N is over 16 months and learning and developing wonderfully! He is completely obsessed with balls, but also enjoys stacking blocks, the big ones and the small ones. He really enjoys going to the park, which we've been doing much more often now that spring weather is mostly here. He is understanding more and more of what we say and he's making new sounds pretty consistently, and stringing more and more sounds together at times.
Ball, bird, and airplane are his most common words, and things he always points out. He says "si" in Spanish, not always appropriately, but no doubt he'll figure it out soon. He's getting much better at not crying for very long, if at all, after he falls. He can identify eye, nose, mouth, and ears in Spanish and English, and very much enjoys poking our faces endlessly, so long and we announce each part as he pokes it. He's a pretty cheery and happy guy in general, obviously has his moods, and gets pretty ornery and demanding if nap time gets pushed back or we keep him up too long after his normal bed time (20:00/20:15). He is definitely developing his independence though, and certainly enjoys walking away from us when he can, although he'll usually stop and look back to see if we're paying attention. Although sometimes he will just go off and explore.
Sometimes he's a great eater, and almost all the food goes into his mouth and he doesn't misbehave at all. Other times he refuses it and sometimes it gets thrown on the floor. He really enjoys cheese, bananas, pears, pasta, sweet potatoes, kiwi, and avocado. Livia continues to do an astounding, marvelous job of feeding him a variety of healthy foods. She puts more effort into giving him a good diet than I would, much more effort. Not that I wouldn't try to give him healthy food; it's just that Livia really likes cooking and trying new things, and she has so much love and concern for N's health, that she whips up amazing things almost every day for him. We have recently stopped heating his milk up every time he has it, still occasionally. He still likes it, but just drinks it much, much more slowly.
The books of the last few weeks have been The Little Blue Truck Leads the Way, Very Hungry Caterpillar, Chicka Chicka ABC, One, Two, Three (Boynton), this big picture book of 100 words, and Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb. There are plenty of others I've read him, but those seem to be the recent favorites, although he certainly changes his favorites, those have been the most frequent ones of late.
I should write more, but if I put off posting this, it probably won't get done for a while. N is such a joy to have, tonight before I put him to bed I was just holding him, as he looked at the map on his wall, getting excited about the birds, the plane, the soccer ball, and other things. He's just so beautiful, it's so exciting and emotional to watch him grow and learn. I've said it again and again, but it's a feeling I've never had before. I'm sure it's a mix of nostalgia, pride, hope, anticipation, selfishness, and so many other things, some good, some not so good, all mixed up, but it really is something different. He's just so darn adorable, innocent, cute.
