Caden – 15 Months

It’s been a busy busy month for Caden, so I’ve got a ton to talk about (don’t I say that every month?).  It amazes me how much his little brain learns and changes in just a few short weeks — he certainly keeps me on my toes!

• Caden is picking up and trying new words all the time.  He is learning new syllables and starting to add them into his playtime.  The big new word for this month is “please.”  Caden has learned that he has to say please to get pretty much anything he wants.  Just saying up or milk or down is not enough to get Momma to do it.  The one we hear most often is “up-prs,” which translates into “up please.”  Caden loves to get up on and down from couches … constantly.  As soon as his little feet touch the floor he’s back to chanting “up-prs.”  He is also getting really good at signing “thank you” when you do give him what he is asking for, especially more food or his milk.  It is becoming an automatic response, which is a great place to start!

• About the most pitiful (and funny) example I can give of Mr. Caden saying please is from Christmas.  I stepped outside in the carport to take a few photos of the falling snow.  Much to Caden’s dismay, I left him inside — it was night time and below freezing after all.  Caden promptly lost it when I closed the door.  While bawling, he picked up one of his shoes from the shoe bucket and brought it to Daddy in the kitchen.  In between tears and gasps for air he said “prrrrssssss?” in the most desperate voice possible.  He was so sad it was funny.  And no, he didn’t get to go out in the snow, but it was pretty tempting.

• Caden is getting better at saying two syllable words or phrases — all done, bye bye, night night, and apple.  He will happily say bye bye to people as we are leaving and will tell us night night when it is time to go to bed.  He is such a sweetheart and I love his little voice.  It makes this proud Momma smile.  =)  One of his games is putting on Daddy’s gloves before saying “bye bye” and heading for the door.

• One of my favorite things Caden has been doing lately is “all done,” because he doesn’t just say it, he does his imitation of the sign as well.  In this case, he takes his right hand and waves it all around, kind of like a football player waves off the ball.  It’s so cute!  We taught him the concept while eating, but he will use it anytime something stops.  If you turn off the stand mixer, it’s all done.  If the video you are watching ends, it’s all done.  If you just pause said-video, it’s all done.

• Caden has a cute little habit and sign connected with eating too.  When he ends up with a mouthful of food, we tell him to “chew chew” and tap our cheeks.  Caden’s interpretation is to tap his head, above his ear.  It looks more like Pooh’s think-think-think than chew chew, but it is super cute.  Also related, Caden has picked up a not-so-pleasant habit that we are working to break.  He has a tendency to put food in his mouth and then spit it back out into his bib.  Since we do not want this to stick around, we’ve been scolding him when he does it and have ended dinner early on quite a few occasions because of it.  Hopefully that will go away soon.

• Arguably Caden’s favorite thing to do is be outside.  It doesn’t really matter what you are doing;  he wants to be out regardless of the weather.  Both kids are really great at amusing themselves and finding something to keep them busy, so I can work on the yard, garden, or cleaning out the carport while they play.  They have a box of toys and a small bucket of chalk that gets used all the time.  Caden has pretty much stopped putting acorns and rocks in his mouth and has upgraded to garden dirt.  It’s not my choice of nutrients, but at least it is organic!  His mouth is always such a mess when we go back inside and a bath is pretty much required (much to his enjoyment).

• Books are still a huge hit and we read quite a stack every day.  My limit is the same book two times in a row before he has to go pick out a new book.  We have enough in his book bucket that I do not have to read the same one over and over and over.  I’m also impressed because you can ask him to get a specific book and he’ll sort though the pile until he can find it.  I’m not sure how old Kamy was when she could do that, but I am very proud of him.  He is getting more interested in Kamy’s books too and will pull one (or a bunch) off the shelf to sit down and look at himself.

• We have been actively working on learning body parts — particularly while he is on his changing table.  It is a great way to keep him distracted and thinking while I take care of his diaper, so it is a pretty common game we play.  He knows where his feet, nose, ears, and arms are.

• We are rapidly approaching the transition to one nap per day.  Sometimes Caden takes a morning nap and sometimes he takes an afternoon nap, but both are becoming more sporadic.  If he sleeps in the morning, the afternoon nap is up in the air.  If he skips his morning nap and does quiet time instead, his afternoon nap is pretty consistent.  I hope we can transition to morning quiet time and an afternoon nap like Kamy has been doing, but we will have to see.  Having both kids on the same general schedule sure is helpful for planning Momma time and getting things done around the house!

• Caden is in the full-blown running stage.  He runs all the time and always seems in a hurry.  I love living in a pier and beam house because I get to hear the echo and pitter patter of little feet every day.  He also is into climbing on and under anything he can, so I am not quite sure where I’ll find him next!

• Kamy is a Caden magnet.  If she is doing something, he wants to be right up there with her doing it too.  It doesn’t matter if she is reading a book, climbing on the bed or couch, standing on the stool, or playing with stickers at the table.  If she is doing it, Caden wants to too.  He loves to copy her and he is already learning a lot from watching her.  Kamy likes to jump on her bed when Caden climbs on to it, so he is trying to jump and bounces with his knees a little.  I’m so glad they are close in age so they can play and grow up together — it’ll only get more fun!

My little baby is all gone and now I have a little toddler.  An adorable toddler, but he is no longer a baby.  It makes this Momma sad, but he sure is at a fun age.  I love his sweet personality and he can always bring a smile to my face.  I love my sweet boy!