Patrick at 15 Months

So I know I said I would do monthly updates on the little guy after he turned one...but I figured I'd do a few between now and when he turned two...every few months to keep my memory fresh on what he's been up to and accomplished, and also to give you a little bit of insight as to what's been going on with Patrick!

Patrick turned 15 months old on Saturday, and we just had his 15 month appointment at the doc this past Monday.

Our little man is slowlyyyyy becoming not so little anymore!  He's weighing in just a shade under 27 pounds, and is 32 inches tall.  He's finally BACK ON the charts for head size too!  Yahoo!  Dude is growing into his noggin!

All in all, despite a few tears from two shots, it was a quick and easy well visit from the doc.  We didn't really have any questions for her, and she was impressed with his growth (and the fact that he eats every.single.thing. we put in front of him!) and hitting all of the appropriate milestones.  We are super impressed with our little fella too!

I thought I'd highlight a few milestones/accomplishments Patrick is now doing (or has mastered!) at 15 months old...and what better way to do it than my favorite form, a list.  So, here it goes:

• Patrick is wearing mostly 2T clothes--although he's got several 3T shirts that fit him better than some of the smaller 2Ts.  2T pants seem to fit his huge fluffy booty the best.  I'm HOPING he will stay in 2T/3T sizes for a while...I am sick of buying clothes and him outgrowing them so fast!  
• He started walking shortly after his first birthday, and hasn't slowed down since.  Literally has.not.slowed.down.  Dude runs EVERYWHERE.  He trips a lot, falls down a lot, but nearly every time he hops back up and takes off running again.  He's gotten his first legitimate scratches and bruises and skinned knees, but these don't seem to phase him in the least bit--he's one tough cookie.
• He still starts and ends his day with a sippy cup of 2% milk.  Some days he chugs it, other days he runs around with the sippy cup just hanging out of his mouth.  He eats EVERYTHING and a lot of it.  A typical breakfast consists of: one pouch of applesauce, about 15 blueberries, 2 scrambled eggs, and an entire banana.  Dude is a beast!
• He has 16 teeth--his canine "fangs" have just poked through the past week--so I think he'll be done getting "new teeth" for a while now.  But honestly I don't think teething has ever really phased him; he never seemed bothered by things cutting through his gums or what not (I pray our future kiddos do this well with teething too!)
• He LOVES Scooter.  I mean, we have always known he loves his dog, but now, since he's getting more expressive, you can definitely tell he loves him on a whole 'nother level.  Recently he runs up to Scooter and gives him kisses on his back--it is the cutest thing ever.  I could just melt.  And Scooter affectionately returns the sentiments, covering Patrick in kisses all over his face (although this is not something new; he's always done that!)
• Patrick is starting to mimic words and sounds.  He's got "uh-oh" down pat, and can "moooo" (which sounds more like "mmmmm") and "hiss" for when we ask him what a cow or snake says.  He still babbles a ton, and we think he says mamamamama and dadadadada--he definitely talks a ton, we just can't understand what he's saying most of the time.  I'm sure over the next several months his vocabulary will take shape even more.
• We THINK he is starting to understand even more when we give him directions (i.e. "come here" or "don't touch that" or "be nice to Scooter"), because we see him really "look" at us (like he's processing or thinking about what we said) when we talk to him.  Some times he does the exact opposite of what we've said (which, parent instinct here thinks he's doing that just to spite us! haha), but we know he is slowly learning and grasping onto what we have to say.
• He loves to turn the pages of his board books.  More times than not we'll catch him sitting down "flipping through" the pages of his books.  The problem is, when we try and sit with him and read them, his gnat-sized attention span allows us to read maybe 2 pages before he either runs away or snatches the book from us and turns the pages himself.  Oyyy.
• He is obsessed with holding Scooter's leash when we go on walks, or even when I grab it to take Scooter outside really quick to go potty.  Patrick literally goes CRAZY and will scream and cry if he can't hold his leash and go outside too.  A lot of times then he won't let go of his leash either when we get back inside and demands to walk Scooter around on the leash in the house too.  I know Scooter is thinking, "Are you kidding me?!!!" but it is kinda cute.  Patrick can be a little diva.
• He LOVES swimming.  This should be no shocker because I think most of my posts recently are all about swimming and how much Patrick loves the pool.  He took swimming lessons earlier in the summer and actually was recommended to move onto the next level class--only problem is that class is geared towards 3 year olds, and parents aren't in the water with them.  As flattered as I was that my one year old was being moved up, there was no way he could be in a class without me--he can't follow directions yet!  Ha!
• He has mastered climbing up a stair or a set of stairs, but has yet to master going down them.  He either tries on his own to go down a step and falls, or stands there and holds his hand out waiting for you to come grab it and help lift him down.  He's also mastered climbing on our bed, the couch, the chairs, basically anything.  Lately we've really been working hard to keep him off climbing on the TV stand.
• Still an avid thumb-sucker all.the.time.  Definitely a huge comfort thing for him, and does it seemingly anytime, but especially if he is tired or sees his "blankie" (a prefold cloth diaper)--he is very much tied to thumb-sucking but also to needing his blankie (and Walter!) to go to sleep for nap or bed time.
• Like most kids his age I'm sure, he loves taking anything he shouldn't have, i.e. the remote controls, my shoes, my hairbrush, my hair conditioner, the toilet paper, the trash can, and the list goes on and on and on.  I try giving him his own remote, or own empty toilet paper roll, or a clean small trash can, and he wants nothing to do with it: he only wants what he can't have.  Ahhhh, I'm sure this will be a struggle for the rest of his life.
• Absolutely LOVES his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.  He lights up when he sees them, and darts away from Mike or I as fast as he can to go play/hug/snuggle/laugh with them.  It is so darn cute.  I sure hope this never fades!

Well, that's about it for Patrick's milestones and what he's been up to since I last posted an update back when he just turned one.  I'll probably do another one at 18 months and then at 2 years...but obviously with oodles of subtle updates throughout most of my other seemingly always Patrick centered posts :)