Micah at 15 Months: Part I

Initially I wanted to do a “Micah at One Year” post, but that thought occurred to me three months ago. . . so now it’s “Micah at 15 months.”

I am always amazed when I look back to old posts, even a few months back, and see how far the kids have come developmentally or how different our daily life has become in such a short amount of time. It all goes by so quickly that I literally forget what they were like, even a couple months back. I don’t want to forget. So here it is, mostly for my benefit, and possibly a few family members who find it interesting as well.

Verbal/Nonverbal Communication:

Micah still only babbles. He says, “Da-da-da-da,” “Na-na-na-na,” and “Aaaa!” but that’s about it. We think he has said “Da-da” (meaning “Daddy”), but we are certain that he has never said “Mama.” 🙂

Daniel and I have talked about it a lot, because he is probably a good six months behind where Mara was at this age. She could say, “Dada,” “Mama,” “ball,” and a few other words before her first birthday. She was babbling the way Micah is now around 10 months. So even adjusted for his prematurity, he’s still several months behind Mara.

But when we look at his development overall, we really aren’t concerned about Micah. His hearing is definitely fine, and his comprehension seems excellent.

A few examples:

• Whenever we say his name, he turns around to see what we’re talking about, often smiling mischievously, if it’s a story about him.
• We say: “I’m going to feed the fish,” he leads you to the fish bowl or goes there himself and stares at the fish till you feed it.
• We say: “Let’s go for a walk,” he goes straight to the stroller or stands by the front door.
• He has a dirty diaper, so he pulls a diaper and wipes out of the diaper bag and starts hitting his diaper until I come change him.
• He signs “more” and “all done” at meals.
• He pulls on his toes when he wants to play “This Little Piggy” on the changing table, or signs “mark it with a ‘b’ and toss it in the oven” if he wants to play “Patty-Cake.”
• We say: “Are you ready to go ‘night-night’?” and he heads for the stairs, clutching the nearest piece of fabric (for a blanket) and sucking his thumb. (One time he pulled my panties out of the laundry basket and clutched them to his chest, sucking his thumb! LOL! . . . I didn’t take a picture . . .)

We feel like if he’s understanding our communication, he will verbalize in time. And he has his 15-month-old checkup in a few weeks, so we can ask the pediatrician to be sure.

He loves to imitate sounds. Last night he perked up, having heard a dog barking outside. Then he did his best little doggie imitation; it was adorable! . . . Recently I sat down and sighed deeply after a busy morning; ever since, he has been “sighing” a humongous sigh, and then grinning mischievously. Sometimes if I’m frustrated at myself, I do this little growl: “Argggghhh.” Which Micah of course has picked up, and he WAY over-uses it!! It’s crazy how much kids notice, even the littlest things you do. But it is good to be reminded that I am modeling life for these little ones, who will imitate me whether I want them to or not!

Activity:

Micah walks everywhere! It wasn’t until about 14-1/2 months that walking became his primary way of getting around. We laugh because he looks so awkward, but as Daniel reminds me, that’s why they call them ‘toddlers.’

He loves rolling balls. Even better: throwing balls! and he’s actually pretty good at it–well, for a 15-month-old, that is.

He enjoys Legos and blocks, putting things together.

But he has yet to willingly sit still through an entire book. He doesn’t even care to look at the pictures. Occasionally he will look at the cover of a book! (In contrast, Mara was about 13 months old, when I remember counting as she brought me 13 books, one after another, and climbed up into my lap for me to read them to her! Such a difference!)

Food:

What can I say?! He loves all of it!! And he eats man-sized portions already!

He may eat bacon, eggs, toast for breakfast. Or muffins or banana bread. Or french toast, waffles, or pancakes (no syrup yet!). Or oatmeal & applesauce. He loves bananas! He would eat one every morning if I let him! He loves most fruit: especially strawberries, blueberries, grapes, and watermelon too.

If we are eating it, he wants it: roast beef, mashed potatoes, tacos, ham, sweet potatoes, green beans, hot dogs, french fries, popcorn, rice cakes, potato salad, chili, potato chips, meatballs, chicken (in almost any form–baked chicken, chicken nuggets, chicken tenders. . .). He likes peanut Butter and jelly sandwiches, but I don’t. Because when he is finished eating his sandwich, his entire head and arms are covered with sticky jelly and greasy peanut butter. It is amazing what a big mess he can make with one sandwich! (Oh, and he does eat an entire sandwich himself–while Mara eats 1/4 – 1/2 sandwich!) He also enjoys grilled cheese sandwiches and they are not nearly as messy!

For the most part, he is a good eater, but we have a few foods we are “working on.” He is not fond of pasta, which is frustrating because that includes macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, pasta salad. . . He also is not a broccoli lover, like Mara is! But he still has to have a couple bites. 🙂

Of course, he loves anything with sugar: cake, cookies, ice cream, jello, animal crackers . . . all of which we try to limit, for obvious reasons.

to be continued . . .