A Year and a Quarter.

According to my math, that's how old Ty is (give or take a few days)  He is just getting more and more fun to be around and play with!  His little--actually, big is more like it--personality is comin' on through!  I think pictures work best to describe his current antics/behaviors/silliness.  **Warning: lots of pictures in this post!**

Ty-Ty and I will sometimes share popsicles. This can happen one of 2 ways: 1)We take turns licking it [I ain't afraid of his drool; it's everywhere already] until he gets upset because he wants to hold it himself, but I don't really trust his popsicle-holding skills while not in a high chair, and he ends up mad at me because I don't let him grab the whole thing.  Usually, either his hand is on mine or my hand is on his so we're both holding the popsicle stick.  Kinda reminds me of every meal we have when we have to use 2 spoons: 1 for him and one for me to feed him/help him out.  If we only have one spoon, there will be unhappiness.  I'm glad that he likes to try stuff on his own.  The 2-utensil-thing also applies to toothbrushes: 2 of those, too.  But I digress...big time.  or 2) [forgot about this, huh?] he isn't interested in the popsicle and just wants the stick:
 

 Ty likes to read books, but unless it's a touch-and-feel kind, isn't really patient enough for a normal plot structure.  He likes to look at books in his own way, turning pages back and forth like he knows exactly what he's doing and gets mad that I only turn pages R to L.  Recently he will point to some of the pictures on the page when I ask him where something is.  Oh, and check out his cockatoo hair!  That's just how it was when he woke up one morning.  Also, doesn't he look skinny?  I think all of this walking/running business is really defining his physique.

 We gave Ty these alphabet blocks for his birthday, which proved to be not such a hit at first...unless, of course, by "hit" I mean that he throws them and when it hits you it hurts...  He's learning that balls are for throwing (except for the baseball--ouch), but not so much everything else.  He also used to get upset when whatever tower we were building fell over.  It makes stacking things a lot more fun now that he realizes he enjoys re-stacking, too.  Enjoy this progression.  Can he stack 4 blocks?!  Yep!

 What about 6 blocks high?!  Yep, he can do it!

 "Look, Ma!  I stacked 7 blocks!"  He was quite impressed with himself.  I was, too!

 Ty likes "getting" us and we like "getting" him right back. He thinks it's funny to run up and belly flop onto us/the big green pillow and does it all the time.  Here, looks like Daddy got him!

 But Ty-ty doesn't give up without a fight!  I see many a- family room wrestling matches in the future.  :)

 This little Booginhead [the name of a baby accessory brand that also has been lovingly bestowed upon our child] thinks he's hot stuff and can/will just help himself to whatever he finds like a box of cereal.  We have a baby gate blocking off the kitchen, but there's so much stuff in there for him to play with and explore that I don't always employ it.  This means that anytime he hears the fridge, pantry, or dishwasher, he books it through the gate and weasels his way into said opened-things.  He arranges the condiments in the door of the fridge and usually carries one out (which quickly is put back by moi), plays in the silverware until I'm not looking and he climbs up in/on the dishwasher at which point that "playtime" is over, or looks up and down the pantry shelves until he points to something he wants.  Lately, he's pointed to veggie straws, chinese crunchy noodle thingees, children's multivitamin, or grabbed the packets of Crystal Light.  Silly little independent thing.

We went to the park a little while ago with a playgroup and Ty has SO much more fun now that he can walk.  (Wait--maybe that's me...)  Anyway, he was just being all cute in the grass.

 And pointed at all of the cars driving by.  He does like cars and will make "vroom-y" noises while driving his cars around.  :)

 Happy to be pushed on the swings!  I'm not sure what exactly his favorite part of a playground is since he's had mixed reactions to everything.  We did go to a different park last week and although I was watching him (not close enough, obviously) he went on his tummy, head-first down the "big" slide!  He saw the "big" kids do it, which means he must've been able to do it too.  Our little Adventuruss was all smiles, though, and he did it again.  I feel a sneaking suspicion that I'm going to have to keep an extra keen eye on this one...

