19 Month & language update!

Today Dax is 19 months old! I feel like he's made a lot of verbal improvement since his 18 month post (technically, since he got his tongue tie clipped), so is due for an update for my records. He's also demonstrated that he recognizes colors and will ask for them by name (via ASL). He can now reach the light switches in almost every room in the house, and doorknobs, too.

Weight 31 lbs
Length 36.5"
Head Circumference 19.75"
Clothing Size 4T (shirts) , 12-18mo pants, 3T/4T underwear, 8.5xw shoe

Verbal vocabulary (22 "words") Dada, mama, up, Daddy, Mommy, buh (bus), nana (banana), booo (blue), up, gukie (cookie), gabble (garbage), ah eee (candy), doh (go), buh (bus), bubble, opsickle (popsicle), poo poo, pee pee, no, bye, ukgie (yucky), wahwah (water)

Signing vocabulary (over 70 words, most listed here)
all done/finished
again
apple
asleep
baby
balloon
banana
bath
bear
bed
blocks
blue
book
brush hair
brush teeth
bubbles
build
butterfly
candy
car
cat
cereal
cheese
clean
clothes
cold
cracker
Daddy
dog
down
drink
eat/food
fold laundry
get dressed
go
grapes
green
hair
hat
help
horse
hot
ice cream
keys
messy/dirty
milk
Mommy
more
music
open
opposite
orange
outside
peas
phone
play
popcorn
potty
rain
raisin
shirt
shoes
sit
sleep
slide
snow
socks
spider
stop
sweep
thank you
train
tree
wash hands
water
work
you


What Dax Likes His favorites right now include music, HORSES, blocks, balloons, bubbles, swimming, outdoors, and climbing. He really enjoys dancing to music, most times if he hears music he will spontaneously dance to the beat. Loves it if the music has instructions like "clap your hands" or "jump up high" and he actually does the movements for songs now, so that's pretty fun. One of his favorite songs is the ABC song, his leapfrog toy plays it for him. It's super cute to watch him dance to that now, though, because he moves his fingers trying to "finger spell" the alphabet and he totally doesn't have enough dexterity to do it yet! Haha, cute that he tries. He'll ask me to finger spell for him when the song comes on now - and sometimes I show him the ASL signs for letters when he's building his blocks. That's pretty fun, too, he'll keep handing me new blocks to see those letters.

I know I've written it before, but this is seriously my favorite favorite favorite age! He's so much fun! He's enthused about life and adventure and anything new. He's an animated happy little toddler with an adorable grin that lights up the room and my heart.

Here's a pic of him bundled up for a snowy walk:


I swapped out my Britax Marathon for the Recaro Como that was in hubby's car, as it can rear face to 35 pounds instead of 33 and that might get us to age 2 with Dax rear facing. It also has about 3" more torso space in height. It is a VERY tall seat!



Posting these next two as representations of Dax's common facial expressions.

6 months old

Tomorrow, Dax will be 6 months old. Wow, hard to believe he was born half a year ago!

Weight 22 pounds
Length 28"
Head Circumference 17.75"

Clothing Size 12-18-month clothing. Hats, shoes, and socks are 2-3T.

Eating/Sleeping During the day he nurses every 1 to 3 hours. Naps once or twice a day for 30 to 120 minutes. At night he sleeps 6 hours, barely wakes to eat, then sleeps another 5 or 6 hours.

Developmental Milestones Can sit up from a reclined position to fully seated by himself. He looks for toys he drops off his high chair, and will look for a toy I cover up with a towel. He's been banging objects together. Has been increasingly vocal with jabbering. He's figured out how to indicate things he wants with different sounds and facial gestures. He loves to stand up while holding people/things for support. He pulls the string on his elephant toy to make the wheels turn. I swear he's understanding more and more of what I say and he can tell when I'm talking about him to people.

Stuff baby likes Loves bath time and swimming. Loves books. He likes imitating what we do. He laughs at "this little piggy" and peek-a-boo. Enjoys putting his toys into a container and dumping them out over and over (when he dumps out the container, he often taps the bottom of it, ha ha). He plays with his spoon & fork at mealtime and copies me - when I take a bite, he will put his empty spoon into his mouth and grin at me.

Mommy moment Dax has figured out a way to communicate with me. He makes a special little sound, kind of like "Mmnnh" while using his lips to point! So when he wants something, he'll point at it with his lips and say "Mmnnh Mmnnh Mmnnnnnnnnnnnnh!" When I pick up the correct item, he smiles at me.

Pediatrician commented that Dax is behaving more like a 9-month-old than a 6-month-old. He said 6-month-olds never push his hands away during exams, and that Dax appears to be extra aware of his surroundings and able to communicate. Growing up too fast!!