Sutton is 15 Months Old!

We'll, he's actually 15 months and 9 days old. The past three months have flown by, and I haven't pulled out my camera much lately. Sutton was definitely more "active" while I was taking his 15-month picture.

Sutton's resemblance to Travis is undeniable, although he has my eyes like Ella does. The other day while at the electronics store together (thank goodness T now has a buddy to run all his "man errands" with), a guy looked at the two of them, burst out laughing and said, "Man, that's definitely your kid!" As if there was ever a question.

Our precious boy is growing by leaps and bounds and learns something new everyday. The biggest development is that he started walking at 14 1/2 months, just like his big sisters. This has totally opened his world, and he's so much happier. He had always been a pretty content baby, but as soon as he turned 1, he became a fussbucket. Walking has changed all that, and he's happier than ever. Praise the Lord! Life has gotten so much better for all of us, even with the occasional bumps and bruises.

Walking has definitely slimmed up his little legs and belly, and he's starting to stretch out. He's wearing a size 4 diaper, which is the largest size Grace and Ella ever wore. His clothes are mostly 12-18 months, and he's wearing a size 4 shoe. After a 2nd haircut (which was way better than the first because I have him a lollipop before the haircut instead of after), he's looking more like a toddler and less like a baby. Unfortunately, Sutton is still a picky eater. If he could have his way, he'd eat only fruit, almond butter and jelly sandwiches, crackers, Cheerios and noodles. Wait. That's pretty much all he eats on a daily basis. At least its healthy. I just wish I could convince him to eat just one vegetable or some protein in the form of chicken/turkey/beef/fish. Maybe he'll come around someday.

Sutton still takes two naps a day- one in the morning and one in the afternoon. He likes having several silky blankets and stuffed animals in his bed, but his favorite "lovey" is his stuff monkey named "Bebe."

We have another very verbal baby on our hands, which has actually surprised me because everyone has told me that boys are slower talkers than girls. That hasn't been the case at all for Sutton. He's a total chatterbox and knows how to ask for what he wants by either saying "get it" or "gimme." When he's hungry, he signs for more and says "mo, mo, mo." His other frequent words include Mama (which he likes to repeat over and over and over and over until I giggle), Daddy, Dada, go, gone (as in "all gone"), hot, ball, bat, wawa (agua), duck, pish (fish), shoes, uh oh, pee-za (pizza) and book. We also like to play the "What Does a ____ Say" with him, and he's gotten good at several animal and object sounds and recognizing these pictures in books:

Car/truck = brrrm, brrrm

Dog = woof, woof

Pig = snort (not sure how to spell that sound)

Monkey = ah ah

Cow = ooooooo

Duck = duck duck

Horse = (clicking house, more like a horse's hooves)

Tiger = grrrrr

One thing that has surprised me is his fascination with sound effects. When he sees a vacuum cleaner, blow dryer, lawn mower, leaf blower or weed eater, he "grrrrrs" loudly. Travis pulled out the coffee grinder for the first time in a very long time last week, and Sutton took one look at it and said, "grrrr." Sound effects are definitely a boy thing because Grace and Ella never did this. Another thing that surprises me is his aversion to the word "no." He just falls apart when he hears it. We're trying to use "stop" and "don't" in its place, otherwise, we see a lot of this...

it generally doesn't last long, and we still don't let him have his way. I just don't remember the girls having such strong opinions at this age.

Sutton still loves books. His favorite are The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Pat the Bunny and Machines at Work. He likes pretending to read, even though he won't sit still for more than a minute. He loves bats, balls, golf clubs, trucks, cars and animals and makes sound effects the entire time he plays. He's also started getting into all our cabinets and drawers, especially the ones in the girls' room where he tries to sneak slurps of toothpaste and eat their Silly Bands.

He also likes playing in the backyard, but we can't keep him out of Baylor's water and food bowls. Just look at this mischievous face and the events that followed...

"I'm getting thirsty..."

"Mmmm, Baylor's water will work."

"Ahh, so good."

"Now moving on to my next great idea..."

"Okay, I've got it, but it sure is heavy..."

"Ooops. That didn't work out the way I wanted it to!"

"But, Mama thought it was pretty funny!"

Oh, how I love this boy! He fills our days with laughter and just melts our hearts. Almost everyday, Ella looks at him lovingly and says, "Oh, Sutty, you are soooo cute! You are sooo handsome!" And Grace always tells me, "Mama, isn't he the cutest baby you've ever seen?" I certainly think so, and I thank God everyday for bringing him into our family (even if he won't let me take his picture without showing me his kicking skills).