Moving on up!

Both boys have been busy checking milestones off their lists over the past month!  Before I get into Evan's 15 month happenings, I have to pause and share how incredibly proud I am of Sean!  Little man is sleeping in underwear at night and hasn't had one accident yet since we started a week ago!  It was like he flipped a switch.  One day he just started waking up dry in his pull-ups and after a week of dry pull-ups, we threw the pull-ups aside and decided to give the underwear a try.

The expression on his face here sums up exactly how I feel about him being completely potty-trained after almost an entire year.  Although he's been day-trained since about March, we've been in pull-ups at night for about a year.  I'm thrilled to have one kid diaper/pull-ups free!

Aside from his potty success, he's been busy working on counting items and recognizing numbers.  He's rocking his ABC's and letter recognition.  So much so, that we're moving on to lowercase letters and a few sight words.  If someone asks me one more time if I'm teaching him Spanish, I may go off on them in Spanish.  Let's just say, I'm trying.  Sean's tolerance for hearing me speak in Spanish comes in 30 second spurts.  Then he says, "Stop speaking like that, mommy!"

As for Evan, I can't believe he's 15 months already!  He has his own opinions and is not afraid to let you know!

Temper tantrums at 15 months already!  We are in for it.  Although, we could also blame it on teething (no tooth in sight though!) or that he's going through a lot of change.

He's moved up to the toddler 1 room with Miss Jessica.  It's so funny being back in Sean's old room from a year ago.  He's having a difficult time with the drop-off in the morning with new teachers and new surroundings.  But, he does an amazing job taking a nap on the cot and doesn't need any assistance falling asleep on it!  I can tell a difference already from him being in the toddler room because in two short weeks he's started saying, "Sock" and "Bye, bye".  He's a big fan of saying "Dada" and he's quite stingy with "Mama".  He calls Bailey, "Daaaaaaaaag" and loves to point out animals in every.single.book.  He'll point and say, "Dis" (this).  

He's absolutely obsessed with any kind of push toy, Fisher Price popcorn popper, broom, mop, or vacuum.  I think we need to invest in a kid's size that actually works so I can put him to work with all the pushing and walking around he's willing to do.  

Evan is quite the dancer.  For a week straight, we had 20 minutes of dance time before going up for baths.  Sean thought it was more fun to dance while naked.  Hey, whatever works, right?!

As far as bedtime goes, we're finally ready to wean him off the last bottle of formula that we were required to stay on to ensure he was getting enough healthy fats since he has to be on soy milk otherwise.  I can't wait to put away those last two bottles we've kept out and to finish off the last can of formula.  That stuff was expensive!  Even though he lost a pound from the last time he was weighed at the doctor, they're confident that he's healthy and growing as he should be.  Weighing in at 21 lbs. 10 oz. today, he's definitely behind where Sean was at 15 months, but you could never tell by looking at him.  

After he demands that you read him several Eric Carl or Sandra Boyton books, he's willing to take a little of his bottle.  Sometimes he'll be ready to sleep, other times we have to put him in his crib and leave for a few minutes because he seems to catch his second wind and think it's play time.  After letting him cry for a few minutes, he's ready for a few more snuggles, a couple more sips of his bottle, and a little Nick Lachey and his lullaby music.  He's sleeping through the night on most nights, so I can't complain too much.

Our biggest challenge is getting him to eat!  Suddenly, foods he once liked, he'll push aside and shake his head no.  He'll eat any fruit you put in front of him, yogurt, cheese, foods with peanut butter, and a few other random odds and ends like my broccoli pancakes I make and breakfast foods like waffles and pancakes, but meats are a no-go and pasta isn't popular either.  Our dinner hour is a bit stressful these days trying to figure out what we can get him to eat either than fruit and peanut butter crackers.  Little stinker...makes me appreciate how great of an eater Sean is.

Nevertheless, every day is new and exciting for Evan and Sean.  And it is for us too as parents.  Watching these boys grow and learn in the few hours we get with them each day during the week is a real joy, despite the food battles, the nightmares, the colds and ear infections.  The snuggles at bedtime and "I love you"s make it all worthwhile.