Isri Boy, 16 Months

Time you thief! Who took my baby and replaced him with this little gentleman? 

Here is a super long post to remember my boy at 16 months. I don't expect anyone to read/enjoy all this but kudos if you do. :)

Israel has grown up so much these past couple of months! Walking at 14 months and now at 16 months he has started talking. His vocabulary has exploded these past few weeks and he has started repeating words we tell him to say. He can sign Baby, Please, More, Bath, Water, Milk and All Done. He has learned to say bubble, cookie, peek a boo, where is he, burp-burp (learned from me always burping the baby), goodnight, ball, go and yeah. Yeah is the cutest thing. If you ask him a question he responds with a casual "yeah" haha. 

His ability to communicate came right about the time we started school and I started reading aloud to the kids at lunch time. I guess Israel has been listening and it is true what they say about reading to babies. Maybe it a coincidence but he has also started to love books being read to him. His favorites are Peek a Who (which he reads to himself and it is the most adorable thing you've ever heard) and this really weird Anne Geddes book someone gave us a long time ago. Everytime we get to the page that has fat babies in bunny costumes he chuckles to himself haha. He is a funny little guy. We have read both hundreds of times already and luckily Esther and Adele have them memorized so they can read them to him too. 

Along with Israel's growth in cognition has come growth in his mischief making! He is trouble, this child. He loves to climb and find all the things he isn't supposed to. It doesn't help that the girls leave things open or in his reach all the time. I never take pictures of his escapes because I usually have a screaming baby at the same time but I should start.  It's a good thing he is so cute. He lasted about 10 minutes in these adorable overalls before he dove into the pond at Forest School. 

At his 15 month appointment, Israel weighed 27lbs, and was 32 inches tall. He is the size of an average 2 year old but his growth has still slowed a lot. He can fit into some of the 18 month clothes that he wore last winter. Israel is still nursing and just when I thought he might be giving it up, he gained a new appreciation for our nursing relationship when we got Baby Boy. I don't really mind though.  I enjoy it too and it helps absolve some of my guilt for booting him out of the baby of the family position so quickly and harshly. I usually just nurse him first thing in the morning and at sleep times and he is good with that. He has been a picky eater, and a little more needy in general lately because of getting his 4 molars, but they are so close to being through. 

Israel is very independent and very physical. Any challenge like climbing a ladder or trying to ride a bike he is up for haha. He plays on the playground like a 5 year old, climbing to the top of the play structure and sending himself down slides. He makes the other mom's nervous but I'm not too worried because he has never fallen yet and seems to be pretty competent when it comes to climbing. I'm ok with him take some risks on a five foot drop at the playground and learning about balance and his limits. Still I'm pretty certain he will be our first child to need stitches in the future... And we will probably stay away from places with ponds until we save up enough to get him a waterproof suit. 

Israel is so adorable. I just love this age. He is so cute and curious and happy with his ability to explore. He is still my baby too and is a little mama's boy, which I love. He loves to give me a quick cuddle then run back to his playing. He also loves music more than any of our children ever have. He dances to any beat, even the metronome or the ticking of the bottle warmer. He loves singing and "sings" along to church hymns and hums along when I sing him to sleep. It is so fun to see the personality emerge from the baby that you've carried and cared for. We just love this little guy to pieces.

Israel found out he could fit in this doll stroller, so he started carrying it around and grunt-demanding for me or the girls to push him. He is for sure going to break it but no one can resist his chubby little thighs squished in the seat. :)