Sixteen Months

{Hug?}

{Or love tackle?}  {Both.}

Eat.  Three meals a day (7:30 am, 1:00ish pm, 5 pm) and 2 snacks (9:30/10 am and 3 pm). Caden remains a bit picky (ok, about a 1 on a pickiness scale from 1-10), Brooklyn still won't willingly touch a vegetable, but overall their eating is remarkably consistent.  Caden seems to have a time table when he eats (or for anything, really).  Once the clock hits a certain point, he is DONE.  Get me outta here!  Ten minutes might be about all this kid can sit still, even with a meal in front of him.  Brooklyn on the other hand will slowly and steadily plod her way through a meal, unconcerned that Caden has already been playing (and/or trying to steal the food off of her tray) for the past forty minutes.  She daintily eats until she's full, asking for more of certain things along the way, and doesn't care how long it takes.

Sleep.  Bedtime at 7 pm, sleep for 11-12 hours.  Nap at 11 am for 1 1/2-2 1/2 hours.  This was an excellent month for sleep!  Naps were very consistent, and sleeping at night was virtually no problem.  There were a few rough evenings in a row where Caden woke up about an hour after being put down, and was difficult to get back to sleep, but that didn't even last a full week.  If they (*ahem* Caden) wakes up at night, all we have to do is make sure there is a pacifier nearby and give him a sip (or several gulps) of water, and he settles right back down.

Play.  They love water!!!  Tub, kiddie pool, real pool, whatever.  Anything they can splash and play in.  They pour water on themselves, each other, Tyson and I (yeah, hilarious, guys), and don't mind getting their faces wet.  Caden goes right ahead and puts his whole face in the water...he has no fear!

Caden has also been doing better playing by himself.  He still wants a lot of direction/attention, but will also keep himself occupied in a way that he didn't before.  He continues to be my little helper, always handing me the groceries, laundry, or toys to put away.  Don't let this sweet and helpful facade fool you, though; Caden is also my daredevil. It doesn't take much for him to dive right into something.  He'll often take off right away when we are at a park or play area, immediately exploring whatever there is to do.

Brooklyn's vocabulary, what there is of it, seems to be improving.  She's copying sounds a lot, and does a pretty good job with "up", though we have to prompt her for it when she wants to be picked up or sat on a piece of furniture.  She tries to copy a lot of sounds, and often walks around just giggling.  Brooklyn likes to observe people and situations.  Where Caden takes off, she's more content to watch.  She seems to enjoy it, too, smiling and laughing and pointing at Caden and other kids as they play.  Eventually she will join in though, and be in there goofing around with the best of 'em.

In some ways their personalities are so similar (generally in good moods, have a sense of humor, etc.), and in other ways they are still so opposite.  The things that upset them are completely different.  Caden is very patient.  He will frequently sit and try to figure something out on his own, without asking for help.  Today he sat contentedly for a long time trying to put a lid on a container, and then took it back off again.  Brooklyn tried not long after, and it wasn't two seconds of struggling with the lid before she started to get frustrated.  Caden can fall over ten times in row and not be bothered, but if Brooklyn falls just once...ooohhhh look out.  On the flip side, Brooklyn does really well with redirection. If you tell her no or even shut a door that's off-limits (i.e. the bathroom) in her face, she'll go on and find something else to do like nothing happened.  However if Caden gets told that he can't have a snack that's on the counter, or can't go someplace he wants, he immediately lets you know that he is MAD.

{practicing that releve}

{How big is Caden, you might ask.}

{The answer, of course, is SO big.}