Lukey, 15 months

Oh, my poor neglected third child with no professional portraits or anything that resembles a baby book! The least I can do is dedicate a single blog post once in awhile!

Fifteen months has been my favorite age with all of my kids - they are just out of the stage of being super physically demanding, and they are learning so much so quickly and becoming these cute little kiddos before your very eyes. Although I do have to say: I don't remember 15 months being this darn ornery! Luke never stops moving, not for one second. And he's a climber - I am constantly, no...constantly! pulling him down off of things. It's gotten to the place where he stands on the train table and I just sigh, because he can get down safely on his own, and I'm tired of chasing him off of it. The big kids have shortened their TV time in the morning (probably not a bad thing) because Luke drives them crazy turning the TV off and pushing other various buttons on the front.

He's still a peanut: at his most recent well check, he weighed only 21 pounds, 2 ounces (10th %'ile) and measured 30.75" (40 %'ile). But what he lacks in stature he makes up for in voice. The kid is LOUD. Observe (these are happy sounds, by the way):

Put that inside the house with a 3 and a 5 year old, and you'll find yourself seeking solitude in the bathroom once in awhile. But I love watching him learn to vocalize. He has several words that he says consistently that I love to hear:
Dada - yup, good ol' Dad.
DyeDye - Bye Bye
Date-Doo - Thank You
NaNa - Night Night
Mama - I'd like to think it's my name, but he uses it when he points at anything he wants (you can hear him saying it in the video)
No - he hears this one a bunch, see above
Oh-moo - Love You (I only know this because he repeats it when I say it to him)
Uh-Oh - obviously, anytime he drops something

He's drooling like crazy, cutting all four molars. We seem to be past the cranky part, though. He loves to be outside, and he will do anything in his power to keep up with the big kids. I give him a much longer leash than I gave to the others at this age, partially out of necessity and partially because I get more relaxed with time. Also, Katy's really good about watching out for him.

Everyone comments on his hair. It's so blonde, especially compared to the rest of us. And the curls - some days they are so precious and some days they are out of control. I really think that if I were to cut them off, they'd never come back, so I'm reluctant to cut them.

My favorite part of the day with Luke is when I put him to bed, I throw his blanket over my shoulder to get him to cuddle with me for a minute. Then I put him down in his crib and he gives me a kiss through the crib rails (it's funnier that way). My sweet boy, not much of a baby anymore. But I'll keep pretending.