16 months

I skipped last month’s blog, so a lot has changed.  Logan has been fully walking for 2 months now and he has gone from pretty unstable to very stable inside and even really good at walking on uneven and sloped ground outside (he rarely falls but he still looks a little dicey especially since he is working on running).  From unable to walk in his toddler shoes to nearly running around the park.  He is really enjoying how the increased mobility has opened up opportunities at home and at the park. 

 

He also has exploded in language.  From a few words, to probably more than 40 or 50.  He understands way more than he says.  Yesterday at the park, we found a soccer ball and I told logan to kick it and he walked over and gave it a big kick!  It was adorable.  He surprises me all the time, like last weekend when we went outside of the restaurant after he finished eating and he pointed to a tree and said “tree!”  It is so fun to hear how excited he is to interact with his world verbally and be able to tell us what he wants.  He has, just in the last few days combined some ideas like “daddy, up.”  His new favorite word is “outside” since he loves to go play outside.  It is fun to hear him express his interests and ask for what he wants.

 

His personality has continued to develop, though he has stayed very much the same kid, just amped up.  He is still extremely independent and likes to do his own thing, his own way.  He has developed some increased stranger danger response the last month or so and often, stands between our legs when he meets new people or goes to new places (but after a few minutes he will head off on his way and pay no mind to whether you follow).  He is still the happiest kid you will ever meet, which he will tell you as his favorite word is “happy.”  He often has long monologues of “happy happy happy happy happy.”

 

Despite his amazing understanding of language and words, he also has developed a funny quirk, where he calls Julia, Charles and I the same name, it has switched back and forth between “mommy” and “daddy” but in any one day, he tends to call us all the same thing.  It is the funniest when he calls me and Julie “daddy” at the park!  “Mamma” still means “food” which is how it was months ago.  It is a combination of the fact that I usually feed him and his favorite baby crackers were “mum mums,” though he will clearly say “mum mum” when he sees the crackers.  He is improving slightly in the last week (I wrote the most of this post two weeks ago) and will call me mommy and seems to be calling Julia “aiya.” 

 

Logan is completely a Daddy’s boy these days.  Daddy is always his favorite person and when Charles is home, he follows him everywhere.  If Charles is holding him and he tries to pass him to me, usually will say “daddy” and tuck back towards Charles so I can’t get him. However, he really enjoys his time with all 3 of us.  One interesting personality trait we have learned is that Logan is generally most attached to whoever he has been spending time with lately, he will quickly transition, but he tends to be sad each time there is a changing of the guard.  The only one that works alright is that logan and I have a routine watching Charles leave for the gym in the morning where we watch him go out the door, then he waves to logan, goes into garage, waves again and we watch his car leave.  This routine has really cut down on the morning tantrums!  (Speaking of which logan went through a bad tantrum phase a few weeks ago, but it has simmered down a bit)

 

Logan hadn’t shown much interest in stacking before his 15 month dr appointment, but since then he has mastered all the stacking elements.  He stacks blocks, his stacker toys (or Ella’s traditional stacker” and his cups (more nesting).  He has continued his ability to focus amazingly and will sit and stack for long periods.  He also loves the in/out game and will spend hours putting blocks/legos/anything in and out of something else.  He has favorite spots for things.  Blocks go in the bin and in the shopping cart and the shapes from the shape sorter go in the shape sorter and in the car.  Reading is still a favorite for logan.  He knows his favorite books and asks for many of them.  He also knows the pages and participates along with us. 

 

His new love the last week is the sandbox at grasslawn park (a 4 min drive from our house).  The weather has been nice and he loves to go play.  Sand is the ultimate in the “in/out” activity.  He also loves play chips and gravel and water.  He can shovel, scoop, move, and shake these for hours at a time.  Probably time for us to get a water table in the back yard!  

 

I can’t tell you how much I love this kid.  Really.  Charles and I are so amazed and so in love.  We got to celebrate charles’ birthday dinner with Logan this year and having him there to celebrate our life events really makes it all feel like the dream is coming true.  I love our family, and I can’t wait to continue to watch logan grow and change.  Charles said this morning to Logan “wow you amaze me every day” and I think that about sums up our lives right now!