Cohen Month 18 Update

Another 3 months have passed and Cohen is growing and learning. With each update I feel like I love this age more than the last. It is so fun learning more and more who Cohen is becoming. This updates are a lot of fun to look back on because it truly reminds me how much he is changing.

Cohen knows what he wants and communicates it with us but rarely through words. Cohen’s vocabulary hasn’t really expanded much these past few months. However the doctor isn’t real concerned because he uses grunting and pointing to express his wants. He also understands what we are saying and can take direction from us (however I think he has very good selective hearing). We’re working on saying the words more before giving him what he wants to try to encourage him to use the words. He is babbling more so hopefully that is a good sign. He says momma, dadda, bye-bye, hi, hello, all done.

Cohen latest obsession is sitting on the couch by himself. He wants to do it all the time. However his little legs make it hard as well as getting all his weight pushed up that high. So you’ll find him very often grunting at the couch with one leg swung up trying to get up. But this little guy is resourceful. He knows standing on things can give him the little help he needs. He’ll pull over buckets or chairs or any toy to stand on to be able to get up. He also uses the corner push up technique. Downstairs we have an ottoman that he’ll push himself up onto the couch by positioning himself in the corner using the couch and ottoman to propel himself up. He’s definitely a happy camper sitting on the couch all proud of himself.

Something else Cohen loves, necklaces.Or rather one specific necklace. He wore it all the time. He got very good at putting it on and taking it off. I am thinking this is the reason he loved it so much. He was so proud that he could put it on and take it off on his own. I’m not sure if this is the best fashion choice but we have some time to work on that.

Overall Cohen is a happy boy. He has a relatively calm demeanor but he definitely let’s his needs known. He is very much still a momma’s boy and at times I’m the only thing he wants….or tv. If I just need 5 minutes to finish supper without him whining at me or just in general need him to calm down without me holding him, the tv becomes my best friend. His best friend never leaves his side…his thumb. He still sucks his thumb a great deal and we have no intentions of dealing with it for a while.

Our chunky little boy is sliming down some. He weighed in at 25 lbs 9 oz (47%) and grew to 31 inches (17%). Interestingly enough he actually lost weight from his last appointment at 15 months where he was 25 lbs 14 oz. The four days before his appointment he was sick with a stomach bug so I am thinking his weight would have been a little higher but the gain would have been minimal I’m sure from 3 months before. All within normal for this age. It will be interesting to see how this changes as he grows up because he certainly is picky compared to his sister. There really isn’t a vegetable that he’ll eat. He eats a good variety of fruit but will not eat bananas (ever since a different bout of a stomach bug), pears, and apples. He isn’t into meat much but beef seems to be a hit more than anything else so protein often comes from cheese or peanut butter which he LOVES! He’s a normal kid in sometimes he’ll devour a certain food and then the next time won’t touch it. His favorites seem to be plain rice and mandarin oranges.

If the past three months are a good indicator of what is in store for us in the upcoming months, we say bring them on with open arms. The fun, laughter, and love we get to experience being Cohen’s (and Sevea’s) parents is such a blessing.