This post is long overdue! It’s been a long time since I've updated what Zay is doing these days, so I thought I’d take some time to jot those things down.
*Walking! Zay took his “first steps” a quite a long time ago, but up until this last weekend we labeled him as “the walker that chooses to crawl”. And even now there are days when he just decides crawling is easier, faster, less dangerous, and the choice of travel for a little guy like him. Whichever way he decides to get around, I’m so proud of him!
*Sign language – he has really caught on to using signs! It’s so nice that he can tell us when he is hungry or thirsty or all done or wants more. And it is very important to Shane and I that our children have manners – and Zay uses the ‘please’ sign very well. Except we are a little confused if he just thinks ‘please’ means ‘NOW’. Haha! He is more inconsistent with ‘thank you’, but we are working on it!
*Talking – Zay doesn’t mimic our words yet, but has a list of his own words that he will say. And once in a while we will hear random sounds come out of his mouth that sound just like a phrase we say. The other night he was really studying my mouth when I was saying different words and trying to form his mouth in the same shape as mine, but I couldn’t get him to make any noise with the action.
*Kisses and Hugs – this is something that I LOVE about our little boy. He is affectionate and so loving! He kisses EVERYTHING. And I’m not joking…mommy, daddy, grandmas, grandpas, babies, doggies, teddy bears, even pictures of puppies, babies, and characters in books. What a sweet little boy!
*Separation Anxiety – I really thought Zay wouldn’t deal with separation anxiety, mainly because he’s always been a social and independent little boy. However, the past month or two we’ve really been struggling at the church nursery. This is the only place he doesn’t like to be left. He LOVES going to the babysitter, and even when we’ve had people watch him in our home, it’s never been an issue. The boy just doesn’t care for Sunday morning playtime at church. And man…it’s hard on mom too. I can hardly walk away from him when he’s so emotional. We are still working on it, and hopefully it will pass. Until then, I’ll continue to enjoy having Zay sit on my lap during church.
*Haircut – Zay got his first haircut a few weeks ago. The mullet is gone…and so are his cute little curls. But it was time! I’ll make a separate post with pictures of his new ‘do.
*No more bottle. This is pretty old news. Shane and I were SO worried about getting rid of the bottle. I don’t remember the exact day we took it away, but it was probably around 13 months…I know, I know…bad parents letting him have it past a year! The problem was, Zay NEEDS his formula! THANKFULLY, this was the easiest transition in our parenting experience to date. We did it cold turkey and never looked back. And not once did Zay have an issue with it! Phew! (Now for the paci…oh my, that will be another story!)
*Food – no big updates here. I’m really hoping to find some time and energy to make some more new recipes for Zay. He is starting to really have preferences and almost always prefers the things I make homemade for him, rather than the premade Cambrooke Low Protein foods. I guess that’s good and bad! No quick shortcuts, but thankfully it’s a lot cheaper to make things from scratch. I was also talking with someone the other day and it dawned on me…a lot of boys/men really prefer their mom’s cooking. Well…I’m really not that great of a cook, I’m getting better, but it’s never been my strong point. However, I’m pretty sure I will always be Zay’s favorite – because no one else will know how to cook for him. Ha! Sometimes you just have to focus on the bright side!
*Acting like a puppy. Zay loves our dogs. He crawls as fast as he can right next to Bailey and Bongo making a funny sound like he’s one of them. It’s so cute!
*Throwing fits. I thought these weren’t supposed to start until ‘terrible twos’? Zay can really turn on the tears and get mad when he doesn’t get his way. He tries signing ‘please’ several times, and then gives up and throws a fit if we don’t give him what he’s asking for. Oh my, some days I just have to laugh at his antics.
*Exploring – our little boy is quite the explorer. Our house is pretty darn babyproof, yet Zay can find his way into trouble. Getting stuck under chairs. Climbing on EVERYTHING. Using toys to get higher and climb on furniture. Moving anything that stands in his way to get to where he shouldn’t be. It’s fun to watch him explore and even impressive to see the things he can accomplish, but oh so scary to see everything he can get into!
*Following directions – so fun to see him learning how to follow directions. He will go get things when we ask, he will stop dead in his tracks with me saying his name in a certain tone (My husband says it’s my ‘mom voice’), he definitely knows what ‘no’ means, he will give things to me if I ask, etc. For the most part he’s a good listener when I have his attention.
*Books – yep, Zay still has a huge fascination with books. We spend most of our evenings reading books! I love that he likes to sit on my lap and listen to me read a book. And he knows if you aren’t focusing on the book…he turns around and looks up at me like…”aren’t you forgetting to say the words, mom?”. Like with the following directions, he generally brings the books to us, and then it’s a whole process to get situated just right on our laps before we begin reading. Oh man…I know someday I’m going to miss him climbing up onto my lap and snuggling while we read!
*Health – I don’t think I ever posted Zay’s stats from his last checkup in Iowa City and to be honest I only remember his weight. So, a month ago he weighed 27 lbs 13 oz. This means he’s only gained an ounce since he was 9 months old! Over 4 months with no weight gain, however he grew 2.5 inches!! I’m sure his weight will only continue to slow down with him taking off walking! And many people have told us that he probably didn’t walk earlier, because he was such a big boy! That’s a lot of weight to balance!
*Music & Dancing - our boy has moves! Ok...so they are about as great as his mom's moves, but we still have fun little dance parties! He is always bringing my phone to me to turn on Pandora so he can dance. So cute!
*Balls - Zay LOVES to play catch with the ball. And if we aren't available to play with him, he tries to get Bailey to play fetch with him. And if Bailey won't participate, he will just throw the ball and fetch it himself. Anything and everything turns into a game with him...even chasing after balls.
Well, I’m sure there are a hundred more things that he is doing right now, or funny little expressions he makes. Hopefully I can keep up a little better, but of course our lives tend to get a little crazy and I forget to make time to get these things posted. Oops!
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