 In case you come over, you should probably know that the door to our master bathroom doesn't fully close.  Well, it closes it just doesn't latch all the way, so you can push it open without turning the handle.  This has resulted in many privacy-free experiences!  I'm somewhat [emphasis on the "somewhat"] of a picker-upper so during the day when I'm putting things back where they go and walking around, I am many times surprised that I have a little guy right behind me!  He's become somewhat of a shadow and thinks it's pretty funny.  It's extra funny when he follows me into my closet because I think he thinks I'm hiding from him.  I don't think I'll tell him I'm not--wouldn't want to ruin his game!  Back to the bathroom stories (yikes--that sounds questionable!) bathroom time has been an accepted parent-child event in our household.  Hope that wasn't too much information for ya...  Ty will sit and play with his bath toys/try to grab our toothbrushes/open and close cupboard doors and just, ya know, keep you company.  Anyway, once Ty-ty just walked right in to his "playroom" and dumped out his big ol' bucket of megablocks.  I told him to put the bucket on his head and he did like it was a normal thing to do.  And for him, it kind of is.

 Then he just continued playing like that!  I know the bathroom isn't the cleanest place to play and this is a habit that needs to break soon, but he washes the floor every time he takes a bath!  This boy has some serious splashing power.

 This Thomas the Train ride-on toy was a present from Mor-mor and Far-far, which he likes even more now that he figured out how to climb on it and sometimes even push himself around!  Of course, it does also cause meltdowns when he runs into something and can't keep going...

 Speaking of climbing up on, Ty decided it would be fun to climb into this bin with random stuff we were sorting while we cleaned out and organized the closet in his room (which I'm almost done with for the first time...ever) and he tipped it over!  He wasn't crying, but was kind of scared laughing.  We laughed!

 This little boy is drawn to football.  No lie--we didn't force this on him, it's just a natural affinity.  When a football game is on he will point to the TV and "Ooohhh!" and stuff.  This even happened when we were passing the electronics section of a store the other day.  In this picture, he had just thrown his football that he went and grabbed out of his toys after he saw what was on TV so that he would be ready for the coach to put him in.  Boy knows what's up.

 Ty loves hats.  His collection is slowly shrinking because he's hit a major growth spurt (size 6 shoes?!) and his head is expanding, but he still likes wearing hats!  It's funny to see his preferences, too.  Ty especially enjoys wearing a viking helmet while he's playing, which is a-dorable. 

There you have it--a snapshot of the Ty-Ty at 15 months.  I'm sure there are more things that I would like to remember about his current stage:
  -Ty has taken up the arty of fake laughing and it usually manifests itself when he knows other kids are looking at him. 
  -He likes watching Blue's Clues and recently is getting into parts of Sesame Street. 
  -Sometimes he'll repeat what we say like "door"-->"doh" and other such things. 
  -He's very good at following commands like "turn off the light and close the door" or "show me where to get a snack," but not so good at ones like "don't touch buttons on the TV, pleae" or "come get your diaper changed."
  -I only occasionally catch him dancing, but sometimes he'll just be chillin' bobbing his head to music.
  -He still loves vegetables!  At a recent outing, he chose to eat green beans instead of ice cream.
  -Ty will only drink milk out of the non-leakproof sippy cups.  This is A-nnoy-ing to his mother!
  -We know he can identify eyes, nose, mouth, head, and ears, but he thinks he's funny by pointing to the wrong one.
  -Anytime he sees anyone else getting shoes on, he'll go over to the door and get his shoes, too.  Boy likes to go outside and do stuff.  I don't think it's so much the "being outside" part as it is "getting to go where the people are going."  Social creature...
  -Ty still snuggles before naps/bed and sometimes after.  I love this and hope he stays snuggley until I at least have another baby to snuggle, if not forever.  :)

[Congrats on making it to the end--that was long!]