15 months old

Kekoa is 15 months old today...I can't believe it!
He weighs 21 pounds and is 30 inches tall. I'm thinking the doctor's office isn't taking the most accurate measurements (words from our doctor) because he was 30 inches tall last time we went in and 20 pounds!

This last month has been so much fun with my little monkey. He amazes me everyday with how much he is learning. He understands everything we tell him and is making connections left and right. Just the other day he was wearing his monkey shirt and while he was flipping through "Good-night Gorilla" he pointed at his shirt and then the gorilla in the story!! If we are reading a story that has a "mama" in it, when I say mama, he turns around and touches my face. So sweet. We have a couple of Clifford books, one of them asks, "Where is the big red doggie?" When I read it in Chinese, he now points to Clifford, the big red doggie.

I know I have mentioned this before, but it still blows me away that he is bilingual! It is the coolest thing. He now says bye-bye and ball very clearly, along with mama and baba. He calls my dad "pop pop" and gets the hugest smile on his face when he hears his voice or sees his picture. He makes a "ba" sound when he sees sheep or cows, in pictures or real life. He will get his shoes or my shoes or Scott's shoes and says "shie", shoe in Chinese is similar. We have to start spelling things out because he understands so much! Our code word for nursing is "lolly" because if Scott or I mention nursing, Kekoa will think it is that time and want to!

Kekoa is super, super attached to mama, I mean momtastic on overdrive! There is no such thing as "me time" right now, not even in the bathroom. If I'm in the shower, he has to come in and say hello! No complaints from me though, I love all those kisses and hugs. He has also become a little bit shy. If someone smiles or says hi to him, he will smile back and then run for my legs and for me to pick him up.

Kekoa loves being outside, whether we go to the park or for a walk in the neighborhood. He is amazed at the sky and has become an expert airplane spotter. He also really loves animals and gets very excited if Bella, the neighborhood kitty, follows us home. At the park, his favorite thing is the swings. He loves, loves, loves the swings and always wants to go higher. When it is time to leave the park, he will say good-bye to all the things there, the swings, the trucks, the play equipment. It is very cute.

At home, Kekoa has a lot of fun playing with his trucks. He has also figured out how to put his puzzle back together and how to stack the cups to make the tower. He is really good about playing or reading by himself. I love it when I peak around the corner or in his bedroom and he is reading a book. It is so cute.

We are still going to swim lessons with Teacher Rezza, who Kekoa loves. He is a really goofy teacher that makes Kekoa laugh. It does take Kekoa some time now to warm up though, he has to make sure I'm getting in the water too. His favorite thing in the pool is the little slide. It is a special treat when they get to go down the slide! We also have music lessons once a week, which is so much fun. Kekoa enjoys all music so much and still loves to have dance parties. His whole face lights up when I ask him if he wants to listen to some music.

Nursing: Kekoa is still nursing, about 3 times a day. He nurses when he wakes up, before his nap, and before bed. He will still nurse at night but then falls right back asleep. If he can't find me at night, he says "mama" with the sweetest voice...I love it. He was going through a short phase this past month where he wanted to nurse a lot more, in the tub, after he woke up from his nap, it seemed like that is all he wanted to do. He seemed to regress a little bit. After a lot tears (it was so hard to say no), we are back on his normal nursing schedule. He will either say "nai nai" when it is time to nurse or when he is tired to let me know, he is ready for sleep!

Eating: Kekoa has great eating days and not so great eating days...pretty normal for a toddler. When he is hungry, he eats so much, then other times he wants nothing. He shakes his head to let us know when he doesn't want something. He is very good about communicating what he wants or doesn't want to eat. For breakfast, he usually has yogurt or cereal with some fruit. He is not a big eater during the day, dinner is when he scarfs down his food. We have a lot of fun during mealtimes...a lot of laughing, playing, reading, and just being super goofy and silly. He is starting to feed himself and really likes doing this too!

Sleeping: Kekoa is sleeping 1 nap a day, from around noon to 2:00. We get at least an hour, but usually around 2 hours. If he can get more than 1 hour of napping in, he is such a happy camper. We usually have to go in after an hour and rub his back or cuddle a bit to get him back to sleep. I love it when he wakes up from his nap. We have a long cuddle session and then call for "baba" to come in to say hi. When Kekoa is ready to wake up, he sits up and points to the window shade to have it opened. It is "cockadoodledoo" time! At night, Kekoa is in bed by 7:00. This does not mean he falls asleep at 7:00. This past month has been kind of tough at night...it takes him a long time to fall asleep, sometimes an hour! I'm hoping this will work itself out. He usually wakes up between 7:00 and 8:00 in the morning.

Kekoa is the cutest thing. Scott and I probably say it a million times a day, how cute he is and how lucky we are to have such a special little boy.