15 Months

Sonia’s 15th month included a lot of new experiences, some new skills, and a new car seat (moving up to a convertible car seat). In addition, it took her half of the month to get over whatever she picked up in Wisconsin, and the second pair of first molars came through while she was at it,  but she generally kept a smile on her face through it all.

At her 15 month appointment Sonia weighed in at 22lb 2 oz (60%), 30.75″ tall (60%), and a 46cm head (60%). She also got her MMR and Varivax vaccines, which were scheduled for 12 months and 2 weeks, but had been delayed due to travel and illness. She also had her first TB test, which of course was negative. All three of these shots were in the arms, instead of legs, which was also a new experience. Considering how afraid of nurses and Dr A she was, she did surprisingly well with the shots. She also warmed up to Dr A by the end of her appointment and showed off her “ears”, “nose”, and “eyes”.

Play time has been more independent now that she is through the latest Wonder Week leap, with a lot of time spent outside and exploring her world. Sonia can now ask for “shoes” which she knows mean she gets to go outside. Typically, Luna is along for the fun and the two of them continue to develop a good relationship, though Sonia has learned to be cautious when Luna gets riled up and rambunctious. We think “Luna” is the word Sonia can say most clearly and definitively.

Another new part of her play schedule is going to My Gym on Saturday mornings with daddy and Thursday evenings with mommy. My Gym is an hour long session of kids between the ages of 14 months and 24 months running all over in a room full of balls, ladders, slides and other gym equipment. It’s a great opportunity for Sonia to get out some energy and interact with other kids and adults. They also have directed activities to focus on developing strength and agility.

Part of the developing agility is improving her walking. Our evening walk with Luna now includes Sonia covering about a quarter of it on her own, but she still needs the stroller to make the whole 1.5 mile trek. This has also opened up new exploration as she stops to check out flowers, flags, nuts, rocks, dirt, etc. as we go.

This month also brought another holiday. We spent The Fourth with friends for a cook out, and Sonia got to wear a festive romper made by mommy. She also enjoyed more time in the kiddie pool, a favorite weekend activity.

Though Sonia always has a good time in her kiddie pool, she REALLY likes getting into a full size pool. Even if her teeth are chattering from the cold water, she will repeatedly say “pool pool” and “again” if you take her out. She’s especially excited when there is water shallow enough for her to stand. She doesn’t mind getting her face in the water too much, but hasn’t fully grasped the idea of closing her mouth. Daddy is hoping she will be as much of a fish as him!

Sonia has always been interested in her surroundings, but this month has brought more spatial awareness and interest in the interactions between objects with each other, and with herself. Trying to put on her own shoes, banging a drum with a stick, stirring an imaginary pot of food with a spoon, putting rocks and seeds into her bubble container, or putting the thermometer into her ear. She also will walk around the house and slowly back herself up until she hits a wall, chair, or box. She will still often forget to watch where her feet are going, and ends up tripping relatively frequently, but it is all improving rapidly.

Food hasn’t changed much, but she has started to understand that she has a choice in what to eat. She will still usually devour broccoli, zucchini, or carrots, but fruit remains her favorite (including a new summer favorite – watermelon on the rind).

Occasionally she will go through multiple foods saying “all done” and then “more” (meaning she wants more food, just something else) before she finds what she really wants to eat.  We indulge this to a point, but still set boundaries on how many options she has to hopefully avoid her getting too picky. So far it seems to be working out well.  Sonia has also had more eating out experiences this month, going to brunch and lunch with friends or family. We are very happy with how feeding has gone so far and are happy to have chosen the baby led weaning method.

Finally, Sonia also added another new word to her vocabulary this month that she has started to use with regularity, but not overuse (yet…) “no.”  Can’t wait to see what fun lies ahead 🙂