Little Update on Caiden

I don't think I ever posted the updates from Caiden's 15 month appt. I know I usually add those notes to the CWJ, but, well you know how well THAT has been updated recently.

So at 15 mos, Caiden weighed in at 25 lbs, 6 oz and is now 32 inches long! He is at the 50/75% for weight and 75% for height! All told? He's a big kid!! We frequently see kids who are several months older than he is and much smaller!!

He is starting to add more vocal words to his vocabulary: cheese, teeth, car, cat and dog. When you ask him how old he is he will show you one. His signing vocabulary continues to grow as well. In addition to all the rest, he now also signs: cold, hot, fan and gentle (there are a couple more, but I just can't think of what they are), communicates that he has poopy pants, points to his bottom when asked where the poopies are, knows the snacks are in the pantry, blows kisses, and he routinely uses his manners by signing please when he wants something. In fact he often signs more, please whenever he asks for anything whether it is food, another book, to hold a toy, you name it. It's often up to us to figure out whatever "more" is. :) Funny side story - we were at the grocery store and he saw the balloons while we were at check out. He started signing more, please and saying da-oom (balloon). Once I translated for the cashier she just about swooned over how adorable she found his request. She didn't waste anytime in blowing up a special balloon just for him! I tell ya, he is a heart breaker in the making!

We have also been lucky that he has been exceptionally well behaved (for his age anyway) around other kids both younger and older than himself. He adores watching the older kids and actively shares with the younger ones. He often likes to hug and kiss them (the babies) too!

Of course life isn't rosy all the time. A particularly vexing habit he has picked up involves pitching his food off his tray at mealtime when he decides he doesn't want anymore. Breakfast tends to go pretty well, lunch is hit and miss, and dinner has typically been a disaster. What happened to our healthy little eater!? This new behavior drives both B and me positively INSANE. We are working very hard at controlling our responses to this behavior and sincerely hope we can figure out how to better manage it. Our latest effort includes displaying no overt response when he tosses his food and instead we ask if he is all done. If he signs that he is done, we offer a different food or end mealtime as long as we feel he's eaten enough. When he is released from his high chair, he then is required to pick up the food he has thrown off and throw it in the garbage. So far it seems to be working. Keep your fingers crossed it continues to help!

For the most part he is still his happy little self. His grins are positively adorable, and I just love any opportunity I get to make him giggle and laugh. I am saddened by how quickly the days and weeks are flying by. I wish I could slow the clock down!!