16 months

Size: Jonah had his 15 month check-up this month a couple weeks ago (we scheduled it a little after he turned 15 months because my pediatrician felt bad that we were there constantly through the winter with ear infections). His official stats (as of a couple weeks ago): Head circumference: 19 inches (75%); weight: 25.1lbs (55%); height: 32.25 inches (75%).

Clothes/Diapers: Having to pack up basically all of his 12 month pajamas (since they look ridiculous on him anyways) and has very few 12 month items left. It's basically all 12-18 month or 18 month items these days. Still rockin' the size 4s in diapers, but I'm starting to wonder about switching him to 5s for nighttime. Shoes are still 4-5s, though the 5s are starting to look more like they fit!

Mobility: J loves to climb up the stairs and scoot all the way back down them, and usually giggles through the whole thing. Stepping down a step is still not something he's confident about and will always reach for your hand. He has also started to more accurately use a fork and has been known on occasion to successfully stab food off his plate without any assistance whatsoever. Spoons are used well when loaded with food first, but he hasn't quite figured out the "scoop" method just yet.

Language: Holy talking parrot, Batman! Jonah decided to become a parrot this month. Here I was all concerned about his language development last month... I have no worries now. I swear, he tries to say everything, and seems to understand everything too! I sort of feel like I have a genius on my hands... ok, not really. :) Jonah knows all his bath toys by name and attempts to name them all (with fairly good accuracy) when asked (duck, octopus, turtle, fish, seahorse). He's really into trying to say two or three syllable words like diaper, airplane, flower, caterpillar, baseball, football or basketball. Other new words this month: car, truck, bird (and 'tweet tweet'), and uh-oh. Some of his good "listening skills" include: shutting the gate at the bottom of the stairs, sit down, turn the light on/off, open/close the garage door, put (object) back, where's Elmo/dog (or puppy)/cat (kitty cat) in a book.

Personality: Jonah loves to be told "good job" or to be clapped for. He gets such a big grin on his face when he's told he did well and will usually clap for himself. The other part I've seen blossom is his expressions! J has started to shake his head yes and no (like a bobble head) and will crack up when you repeat it back to him. And on the other side, he will shy away from you by turning his head or eyes the opposite direction like he's hiding from you! He's pretty good at waving bye-bye when we leave, but now he's actually blowing kisses and gives hugs to people as we're leaving! He's very social and will walk up to other kids when we are out in public to meet them and loves to make faces at adults who catch his eye!

Funny: For Easter, Jonah got a dancing duck that plays "Bird is the Word" and a singing bunny with ears that flop to the music that plays "Bunny Hop" and he loves them! He will stand there and watch them sing/dance and bounce up and down to the music, then clap at the end of it and motion to do it again.

Illness: Jonah had "the" stomach bug... you know the one that runs rampant through families at a fast and furious pace that everyone has had over the past couple months. Yep, it struck here. Throwing up for an afternoon/evening, diarrhea for a few days after that. Needless to say, he was not eating like himself for about 8 days straight. I'm a bit surprised he weighed in at 25 lbs at his pediatrician appointment because he was eating at about 25% of what he normally eats for an entire week a few days before that check-up. And we're back to that constant drooling/nose running thing again. One of these days, he's gonna sprout another tooth!

Jonah's Favorites: Books, playing outside, pushing cars around, kicking balls or throwing balls, dancing, going outside/going for walks in the neighborhood, looking out the windows at the backyard and watching the birds and squirrels.

What's New: Skinned knees from falling on concrete outside, nose scrunching, increased vocabulary, more toddler tantrums, shaking his head "no" in response to questions, another haircut and even more curiosity!

Happy 16 months, Jonah!