Fifteen

Fifteen months. It's so hard to believe that Dexter is this old. And this HUGE! Strangers on the street peg him at 18 months or 2 years old. Nope, we say. Not yet. Then they watch his drunken sailor walk and they modify their guess. Ah, yes. Definitely fifteen months!

At fifteen months Dex can walk, kind of run, lean down to grab things off the ground, and pretty reliably stands up on his own with no assistance needed from a nearby table, chair, or Mom's leg.

Play date today at our house with friends Henry (on the left) and Levi (in the middle)

At fifteen months Dexter still isn't talking. Sure, he says all kinds of stuff, but nothing understandable. One day, one day.

Who needs words, really, when Dexter's "WTF?" look says it all...

At fifteen months Dex's sign language is enough to get us through the day. He has an awesome "help" sign - take his index finger and stick it in to the other palm. Doesn't get the help he needs? He jams his finger in harder. Nobody looking when he signs help? A small whine to get your attention, then the sign. His sign for "more" is the same as for help. He just uses it at the table. Help, cracker. Or more, cracker. Same thing. He has a sign for "cracker" and a sign for "banana. " Which is almost exactly the same as the sign for "swing." If he's outside on the sidewalk and does that sign, it's a pretty safe bet he wants to swing, though, and doesn't want to eat a banana. He signs "bye" (although I can't get him to sign "hi" which I just don't understand, because it's THE SAME SIGN). He signs "I love you" (kisses the palm of his hand, like he's blowing kisses). He signs "milk" and "drink." Although drink is pretty much the same sign as "bye." He signs "eat" (sticks his finger up his nose) and he signs "water" like for the bathtub water, or water in the fountain at Longwood Gardens. That sign is also sticking his finger up his nose. That one's hysterical at times. The other day John and I were in the kitchen just before dinner. Dex trotted in from the living room, let out a little grunt, shoved his finger up his nose, then turned around and trotted away. OK, kiddo. Guess you're hungry! And he signs "all done." Which is clapping his hands. It's a little confusing at times, and I wish we could change that one up. But, it is what it is and I guess I am just happy he knows when he's all done with something.

Dex also signs "dog" any time he hears a dog barking, sees a dog on the sidewalk, or sees a picture of a dog in a book. He LOVES dogs. A couple weeks ago we were playing with his Leap Frog phonics toy on the fridge. We put in the letter "C." and I said "C, for CoCo." And Dex looked at me and signed "dog." And I, of course, cried my eyes out. One, because I miss the old pup. And two, because Dex still remembers her.

At fifteen months, Dex can open the bi-fold doors of the pantry all by himself, by grabbing the knob and pulling. He can close them, too, from the inside or the outside. He can open a regular door by pulling on the door knob, as long as the door isn't actually latched. Thank the lord he hasn't figured out how to turn the handle yet.

Give it time, Mom. Give it time. I am planning my great escape!

At fifteen months Dexter's curiosity is fun to watch. He will open a drawer to John's dresser, then get down under the drawer and look up at it, trying to figure out how it works. He still tastes lots of things, although he doesn't have something in his mouth at all times any more.

Closing the door. All by himself.

At fifteen months Dex is way more independent. That started when he really used walking as a means of getting somewhere. It's nice now - he will go to the other room to play, all by himself, and can keep himself entertained for a while in the living room as I do dishes in the kitchen.

He is strong, like bull.

At fifteen months Dex can point to his head, his hair, his eyes, his ears, his nose, his mouth, his belly, his arm, his hand, his fingers, and his foot. He can point to himself, to Mom, and to Dad when asked. He follows instructions well - it surprises me all the time how much he understands. He takes a cutting board out of the cupboard. Dex, can you put it away? Well, sure. He will totter back over to the cupboard and put the cutting board away. Dex, are you ready to go outside to play? He's down the stairs and trying to open the door before I can even think about putting my shoes on.

Taking turns playing the xylophone with Mom.

At fifteen months, Dexter's favorite things to do are to read books and to play outside. He LOVES books. He loves to toss them on the ground from his book shelf, and then dig through to find the exact book he wants to read. He'll come walking up to you with a book in his hand and hand it up to you. If you're not looking he'll drop it on your foot. Still not paying attention? He'll pick the book up and poke you with it, grunting a little bit to get your attention. He can point to objects in the books, if you go through them once and tell him what they are. So in the "That's Not My... (pony, puppy, kitten, bear, tractor, frog, etc)" series of books he can find the mouse, the butterflies, the flowers, the snail, the birds, etc. It's pretty impressive.

At fifteen months we take advantage of the nice weather and play outside as much as possible. No toys are needed, really. Just walk down the sidewalk, find a stick, pick a dandelion, climb some stairs, watch the big kids ride bikes, walk out by the road to watch cars and hopefully see a school bus (the coolest thing in the world, a school bus is). Dexter's walking is getting better every day on the uneven grass.

At the race track yesterday. Dex was enthralled with the signs and the water. And, of course, the horses. That's my boy!

At fifteen months Dex sometimes seems less an boy and more a little MAN. And then he falls down and cries and comes crawling to Mom to get a cuddle. And he's my boy again.