16 Months Old!

Can you believe that Zak & Ryder are 16 months old today?! These boys have been through so much in their short lives and are growing up way too quickly. I want to try and make a post updating everyone about the boys on the 5th of every month; of course I will make other posts also. The go to the pediatrician for their 15 month check-up (yes, it is a month late, but we didn't have health insurance last month) on Tuesday and I can't wait to see how much they have grown. So here goes...

Zak- Our monster as we lovingly call him. He has definitely decided walking is much better than crawling. It is pretty rare to see him crawling now. When he tries to run he usually trips up on his feet and face plants into the ground, but gets right back up and starts going again. He loves to cuddle and kiss his Build-A-Bear dinosaur (Monster) now and will carry him around which is so cute. He has also started to carry around and cuddle with his blue blanky which he sleeps with every night. Playing peek-a-boo is a favorite game with his blanky. Zak has gone into a very clingy momma phase which is nice to feel so loved and wanted, but it can become a little too much after a while. Today at the mall kids' play area he just followed me around and had no interest in playing which was odd. He is wearing 18 month clothing even though the pants are too long and need to be rolled if he is not wearing shoes; he wears size 5 shoes right now. He enjoys watching the sign language videos, fantasia, Disney movies...basically anything with lots of movement and music. Zak is signing "milk" and "more" very well now which is great.

Ryder- Our little man is getting so big. He is also wearing 18 month clothing (once again pants are too long but better to be a little big than too small) and size 4 shoes. His physical therapist said it is best for him to be barefoot when ever possible though because that allows for more feedback to his body to try and help him get balance to stand and walk. Usually we will put shoes on him when we go out since they are so darn cute on him! He has started to say something that sounds like "ball" and "bye" and he is signing "milk". We are working on creating a communication book for him to use which was suggested by his speech therapist. This will be a photo album with pictures of family members and objects he uses daily. Then we will work with the speech therapist to get him to be able to talk to us using this book since communication is a main concern with his genetic disorder. We will also continue using sign language as well as trying to motivate him to talk. He loves to walk around holding onto furniture, push toys, and our hands which is great. Currently, we are working on strengthening his stomach muscles so that he can learn to balance in order to help him walk independently. He has also started to cuddle and play with his Build-A-Bear doggy (Little Man) and green blanky.

The boys have been battling a cold the last few days along with some possible teething (we think). Unfortunately, we have also been dealing with some horribly smelly diarrhea which can be from the cold and/or teething. Hopefully they will start to feel better soon. I am looking forward to taking the boys into Annapolis on December 13 for the Parade of Lights which is when lots of boats are decorated with tons of Christmas lights. Then they go around the water downtown and show off, I loved it as a kid so hopefully the boys will also. Usually it is pretty cold, but we will all bundle up and enjoy the boats.