15 months!

I won't wait any longer for the opportunity to get his 15 month onesie pics done before I post this! Alrighty, so 15 months, here we go!

Growth: At his 15 month well-child check, Soren weighed 23.0 lbs (54%), and was 32 inches tall (75%)...perfect! He is a tall skinny kiddo which makes it difficult to find pants that well! I'm lovin the adjustable waist jeans but they're hard to come by and the elastic waste pants just hang on him. At any rate, he is in 18 month clothes and size 4 shoe.

Eating: This kids eats a ton! We will eat almost anything you offer him. He doesn't seem to be a huge fan of tortillas as I think they are still hard to chew and break down. He loves his whole milk, and very rarely has juice; he does like the Silk Fruit & Protein smoothie drinks though. Soren loves his vegetables, I would say his favorites are peas and carrots. I have no concerns about this kid eating enough or being a picky eater in the future! He also loves eating whatever mom and dad are eating and will throw a tantrum until we let him try what we are eating.

Sleeping: Well, Soren can sleep well when not sick. When he is sick, he is up every 1.5-2 hours at night... so so tough! He is currently being treated for a double ear infection which caused 4 bad nights in a row...mommy was exhausted! I brought him back yesterday because he was still tugging on his ears and not sleeping well and the pediatrician we saw might be my new favorite person in the world; she shared that likely Soren's nighttime issues are due to his reflux. He is prescribed 2mL per day, but she said based on his weight now, he should be getting 2.4mL. Last night I gave him the correct dosage and he slept 14 hours! We shall see how tonight goes, but I'm hopeful! On average good nights, he sleeps from 7:30-6:30, then often gets a sippy of milk and will go back to sleep until 8:30/9:30.

Likes: Baths, opening drawers, food, stuffed monkey, exploring (walking around in hallways and outside), Sesame Street (particularly Elmo), dancing, throwing empty dog bowls on hardwood floor, pulling things off shelves, being naked and running around, his pacis, and school. Soren finds very little interest in toys and much interest in household items.

Dislikes: Well in true toddler style, it changes by the second, but consistent dislikes are being told 'no' and having to wait.

Development: Soren is learning things so quickly, it's so fun to see what new thing he will learn/do! He's talking, 'singing', working on building blocks (can consistently do 2, sometimes 3), social with peers at school, and can climb stairs. I've also seen him recently trying to unscrew bottle tops. He can drink from a cup with some spilling (not too bad), and is working on feeding himself with a spoon. We are seeing very little separation anxiety, likely due to taking him so many places and many people caring him.

Speech: Can say "Aaa Da" (All Done), "Dat" (That) "Cheeth" (Cheese), "Papa" (Papa), and although he can't yet say them he understands many commands including finding his ball, "Go", "Monkey", and "eat". Soren LOVES books, and will often 'read' them with many different sounds and point to pictures and words...it is very very cute!

Reflux: Well, it sounds like Soren is not ready to wean from his Zantac anytime soon. I am considering taking him to a chiropractor to see if any magic can be done.

Other randoms: Soren has 12 teeth now, including 4 molars. We are waiting on the canines (which look like they're getting close) and the 2-year molars then we will be done!!!! I've also discovered that Soren has sensitive skin and needs frequent diaper changes during the day and a sposie at night with Extra-strength Desitin to prevent diaper rashes. He also gets dry rashy skin on his body now that the weather is getting cooler. Soren started in a Thursday morning parent-child ECFE class and we all think it's pretty great! Soren likes to be the center of attention during song and story time and will go in the middle of the circle and dance with a huge smile, then walk up to each person in the circle and give them hugs...one of these days I want to get a video! His favorite activities at school include the water sensory table (surprise surprise), cars, books, and ball mazes. He shows very little interest in the dramatic play and art stations. He recently discovered how cool it is to crawl through a tunnel.

Reading at ECFE during "Meet the Teacher" night

So Big! First day of ECFE

Working on building blocks

"Diesel, doesn't look this cookie look yummy?!?"

First of Grandma's famous cookies!

