleep until 8:30. He's wearing 18-24 month clothes and his torso is longer than his legs, which is the opposite of his sister. He's had two haircuts now and didn't sit as nicely for the second one as he did the first one... apparently the dum-dum suckers have lost their touch on him! I'm guessing he weighs between 25 and 26 lbs now and it's becoming more of a challenge to carry him for anything longer than a few minutes.
I am so thankful that God blessed me with this little guy. :)
Happy 15 months sweet boy! I love you!
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| Look at me, daddy spiked my hair! :) |
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