Seventeen Months

I'm ALMOST to the point when I can drop the monthly count on Truman's age and just settle for 'one and a half'. In fact, I was brave enough to say he is 'almost one and a half' the other day when a stranger asked. But of course, inside my head I was screaming 'SEVENTEEN MONTHS---HE'S ALMOST SEVENTEEN MONTHS'. It's hard to 'round up' and not feel like my baby is growing up too fast, you know? I don't even enjoy skipping ahead one month of his life but I guess at some point the yearly count should suffice.

If you are looking for us during the summer, you'll probably find us outside. Truman LOVES being outside and lately he wants to hunt for big trucks, city buses, large vans, and motorcycles. And don't even say the word 'train' to him or you will witness a freak out. When we hear a big bus go by us during a run or an errand, he immediately gets the widest eyes and points and says ''oooooooh!" Gotta love my boyish boy who loves transportation vehicles!

(we've been swimming SO much this month and I still can't get over his adorable suits. Getting ready for the Florida beaches next month!!)



(T at our favorite local pool's giant sand box)


The month of July made me realize that my son can be quite obsessive at times, on a one-track-mind for whatever he wants at that very moment. A few months ago he was literally obsessive about playing with our clock radios every morning. Then it was all about picking up sticks outside. For a while there he could not stay out of the kitchen, pretending to play with our pots and pans non-stop. But now all of those things are SO lame and we are onto bigger and better obsessions.

(speaking of obsessed, I cannot get over T in a baseball cap, polo shirt, and cargo khaki shorts. Something about little boys wearing preppy 'man' clothes makes me giddy)


(true dat)


Best thing in Truman's life #1: Elmo. More specifically, Elmo videos on You Tube. And even more specifically than that? The video of Elmo and India Aire singing the ABC's. Seriously, this is my biggest parenting tip of the decade (for the moment, at least)---during any tantrum, if I ask Truman to watch Elmo with me, he immediately stops his wailing, starts to grin through his tears and says MELMO!!!! I mean, the video has 27 million views, so I'm pretty sure I'm not the only parent inviting Elmo and India to be a part of our parenting team right now. I think we might have watched it close to 100 times since Elmo was discovered by Truman about 2 weeks ago. Ridiculous, right?

(T watching his beloved India and Elmo, and also loving himself in the iPhone. This kid cracks me up to no end!!!)



Best thing in Truman's life #2: Garden gnomes. No, the irony is not lost on me for this one, since I did dress him up as a gnome for his first Halloween. Let us remember the amazingness for a second, shall we?

Smiling, aren't you?

So anyway, my mother-in-law bought a garden gnome for Truman to 'hide' in different spots of her yard and flower garden. He runs around the yard with his hands up as if to ask, 'where in the heck did I put that guy?' When he finds the gnome, he'll immediately put his hand up to cover his mouth and fake laugh loudly, then point at the gnome with a proud finger. This game can continue for hours if you are up for the challenge. The little unassuming gnome is only made of hard plastic but the daily, strenuous, physical demands placed on his tiny legs by mister T just became too much. With every new 'hiding' spot came another sudden slam onto the ground. A few times he was strategically placed in the middle of the driveway and his poor plastic shoes couldn't take the pressure anymore. Little gnome became a bilateral amputee so many times that even super glue would not mend his broken body anymore. And so, the foam platform emerged which Truman finds incredibly hilarious. The gnome's broken legs are basically jammed into a foam pad---how can you not laugh at that? Also, we got a second, more stable gnome to go along with our disabled first. Both of these gnomes are like gold to Truman as he constantly requests to go outside and play with the 'no'.


(his disabled gnome on a platform)



As far as communication goes, Truman's speech has exploded this month. I counted 25 words he can say, although a lot of them are only distinguishable by me or Nate at this point. I mean, duh---of course 'rah rah' means 'frog', right? :)

(trying to get him to show off his vocab, but my bad---I mentioned an item outside and then it was game over.)



