My last post left off in mid-July, with Reed's 15-month update. The rest of July and August were quite busy for the Lang family, with a quick trip to Williamsburg with Paul, Felicia, Rachael, and Alex, the first big party at our house for TCU freshmen, and a fun-filled visit from my parents and Karen and Jim. We so enjoyed having room for everyone to stay! Here are some photos of the fun, plus a cute video of Reed playing with his music table (still a favorite toy after eight months!).
Enjoying the mini fountains at the pool in Williamsburg
Reed's first water slide!
Fun on the basketball court
I got the ball, Daddy!
Foul!
New Horned Frogs descend on 15541 Ambiance Drive
Old friend, colleague, and classmate John-Mark Day
Yesterday morning I awoke to the sound of Reed in his crib, saying "pig" repeatedly and then giggling hysterically. While "pig" is merely one word in a seemingly endless stream of words and phrases these days, I was struck by how much has changed since my last blog post in mid-June. Our baby has become a little boy!
I've been meaning to post all summer, yet each day got away from me. Now I find myself, on October 30, four months past my last post, with so much to record. On this rainy, blustery fall day at home, as we wait for Hurricane Sandy to blow through our town, I'm determined to catch up - at least until the power goes out!
My last post showed Reed beginning to walk, right around fourteen months. But the three months between April 11 and July 11 (his 15-month check-up) were huge for our little fella in all kinds of ways. Here were some of the highlights:
At his 15-month appointment, he weighed 23 pounds and 11 ounces (36th percentile) and was 31 3/4 inches long (65th percentile)
He got his two front top teeth (although they still don't really show when he smiles).
On his own, he climbed the stairs and went down the slide at daycare.
He began learning his body parts and, when asked, could point to his eyes, mouth, nose, head and feet.
Reed learned to give eskimo kisses.
He began talking, including the following words/phrases: bye bye, "all done", ipad, mama, daddy, bread, Ari, apple, dog, and a few others that I'm now having a hard time remembering!
As mentioned above, Reed started walking at 14 months (almost exactly when his daddy started walking too!).
He learned to correctly identify all of the animals in Brown Bear, Brown Bear. For example, when we asked him where the yellow duck was, he could point to it.
Reed began drinking only out of sippy cups. The transition was a bit painful, but Jeff really helped with this one!
Our little guy fell in love with the iPad. Peekaboo Barn was an early favorite, but he soon became enamored with Animal Hide and Seek. He amazed us with his ability to find all the animals hiding in the screen shots - with no assistance - and he would play it as long as we'd let him!
Reed became quite adept at puzzles in this 3-month time period. He was excellent at putting the pieces in the right places, showing his memory, fine motor skills, and persistence.
He identified "Mommy" and "Daddy" when looking at us in pictures, and delighted in pointing us out in all of the photos around the house.
Reed's favorite toys were the Fisher Price house, his puzzles, drum, VTech alphabet train, and his Learn and Groove table (still!).
He really began loving books this month. Faves included The Grandma Book, Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, Kisses, Happy Birthday, Little Pookie, Good Night, Moon, and Brown Bear, Brown Bear.
Food continued to be difficult with Reed in this three month period. Most meals were a struggle, although he would usually eat some type of bread, cereal, cheese, or beef. He drank around 18-24 ounces of milk a day.
He napped twice a day, from around 9:45 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 3:00.
Below are some fun pictures from June (I think I was with it enough to post some cute ones from May in an earlier post!).
Playing on a rocking horse at the daycare graduation party.
Well, not quite like a man, but definitely a toddler! Our little fella started walking! His first steps were to Mommy in the family room on June 11 (his 14-month birthday!), and by daycare pickup the next day, Firoza told us he was walking about half the time. He's not doing that much at home (crawling is MUCH faster, and being carried by mom or dad is infinitely preferable), but it's such a delight to watch him explore the world on two legs. Here's a cute video of our wobbly little guy walking at his daycare party on June 14.
Reed's vocabulary has been expanding by leaps and bounds! He now has around 10 words, including "iPad" (yes, he is father's child - or a product of the 21st century!), "outside", "bye bye", "mama", and "apple". But Reed's favorite word, or phrase I should say, is "all done." We taught him the sign a few months ago, and he now says both words pretty clearly, while simultaneously making his sign for the phrase: throwing his arms emphatically out to the side. He's always very sure he's finished - until we put a bowl of fresh blueberries in front of him! Here's a video of him in action, plus a few cute pics from May (late yet again!).
What's up, dude?
Just hangin' in his house
Fun with Daddy
Kisses for Daddy
Eli and Reed make sure the house is in working order.
A few weeks ago, Reed went through a phase of making these hilarious Hulk sounds during meal times. He's grown out of it (at least for now!), but he cracked Grammy and me - and himself - up with his antics. So glad we keep the Flip near the high chair!
I am unbelievably late in posting this, but we've been just a tad busy since the party, with the move into our new house (hopefully getting some pictures up soon!), a trip to Ft. Worth for a TCU board meeting, and adjusting to a new routine at home and daycare. But Reed's first birthday party was a big success! We had around 40 friends and family gather in the clubhouse at the Lakelands to enjoy a bagel lunch and cake. I did a balloon theme, with the colors of blue, silver, and white. While I would have liked the final look to be a bit more cohesive, given the location (not my house, in a room with green walls and a warm color scheme!) and the 45 minute set-up time, I was pretty happy with the results. And the most important thing is that everyone had a wonderful time! Here are some of my favorite memories of the day.
Balloons
Cake table, with blue and silver happy birthday sign
The spread
Crafts tables, with cutout balloons for guests to make cards for Reed
Cakes and balloon lollipops
Reed's adorable smash cake, made by his Bubbe
Zaide and Bubbe
Good friend: Paul Radulovic, Jen Simon, Kate Calvin, and Dustin Simon
The birthday boy arrives fashionably late, fresh off a nap
