Ryan - 15 Months

Dear Ryan, 

Now you are 15 months old. Your 14th month was a very busy one, with Mommy waist-deep in a work project that took me to Boise for the day and back -- the longest time we'd been apart from each other. You and Daddy did fabulously together while I was gone. 

Your 4 top teeth really came in, but it was a difficult month food-wise. You were bored with many of the foods that you'd been eating for awhile, and rejecting almost all of our suggestions for things to eat. It made me a little crazy as you started nursing more, which was not the direction I wanted to go in. But towards the end of the month, with some helpful suggestions from other mamas, I found a bunch of new foods to add to your diet and you have been happily eating more since then. Your favorite at the moment is brown rice toast. I hope you continue to like it for awhile!! 

Smoothies are another favorite, thank goodness. I like to sneak coconut milk or almond butter into them to give you more calories and protein and to help both of us get a good night's sleep. It works most of the time!

The playroom was a fun discovery for you this month. You knew it existed, but you came to realize how much you enjoy having a cozy little place for you to go and be comfortable by yourself.

Yup, you still LOVE to play with balls.

And now you love to read, just like your big brother.

We got together for a Christmas party with friends and you had fun doing parallel play with friend Oliver.

One day you really needed a nap but fought the nap so hard. Eventually there just wasn't any milk left and you cried and cried and somehow wedged yourself into this position and finally fell asleep. It was so sad and so funny at the same time. Sigh.

An attempt to get you to eat by presenting you with multiple options. It was semi-successful.

You've been a very busy, growing little boy. And sometimes you needed a break from all that busyness and growing, and sticking with mama was just the thing.

Juice containers make really good toys.

I had to get a picture of the sweet curls on the back of your head. They get tangled and your least-favorite thing is when I get the knots out. But they are so beautiful.

My sweet, sweet little one. I love watching you grow. At the end of this month you had a low-grade fever for 5 days (over Christmas, of course) and when the fever finally broke I could see obvious signs of growth -- you were taller and you started adding more words to your vocabulary. You also hug more and kiss us and pat our backs when we hold you.

We love you so much, Ryan.