14 Month Update

I had totally intended to update everyone on Macklin each month, but clearly that has failed. I got in the 4, 5, 6, and 9 month updates, but here I am at 14 months and haven't provided much else! So, here it goes! A few things you should know about Macklin at 14 months old...

Weight and Height:

I can't measure that now. I would have to guess 22lb and 30in.

You should know that he has 10 teeth now! All four front top, all four front bottom, and then two back molars (one on both sides of the bottom). Woohoo!

Sleeping:

Macklin is a champ at sleeping. When he is regular, we think that he is one perfect baby. We put him down at 7:30pm and he wakes up around 7am (sometimes as late as 8am). We put his PJs on, read a book, and lay him in bed with a blanket and his little bear lovey and walk out. He does still cry for a bit (1-15 minutes) before falling fast to sleep, hardly stirring until morning. Sometimes he does wake up in the middle of the night, and we just leave him. He cries it out for a bit, but then puts himself back to sleep. It is a true blessing.

Naps:

We successfully went to two naps a day around 10 months. Macklin goes down two hours after waking in the morning (normally 9am) and snoozing for about two hours (sometimes shorter or longer). Then he goes down around 2pm for another couple of hours. He is happiest when he gets both complete naps along with a good night of sleep. Justin is often jealous when he actually stops to think that our boy is sleeping for 16 hours a day. Crazy! No need to change things when they are working. Keep you posted when the next transition comes.

Eating:

Macklin has gone through some major phases in his eating. He used to love everything you gave him. Now he is a bit more picky as I think he was getting bored with bland baby food. He tends to like more of what I am making for our dinner than what I try to prepare for him as "baby food." So mostly he gets table food with some supplemental baby food throw in. He is starting to learn boundaries and what he can and cannot do in his high chair. We end meals when he tosses food off or spits food at us. Not good with mom and dad ;) He is learning though and we really have no complaints. We are still breast feeding in the mornings and giving him a sippy cup of whole milk at all other meals.

Playing:

Macklin starting walking one week before he turned one and he hasn't sat down since! He is literally cruzing everywhere and loves to explore. He really enjoys being outside and checking out new places. His favorite toys are balls, balls, and balls. He really enjoys throwing them, making baskets in his new bball hoop (thanks Zuke), putting them in various "buckets" around the house (including trash cans, laundry baskets, and the toilets!), and collecting them. He also enjoys his blocks and other building toys. He can sit down with a book for 10 minutes and just flip through it. It is fun to watch him process his learning through play and to play with him. He is a good sharer as he does spend time with other kids quite a bit. Oh, and we can't forget Baxter in this list. Mack thinks that Bax is his own special buddy. He crawls all over him and pets him. It is awesome.

Learning:

This is continual. We have continued some sign language (the only reason we are not doing more is that I am not as committed as I would hope to be). He can sign MORE and we are working on PLEASE, CRACKER, MILK, CEREAL, THANK YOU, MOMMY, AND DADDY. We will have to see what happens. But his hand-eye coordination is progressing. He is able to stack about three blocks at a time now. He knows where tops go for bottles. He knows what to get when he is asked to get a toy. He knows how to put the shapes in his sorter (when presented with the proper whole). He is just a little sponge that absorbs everything! Oh yah, and we are coloring with crayons and chalk and he totally loves it. Those are the highlights that I can think of.

Attitude:

Justin's three words for Macklin this month are "adventurous, easygoing, and loving." He continues to be a happy, happy baby. He smiles often and is so fun to be with. Sometimes I get sad to put him to bed at night because we are having so much fun. I get excited for our day to begin in the morning as he is so pumped to see me. He is totally carefree and allows me to drag him along to appointments (mostly coaching stuff) while being totally content to be near me. He is getting more and more anxious to be on his own though (not held but out and about walking and exploring).

Favorite Things:

Balls (including his ball popper that has been a favorite since Christmas), Baxter, crayons, bball hoop, going for walks, playing on playgrounds, emptying out anything he can reach in the kitchen, blocks, stacking train, books, playing in the bath tub or any water, and playing in the dirt!