A Teenager?!

We officially have a teenager on our hands! Leiakkoni is 13 years old already. He is still such a great boy, but those teenage colors are showing through, must be the testosterone! He has been busy finishing up 7th grade and is enjoying summer vacation so far, spending time with friends and family. Wish us the best as we navigate through the teenage years!

Xavier is 15 Months!

My 15 month old toddler is growing (albeit slowly). Xavier had his well-baby check-up today and behaved so well! My little monster is jumping up in height, measuring in at 30 1/4 inches tall (about 20th %) His adorable egg-head is 47 cm (about 40th %) and his weight is 18 lbs 10 oz (less than 1st %). Because his weight growth curve has started to flatten out we will be checking back in another month to re-weigh. Poor little guy had 2 immunizations today as well as an ear/sinus infection, and he has not been shy about letting me know how unhappy he is! Besides not feeling well today Xavier is usually such a sweetheart and so much fun. He is getting more and more vocal, and is into repeating words such as "wow wow wow" "bird bird bird" and "bye bye bye." He is still sleeping good all night and taking one nap a day, and is eating very well (though obviously not enough to make him gain weight!) He is such a joy and life would be so dull without him! He understands a lot, will point to what he wants (or just open the pantry and get it himself) will hold mommy or daddys hand to climb up/down the stairs like a big boy, can climb off the couch/beds (but not up yet, yay!) and is just all around a funny little boy.

14 Months

Xavier is just over 14 months old now and full of it! He loves to play and has really enjoyed the nice weather because we've been spending lots of time at the park where he is learning to climb the equipment and go down the slide. His more recent words include "brr" (bird, or any animal really :-), "schox" (socks), and "dat" (as he points at what he wants). He understands much more of course, and we make a nightly game of filling the bath, then I tell him to go to his room to get undressed, so he runs to his room. Once naked I tell him it's time for his bath and he runs back to the bath tub in all his naked glory. He's as sweet and cuddly as ever, especially when tired or not feeling well. We've been taking him to the kids club at the gym and he does pretty well (some days are hard to drop him off) and whenever we come to pick him up he's usually wandering around the play room by himself, often spinning or clapping his hands, off in his own little world. He has a total of 11 teeth now, and the last 1 year old molar is almost through. He's been eating great lately, and loves daddy's home-made spaghetti. He drinks milk out of a regular cup or uses a straw which daddy helped him master. He loves his family and all the attention he gets from his cousins, uncles, aunties and grandparents. We've been weaning him off being rocked to sleep and he's doing well with that. Today for his nap after being laid down to sleep and kissed by mommy he put himself to sleep within a few minutes. What a big boy he's becoming! I can't believe how much he's grown and changed, he has so much personality and is such a blessing. We can't wait for more warm weather and all the adventures to be had this summer. Hope all is well in your lives!

My baby is a toddler...

Xavier is officially a toddler. He walks, talks, and throws tantrums :-) At his one year appt Xavier weighed in at 17 lbs 15 oz, 28 3/4 inches tall, and a 46 cm head. He's still very small weight wise but his head continues to be much bigger! I call him my lollipop kid. He has so much personality now, he has the funniest laugh and gets a thrill out of being chased. He has no hesitation about showing his true feelings about doing anything he doesn't want to do. He throws his head back (which is most of his weight!) and cries if he doesn't get his way or just doesn't want to do something. On the other hand, there is no lack of affection from him either. He loves to give hugs and kisses, and snuggles up with you when winding down before bedtime. He loves to wave hi and bye, is constantly jabbering, and Anthony just taught him to hi five. If you happen to be sitting on the ground near him you are in jeopardy of being tackled from behind. He eats only table food and is down to just one bottle before bedtime. He sleeps about 11.5 hours at night and we just switched to 1 nap a day, which lasts about 2 hours. He is so much fun and we couldn't imagine life without him. Can't believe my baby is growing up so fast!