Essential Wellness Ottawa: February 2016

Cooper just turned 16 months old on February 17, 2016. He is becoming such a big boy and is interacting so much now. I love watching him play and learn new things.

Cooper's stats:

Weight: 23.5 lbs - 65%
Height: 31.5 inches long - 60%
Teeth: 8 (I think unless he has a couple new molars hiding in the back)
Clothing Size: 12-18 months
Diapers: BumGenius 4.0 (with all front-rise snaps undone)

Milestones:

WALKING: His first steps taken by himself were on December 3, 2015, but he really only started walking around Christmas 2015 when he was 14 months old. He walks/runs very well now and seems to really enjoy his freedom.
Builds towers out of Mega blocks
Puzzles: Cooper has several Melissa & Doug wooden puzzles and he is good at recognizing where the pieces go. He can put some puzzle pieces in himeself but sometimes has a bit of trouble. Doing puzzles is one of his favorite activities.
Recognizing and pointing to body parts: Cooper knows several body parts including head, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, arm, belly, and bum. He loves to pull up his shirt and show his belly!
Stomping his feet - he just learned how to stomp his feet because it is at the start of his favorite book "Barnyard Dance".
First optomitrist appointment - he had his first optomitrist appointment which was just a regular checkup. They test to see if his eyes move together and look to make sure they are developing normally. His appointment went well and it was covered by OHIP if you live in Ontario.

New/Favorite Foods:

Macaroni & Cheese
Hummus and pita bread or hummus and cucumber
water from a water bottle
diluted juice
green smoothie
honeydew melon
chocolate pudding (he had it at a birthday party)

New Activities:

Kindergym - we started taking him on Sunday mornings. It is an open gym at the community center with balls, nets, mats, a mini slide etc. It is a great way for him to burn off energy
Fun Haven - we took him on a Saturday so it was busy but he enjoyed the toddler section
Playing in the snow - we took him to play in the snow in our yard and he liked it for a few minutes but he hates to keep his mits on so he got cold pretty fast. We also took him to Winterlude and he loved being pulled by Grandpa in the sleigh!
Crafts a daycare - one of my favorite parts about having Cooper in daycare are all the crafts he makes for us. He made us cute Christmas and Valentine's Day cards which are great keepsakes.
Playroom: We just finished converting our family room into a big playroom for Cooper. We put down foam mats and moved all of his toys into the playroom. We also made him a "zoo" to keep his stuffed animals in, a chalkboard, a reading nook and a construction sensory board (which isn't quite done). The room has a gate and is right off of the kitchen so it is easy to watch him while I make dinner or put laundry in the washer. It is so convenient and he really likes it!

My sister also just came for a visit (its her last day here) so it was fun for Cooper to play with his cousin. My neice is 4 and is really into Princess stuff so they don't really have a lot in common yet but he really liked to hug her. I think they will have even more fun together when he is a bit older and can talk and keep up with her a bit. We are hoping to go to Bermuda to visit them in June so it will be nice to see the difference when he is about 20 months old.

All in all, Cooper is doing great. He loves daycare and playing with other kids! I am actually excited to see him graduate to the "Toddler" program at daycare. He will have new teachers and I think there is a bit more structure to the program. I think they spend more time outside, have circle time, and start to learn about potty training.

Our next big adventure is our trip to Hawaii in about 2 weeks! I will definitely post about our trip when we get back!

For now, here are some pictures of Cooper over the last few months.