A Blue Sky Kind of Life: Beckett's 15-month update

Beckett, you turned 15 months old this week!

It's been a few months since your last update, so we have some catching up to do.

You were a star at your 15-month pediatrician appointment, and Dr. Plax was very pleased with your progress. You weigh 23.2 lb. (25-50th percentile) and are 30 in. tall (10-25th percentile; you're a shorty!), but you're a smarty, too (your head circumference is 48 cm, 75-90th percentile) (but, of course, we already knew that).

The biggest change in the last few months came just a few weeks ago when you finally starting walking! It seemed to happen so quickly. You've been cruising for forever and showing lots of signs of walking, but we guess you just weren't ready.

Then, you started doing a few quick hands-free stands while we were in Texas and Louisiana for Christmas, and when your Grammie and Grandpa visited us a few weeks later, you starting standing on your own in earnest.

From there, it was a pretty quick progression to walking, first just a few steps to the fridge or nearest wall, and then a few more steps, and then you were off! You can stand on your own, and your balance is really improving.

Plus, you're so proud of yourself and so happy now that you can move around. You're such a big boy!

Your new mobility certainly keeps us on our toes. It also means you're learning to do lots of other things as well. You can now climb up the entire staircase, not to mention the furniture.

Your recent growth spurt means you can see over the window sills now, and you love to look out the window or over the window seat.

You also love to go to the playground, whether it's swinging, climbing on the equipment, or going down the slide.

You have a wonderful time with your nanny, Natalie, and she loves you so much. You guys play all over the house, read books, explore the playroom, go on adventures and play dates, enjoy story time at the library, and lots more.

You had a great time visiting family over the holidays and got to meet one of your uncles for the first time. You saw tons of family in Texas and Louisiana and survived two very long road trips in a few weeks' time because we also traveled to Dallas in early December to cheer Daddy on as he ran the Dallas Marathon.

When we returned home, Grammie and Grandpa came for a visit. You had lots of fun playing with them as you learned to stand.

Unfortunately, that weekend you were also in your first car wreck. We were rear-ended after meeting Daddy for lunch, and it was definitely scary, but you were very brave and only cried a little. Thankfully, no one was hurt.

You helped us host your first Super Bowl party a few weeks ago and did a great job (sadly for Daddy, the 49ers didn't do as well).

We've had a few good snows this year, and you had lots of fun exploring the biggest one (at least for a little while).

You're very chatty now and can say several clear words: mama, dada (your first word), yeah, and uh huh. You can also sign "milk," "done," and "no." Now that you've conquered walking, I think you'll start focusing even more on talking and will have more words soon.

You still love reading, both by yourself and with us. You like to pick out a book and bring it to us, then snuggle up in our laps while we read it to you.

You're a very good eater, and you usually like to try new things, though you're definitely asserting your independence and your "likes" can be a bit inconsistent, so we try to keep a variety of things available for you. Your current favorites are mango, kiwi, ravioli, and hot dogs (all beef) as a special treat.

You're also good with your spoon and fork, though you haven't yet tackled scooping up food yourself. And lately (we think just to show you can), you like to revert to eating "utensil" foods (like yogurt) with your fingers. We're working on that. ;) Needless to say, you're still a very messy eater. You also like to share your food and will offer bites to Mommy and Daddy.

Other things you can do: put items in a container, stack two blocks (sometimes), find hidden toys, put a ball into a funnel or hole, play with magnets (your favorite!), open cabinets and drawers (oh, goody), push your car around, make messes, and lots more.

We've been trying to do a few artsy activities, too, like coloring and playing with play dough (which you mostly love to eat).

You are now firmly in the toddler world and are definitely not a baby anymore. We don't know when you got so big! You're so funny, always laughing and smiling, and you give the best hugs in the world (with an audible "ahhh," the sound of contentment, each time).

You love to play at bed time, giggling and making noise until we come in, when you laugh like crazy and bounce up and down in bed. It's ridiculously cute. And when you wake up in the morning, you usually have some wonderful bed head.

You're good at helping Mommy at the store, though I have to make sure I don't leave you too close to the displays because sometimes you like to contribute a few of your own items to the grocery list. :)