Thomas Jay Adams: 15 Months

At 15-months-going-on-terrible-two, Tommy was a crazy and cute toddler. His good behaviors were better than ever, and his not-so-good behaviors were worse than ever.

Photo Credit: Margarita Bromley Photography

Some of his good behaviors (always praised with lots of clapping and cheering):

• Helping Mommy- He loved to help me empty the dishwasher (especially putting the silverware away), he was great at helping load the washer and dryer and putting dirty clothes in the hamper, he would help clean up his toys and books, he would grab the broom out of the closet and "sweep" the floor, and he would follow Mommy around the house with his little toy vacuum and "help" vacuum the house. He also liked to help me change other kids' diapers by handing me diapers and wipes. He always tried to bring Mommy her shoes and pick clothes out of her drawers for her to wear, too.

• Kisses- This one is Mommy's fault for giving him a million kisses each day since birth, but this month Tommy was OBSESSED with giving kisses! If Mommy forgot to give him a kiss after buckling him into the car seat, he would blow kisses through the entire drive. He wouldn't only kiss his mom and dad... he wanted to kiss all of his relatives, all of his friends, people at church, random kids at the library, grocery store employees, and animals of all species. And he usually tried to give kisses right on the lips, but when he was feeling lazy or couldn't reach whomever he was trying to kiss, he would give them a pat with his hand and make a "mwwwwah" sound, or he would blow a kiss. He would give a kiss, and then another, and then another... until he was distracted to a new activity. He also liked to give his favorite toys and books kisses, and sometimes photos and cell phones.  

• Communication- He was constantly babbling to himself- a lot of it was gibberish that sounded very much like the language of the minions from the "Despicable Me" movies, but he also learned some new words this month: "neigh" (his new favorite animal sound), "la la la" (from the Sandra Boynton book "Moo, Baa, La La La"), "banana" (bababa), "up," "down," "help" (pah), "peek a boo" (peek a peek), and his new favorite word, "NO!" (always drawn out and said with a lot of drama). He also learned how to his cousins' names- "Emma" (Meh-ma) and "Jules Jules" (he said this by making a brr-brr sound and flapping his lips.)  (He was also getting better at showing me what he wanted, by pointing to things and bringing things to me. When he was ready to eat, he would bring me a bowl, try to put on his bib, or attempt to climb into his high chair and ask for "more". When he wanted to go outside, he would find his shoes and try to put them on. When he wanted to watch Sesame Street, he would bring me the remote and ask for "Momo" (Elmo).

• New Skills/Tricks: Some other new skills included peeling and sticking stickers, doing all of the actions to the book "Pat the Bunny" by himself, doing simple wood puzzles, blowing his nose, using a zipper, sitting down on the floor when being told to sit (taught by Uncle Aaron), and giving his baby cousin a pacifier/bottle.

And a few naughty behaviors (we tell him "no no" or "owie", but he insists on doing them anyways):

• Climbing: He would rearrange items in a room to help him climb up to whatever he was trying to get to. His favorites: climbing from the ottoman to the couch to the end tables (usually to get a cell phone/iPad or a drink), and climbing from a storage bin to Mommy's office chair to Mommy's desk (to get to the computer/keyboard, printer, and Wacom tablet). Tommy was also spotted this month using a step stool to attempt to climb onto the kitchen counter, climbing from his parents' bed onto their nightstands (to steal cell phones/iPads and drinks), knocking over a baby gate to climb over top of it and then up the stairs, climbing inside of laundry baskets, and removing the top from the rocking ottoman to his glider chair and then climbing inside of it and getting stuck. He was obsessed with climbing stairs, and he was starting to learn how to climb down stairs backwards. He also mastered climbing OUT of the Pack & Play, as well as his crib (set to the lowest height setting)... which presented a new challenge for traveling and bed time in general.

• Shredding/Destroying: He mastered the art of shredding paper into itty-bitty pieces- he really loved toilet paper and tissues. At the end of the month, he moved on to ripping receipts and books as well. He also started chewing on his pacifiers as he was growing in his top canines, biting the tips of the pacifiers almost completely off.

• Throwing: Throwing food was his specialty, but he was also adept at throwing items into and out of the bath tub, throwing books off of shelves, and finding Mommy's wallet and throwing all of her credit cards and cash around the room.

• Tackling/Wrestling: He only wrestled playfully- never meaning to hurt anybody, but sometimes Tommy didn't know his own strength. Mommy very often ended up with a fat lip or bruises from Tommy's playful wrestling and tackling. If he saw someone laying on the floor, he liked to climb on top of them and bounce up and down like he was riding a horse. He thought it was hilarious, but the person being bounced on usually did not find it to be very fun. If Daddy was laying on his back, Tommy would usually sit right on his chest with his bum in Daddy's face. He also did not understand how to be gentle with animals. He tried to pull tails and fur, and wanted climb on top of and wrestle every dog or cat he met. This made his parents very nervous and on-edge around most animals, but grateful that friends and family have very tolerant pets.

• Whining: Mommy caught Tommy practicing his pout in the mirror, and he is getting very good at it. Daddy is especially susceptible to the pouty face when paired with puppy dog eyes and outstretched arms. The little guy is getting good at getting his way. 

• Running Away: Most times now when we tell Tommy to "come here," he immediately runs as fast as he can in the opposite direction while laughing. Holding his hand only results in him dropping to the ground and kneeling/sitting until we either pick him up or let go of his hand and let him run free. Such an independent little rascal...

• Flailing: When whining/pouting didn't prove effective to getting his way, Tommy started to resort to flailing. Sometimes this included banging his head against the floor, wall, or closest furniture item. Sometimes it was just arching his back and flailing his arms like an octopus out of water. Flailing always occurred when he was removed from a park swing, when he was removed from the bath tub, when he was returned to his stroller after getting time to run outside, and when he was not allowed to destroy something.

 Tommy also had a few big adventures this month:

• Smoky Mountains Vacation: We took a family trip to the smoky mountains at the beginning of October. Tommy had fun hiking, touring through caverns, seeing waterfalls, visiting Grandfather Mountain, and playing in the crunchy leaves.

• Naylor Family Farm: We went to a farm with our friends the Arnolds to visit the pumpkin patch. Tommy played in the corn crib, went down the giant slide and played on the play set, pet the farm animals, rode in the barrel train, picked out a pumpkin, went for a "haunted" hay ride, and navigated through a giant corn maze.

• Denver with Lindsays: Tommy's new baby cousin Andrew Jay Lindsay was born on October 10, and we headed out to meet him in Denver on October 14! It was Mommy's first time flying alone with the little rascal, and he did a great job. Tommy absolutely LOVED his "bee-bee" cousin and showered him with hugs and kisses. He also had a blast with his cousins Emma and Julia. They played at a few different parks, visited an indoor theme park for little kids (Lollipop Park), visited an old historical farm, went to a pumpkin patch/fall festival, watched movies, dressed up in Halloween costumes for a trunk-or-treat at the church, fed some goats and horses, and played in the basement for hours. They had Taylor Swift dance parties and especially rocked out to the song "Shake It Off." Gralla came to visit and Tommy loved spending some time with his beautiful grandma. He gave some really good snuggles to his Auntie Mel and his Gralla. He also posed for a zillion pictures for Gralla the photographer. It was such a great trip and we can't wait to see them all again in April when Uncle Jeff comes home from his mission in Peru.

Photo Credit: Margarita Bromley Photography