16th month update

Isaac's 16th month has been somewhat hectic. During this time, we moved into our first house. We are very excited! Isaac loves running around, sitting on the edge of the fireplace, turning on the faucet to the bathtub in the big bathroom, getting ice out of the ice machine, and listening to his voice echo. The first night we slept in the house, he laid for five minutes saying "Dada, Dada, Dada," just to hear his voice. Every time we turn around it seems like Isaac has managed to get inside of a drawer (in the kitchen or desk) or into a moving box. He thinks it's so fun climbing into compartments. He also really loves being able to look out the window for our neighbors' dogs. Dogs seem to be his biggest interest right now. He may say "dog" a hundred times a day. It has also been interesting trying to clean the house to get it ready to move into and clean the apartment for check-out. Every time I get on my knees to clean the floors, Isaac seems to think I am going to give him a piggy-back ride.

It is so neat watching his personality develop, and seeing what characteristics are new and which have been there since day 1. Isaac is outgoing and loves the attention of others. He enjoys waving and bumping fists (aka giving knucks) with people. He is also very strong-willed and desires to be independent. We have discovered he eats much better if we just let him do himself (even if he does get food all over himself). He likes to be in charge and do things for himself and by himself. He is continuing to talk more each day. It's so fun being able to communicate with him, and getting a response. He does love the word "no." It's funny because he says "no,no" in such a sweet way that it's hard not to laugh at times.

Isaac is still struggling with ear infections, but finally seems to be getting some better. His 4 molars are now fully in, which seems to help with eating. His ear infections and teething issues have certainly not stopped him from having fun. He loves his new room. He knows right where all his toys are located, and seems to be in his element when he is at home. I will occasionally notice that he is really quiet, so I'll go in to his room to check on him and find him inside the toy bin and all the toys laid out all over the room. He really enjoys playing with cars/trucks, balls, books, stools/chairs, shape sorters, the lion push toy, Daddy's tools, his bumble bee that he climbs into and pushes with his feet, crayons/coloring books, and his Little People school house box and figurines. His favorite things to do is put his hand-sized balls and shapes into the boxes and compartments. He loves his bath time too. He really likes to get on his belly in the water, which is fairly new. He tries his hardest to drink water in any way (i.e. from the washcloth, his toys, or directly from the faucet). Another hobby of Isaac's is finding our big shoes, putting his little feet in them, and walking around. He just loves it! Isaac's new favorite song is "This Little Light of Mine," and as you may guess, his favorite verse is "hide it under a bushel NO!" (as he screams the word "no"). He is definitely full of energy!

Isaac had a new adventure this month. He was in his first play. His preschool had a Christmas play. Isaac's class came out on stage wearing reindeer antlers, sat in their little chairs, and rang Christmas bells to a couple songs. When Isaac was going on stage, he started crying and reaching for the teacher. He was the first kid in his class to get on stage, and he was just terrified when he saw the crowd. Once the music started, he did a great job! He rang the bells as hard as he possibly could as he had a face of determination. It was so precious! One more quick funny story from this month involves Isaac kissing. I just recently taught him how to kiss me on the cheek. Adam, of course, couldn't believe I did that because he said it will just keep him sick because he'll kiss all the kids at daycare. Then after Isaac's preschool Christmas play, this little boy (about 2 or 3 years old) was sitting in front of us while the remainder of the play continued on. He kept saying Isaac's name and playing with him. Then, before we even knew it, the little boy had puckered up his lips and kissed Isaac. Adam looked at me and said "see, I told you it was a bad idea to teach him how to kiss."

This month was Isaac's second Thanksgiving. He had a great time with family! We are so blessed to have family that loves us, and a gracious God who has blessed us beyond measure!