Although Lori constantly assures us that Truman nearly eats her out of house and home every day he is there, we are certainly struggling to get anything past that cute little mouth of his besides granola bars, fruit snacks, and crackers. He'll down milk like it's his job but getting something nutritious in him isn't quite as easy. The Pediatrician did say that his calorie consumption will probably slow down now and not to worry if he won't sit still long enough to eat dinner with us anymore. I mean, how dare we try to keep Truman from exploring the whole house and great outdoors by such a LAME, peaceful dinner? I just hope he doesn't actually turn into a fruit snack with the sheer number of them entering his digestive system. But you have to pick your battles and this is not one I'm choosing at the moment since he's still growing like a weed and eating well at daycare. He's in all 24 month or 2T clothes and I'm guessing he might be about 26-27 pounds or so. Mostly he seems like he's grown inches since his 15 month appointment, but I guess we'll see at his 18 month visit. I think our boy will be tall. Shocker!

(speaking of daycare, T and buddy Henry at the zoo. Tell me that toddlers hugging isn't the cutest thing ever!)


Oh, and he's trying to feed himself now. It's hilarious and usually semi-successful. That is, until I let him use a huge adult-spoon with jello. Then he got a little mixed up:)


I don't know if it's the summer heat, or our extremely busy and 'purposeful' days around here, but Truman has been sleeping a lot better lately. Well, his naps are freaking amazing and most days he'll sleep in until 6 or later, so that is a success for us, too. He has been consistently napping for 3 hours or more every day at home with me now and it's freaking fantastic to get that time to recharge my own batteries, too. We've discovered that if we hold him off until 10 or even 11 for the nap it goes much better. Also, if we keep his bedtime to the 7-7:30pm range, he really sleeps a lot longer in the mornings. A few nights we let him stay up way too long until almost 9 pm and we really regretted it at 4:30 am when he was ready to start all over again. Lesson learned, I suppose. Also, a month without a new tooth was a pretty sweet break for us in the sleep department, too.

(and just look at all of those teeth!)


(me and my boy at the zoo)


Truman is definitely a full blown toddler now, full of opinions and the need for instant gratification. If I try to redirect him away from something he has decided he NEEDS to do right that second, he will definitely freak out and let me know that my authority is not appreciated. But honestly, for the most part, Truman is still incredibly laid back, happy, and dare I say it....EASY. I mean, as easy as a 17 monther can get, I guess. I was chatting with friends the other day, talking about the frustrations of raising a toddler. I sometimes forget how good I really have it with Truman's temperament because I can honestly say that I've never had a 'lose my mind' moment with T. Sure, I've been frustrated when he won't calm down or throws a little fit over something insignificant. But thankfully I can usually distract him quickly and get him back to his happy ways before it wears too much on my sanity. Trust me when I say I know I'm extremely blessed to have such a happy child and I pray that he stays this way forever. Who knows, maybe his teenage years will be our payback for a relatively simple toddlerhood?

(his first Dum Dum sucker and I chose the blueberry flavor. Silly mommy!!)







He really isn't naughty too often, but he does have this new trick: he'll put his fingers in both ears while I'm talking, pretending not to hear me. Hilarious or scary? You decide.


Remembering back to Henry's puppy days, we would die laughing from his nightly 'puppy attacks' when he'd just run around the house like a mad man, trying to get rid of all the remaining energy before passing out for the night. I swear that Truman has 'baby attacks' sometimes---he gets totally wound up for no reason. Well, usually it has to do with his main man, Raffi, and beloved Henry. But sometimes, when the mood hits him just right, he is out-of-his-mind crazy and we love it. Observe:


Pepaw (ie Truman's great-grandpa and my regular-grandpa) came for a quick visit this month and it just reiterated how loving Truman can be to 'strangers'. Sure, he's met Pepaw before but he warmed right up to him as if it were no big deal to play with someone he's only seen a few times in his life. I just love this shot of the two extremes of our four generations:


So that is my babe at 17 (ALMOST ONE AND A HALF YEARS!) months. Again, it's definitely my favorite age yet:)