New haircut and a happy happy boy

Seriously handsome. Seriously.

Dear Soren

Dear Soren,
One day when you are growing into a fine young man, you will read this blog of yours and learn about all the cool things that you and mommy and daddy did as you grew up. As you begin reading this, you will notice that most of what mommy writes about are fun and happy things. But the truth is, there's lots that mommy hasn't shared that she thinks it would be important for you to know. You see, mommy and daddy are very brave people. As we tried hard to bring you into our lives, we also experienced much sadness and animosity that made living life to the fullest a challenge. When you came into our lives, we were ecstatic, but we also had deep down hurts and sadness with which we had difficulty letting go. As time went on, mommy and daddy were stuck in their own sadness and grief that they were unable to care and support each other the way the other needed. Mommy and daddy grew apart and didn't recognize it. When you came into this world, mommy and daddy had one common thread holding them together, one that was so strong and so beautiful, and that thread is you, my love.

Mommy and daddy struggled to continue to embrace each others' differences and eventually became very angry with one another...mostly they were angry because they felt a deep down hurt and sadness that many times they did not recognize. As time grew nearer to your first birthday, mommy and daddy stood at a crossroad; either they would choose to live lives separately while continuing to equally love and raise you, or they would tackle their deep down hurts and seek out help from others. Mommy and daddy knew that working through some really difficult stuff would be worth it if it meant we could stay together as a family. Mommy and daddy started seeing a therapist together to discuss their deep hurts and frustrations. They learned about how their lives, families, and culture all play into how they work through their conflicts.

Mommy and Daddy learned that although there are many great things about being Scandinavian, there are also some things we need to work on. We learned that Scandinavians tend not discuss their feelings with others and often avoid conflict by means of stubborn silent treatment, which hopefully by the time you are able to read this will sound silly to you. By avoiding our conflict, we increasingly become angry and hurt towards each other and begin to have poor communication where we become defensive and do not genuinely listen to each others' experiences. Mommy knows that looking back on both her and daddy's families that these Scandinavian traits have greatly impacted our family negatively and decided she wanted something different for you. Mommy and daddy were brave because although going through therapy was emotional and draining, little by little they grew in love again and gained greater respect for one another.

Mommy and daddy know that marriage is not easy, many days one or both may want out, but that marriage and family is also worth fighting for. We hope that through our hard work and bravery, you will learn how to love deeply, listen intently, and understand the importance of openly and genuinely communicating your feelings and experiences. We love you so much, and you are worth far more than any trial or tribulation we have had and will continue to endure. 

My (Momma) Mission Statement

I will preface this post by saying I'm sorry I've been away for so long, life gets more and more busy as Soren becomes more of a toddler. I hope to get back into blogging more regularly. In my silly head I felt that in order to come back and write, I would need to 'catch up' on everything...silly me, there are no 'rules' for blogging and the beauty of it is that I get to do what I want with it. So I will start back up with my Mission Statement as a momma.

Soren recently started in a parent-child ECFE class that is one morning a week. The class is for kids ages 12-24 months and the big goal of the class for this year to assist kids and parents with separation. The first hour of the class is spent with open play time, circle-time songs, and snack, then parents go into a separate room for an hour to talk about different parenting topics while the kiddos stay in the room. This last week in our parenting group we discussed how parenting is often like planning for and going on a trip...there is much planning involved, unexpected detours and stops, disagreements between which way to turn, and of course some beauty and fun along the way. We then were challenged to identify a personal 2-3 sentence mission statement for parenting which will be our 'roadmap' of sorts.  I believe my mission statement went a little something like this:

"As a mother, I want my son to know that he is always loved and the power of love in humanity. I want my son to be accepting of others from different backgrounds and beliefs and advocate for those who are oppressed. And as my son grows older, I want him to gain the tools necessary to make his own decisions and resolve conflicts within himself and with others."

It's loaded, I know. This was a great exercise for me to do because in my head I thought that Soren is still so young to begin teaching him things, but largely he will learn through observation of my own actions. Wow.