Pizza and Ice Cream: 15 Month Check-Up

We just got home from Ben's 15 month checkup. He is weighing 22 lb 6 oz (25%), is 31.5 inches tall (60%) and his head is 18.75 cm (60%). He is growing perfectly! He got 2 shots this time and cried for the first time. He was not happy about it! Like a tough boy, he dried up the tears in seconds, but gave the nurse a nasty look when she offered him a sticker. What will happen when we go back in 3 months? He will probably remember that dreaded room. For some reason, we are always in the same room. Oh boy!

I think I tell all his milestones in random posts, but I will try to make a list. He doesn't seem to be learning new skills so much right now, but rather perfectly his skills.

He has almost perfect balance with walking now. He rarely falls.
He is experimenting with walking backwards and sideways which is very funny to watch because he bumps into things and people and looks shocked every time.
He has started turning circles, but he puts his head on his right shoulder and his right hand out from his side while he does it. It is hilarious. We don't know what is going through his head sometimes.
When walking, he almost never wants to hold our hand. He is an "all by myself" type. I'm scared :)
He is full of energy and very inquisitive. He touches everything - like his father!
He is a bit fearful of new places and things, but is all over the place in familiar places with familiar things (church, meetings, etc.).
He is extremely good with his spoon now. We never feed him anymore. He still gets quite a bit on the floor (he eats in a diaper 90% of the time still). No baby food at all. He eats whatever we are having.
We are still doing Soy milk and the doctor told me today not to introduce cow's milk again until age 2. Bummer. I may still give him tiny bits just to see. I really don't want him on Soy forever. (It does mean he can't have a bite of my ice cream and I like that :)
Most days he is still taking two naps (10-12pm and 3-5pm). Some days he refuses one of those, usually his afternoon nap. Every time I think he wants to go to one nap, he will take 2 long good naps for a few days in a row. So, who knows! Most of the time he will play in his crib for an hour if he isn't going to sleep. With tiredness from pregnancy, I relish nap time.
He sleeps at night from 7:45pm - 6/6:30am. Almost every morning I wonder how I am going to handle a newborn again.
He is starting to make more and more sounds for words. He attempts a sound for out or outside pretty consistently. He has said baba when talking about a ball a couple of times. Nothing real substantial yet though.
He mimics almost everything. I was talking to Ryan in the car on the way home from the dr this morning and said blah, blah, blah and from the backseat immediately came blah, blah, blah.
He does really well in the car seat. He was terrible when really small, but got better at traveling pretty quick. He is still rear facing and loves talking to himself in his mirror. We will stay that way until he outgrows it or starts hating it.
We bought a potty! We are letting him explore the idea of it. I personally have a thing about baby potties and cleaning them, so he has a seat that fits on the big toilet and a step stool to get up. Every time he goes in the bathroom and gets his potty we take off the diaper and let him sit there. The only scheduled time is before each bath. He sits for a minute, does nothing and then immediately pees in the tub every single time! We aren't doing any boot camp training, but we like the idea of him getting used to it.
We are offering crayons regularly now, but he hasn't quite gotten the hang of it yet. He doesn't eat them, but doesn't make many marks either. One day he really liked the white crayon, but obviously it wouldn't leave a mark he could see. Maybe he got confused.
He understands and follows directions very well. He cleans up his own toys when we are done playing. He takes his shoes to his room when we get home from an outing (I should take a hint from him). He goes to his highchair when it is dinner time. Daily tasks are taking much longer now that he does it by himself, but it is so worth it. Time, I have. Energy, not always so much! I just plan way ahead when I know we have to go somewhere.
He gives "loves" and kisses. He leans in to receive kisses and puckers to give them. He will sometimes wrap his arms around for a hug, other times he just snuggles into our chest.
He can point to his eyes, ears, nose, mouth, tummy (he says mmmm rather than pointing), toes/feet, and hair. We are working on back, arms, belly button and some others.
He has begun some whining which will not be tolerated in my house (I can't stand it). The tantrums lasted only a week or so, but I bet they will surface again. We are working on "ask nicely" instead of whining. That means he has to give a sign for what he wants instead of whining. He usually complies or just gets left to fuss by himself until he comes around.
He is an absolute joy and we love (almost) every minute with him. Some days, bed time is my favorite part of the day. Other days, I can't wait for him to wake up from his nap to play!

Now pictures!

Across the street on the World Impact campus, they have brought in some heavy machinery to tear down some old garages and the walls that held them up. We snuck over yesterday to play on the machines when no one was there. Sh...don't tell!