16 months

Henry is 16 months old today! He has changed a lot in the last month, really becoming a toddler now.

Stats: Last month Henry weighed 21 pounds, so he is probably a little over that now. He wears size 4 shoes, size 3 diapers, and 18 month clothes.

Schedule: Still the same! We love having the kids on consistent schedules and they do great that way.

Motor Skills: Henry is now walking most of the time. His balance has improved greatly too, and he is pretty steady with standing, walking, turning, even bending down to pick something up off the floor and standing up again. He also climbs the stairs very competently (not ideal since we don't have a good way to gate off the stairs) and can get into kid-sized chairs to sit. In the last couple days he has also lifted himself up trying to climb over the baby gates: A terrifying and death-defying feat of strength.

Language: This is the area that has grown most in the last month. Henry's language is just exploding right now, which is just what I would expect for his age. He understands and responds consistently to yes/no questions, and "where" questions if I ask him where something is. He follows directions (when he wants to). Henry understands words for most household items, toys, several body parts, several actions, and probably some other things I've forgotten. He seems to understand pretty much anything. I've started a list of the words Henry is using now, and he uses about 40 words. These are words I know he uses regularly and independently, not just repeating them out of context. He uses a couple new words each day, so that number will grow quickly. He also occasionally imitates 2 word phrases, and uses a couple of routine 2-word phrases like "clean up", and is starting to come up with his own phrases. Yesterday he sneezed and said "Uh oh, nose" and today he started crying and then stopped, pointed to his eyes and said "Eyes, uh oh." Henry also calls all men "Dada", which is a bit interesting in public places. He will call out to every man he sees, "Dada! Dada! Hi!", and half the time the "Dada" in question does a double take and asks, "Did he just call me Dada?" The "Dadas" are usually a bit embarrassed.

Play/Cognitive: Henry really likes playing ball. He likes playing with cars a lot too, and any toy he can walk behind and push around or ride on. Henry has started to develop a little more interest in books, pointing to the pictures and naming things. He wants to do everything Celia does, which sometimes causes problems when he isn't allowed to have what he wants. Henry Boy has also discovered that it's really fun to sit in kid-sized chairs, and likes to sit at the little table by himself. Henry is beginning to do a little more pretend play. He will imitate feeding a doll, pretends to cook in the kitchen, and imitates all kinds of household activities like helping me clean. Henry is making new associations with things, like with the music class we attend. He now knows the routine of the class and knows what's coming next in the routine of singing and making different sounds and movements at the beginning. He is beginning to sing some of the songs at home all by himself.

Personality: Henry is developing a great sense of humor. He likes holding things out to you, and then pulling them back and laughing that he tricked you. It's also great fun to run away laughing when I ask him to come to me or give me something. Henry knows what he isn't allowed to do (go in the hallway with the cat food, touch the stove, touch an outlet) and does those things while very conscientiously saying, "No, no no." The other day I asked if he was being naughty and he happily exclaimed, "Naughty!" He has started to think hitting Celia and pulling her hair is fun, so he is starting to get in trouble with that. Henry is generally a gentle and sweet little guy, though. He is gentle with other babies and likes to share toys. One of my favorite things is when he lays his head down on someone's shoulder and just rests there for a minute.