Sunday, November 3, 2013

Patton

I feel like Patton never gets a fair share of time on here, so this post will be all about him.
Which means it will be awesome.

Patton is now a little over 15 months old and he is such a silly, easy-going kid. He is tall for his age (but I can't remember exactly how tall he is. I would feel bad about this, but I never knew any of Bennett's stats either, so at least I'm consistent.) I do know his weight though, which is 19.5 pounds...at 15 months old. His pediatrician isn't thrilled about this. He must have asked me twenty different questions about Patton's eating habits at his one-year well baby visit. In the end though, Patton eats as much or more than Bennett, and just stays skinny. I think it's his Hazard genes coming out in him. But we did switch him to a forward-facing car seat around his birthday, even though he wasn't 20 pounds yet. He was sick of looking at the seat, and his long little legs were all crunched up. Plus, we're sort of rebels like that.

Pattin isn't saying any words yet. Not a one. This raised another red flag for the pediatrician (and for us as well) and since he had tubes put in his ears last May, we are having his hearing tested sometime this next month to make sure everything is hunky-dori in the canal area. I'm pretty sure things are fine because he comes to me when I call him from other rooms and responds to commands and loud sounds normally, but it's always good to check. I really think he's just a slower talker than most, although he is fabulous at making sound effects (Boom! Aahhhhh! Yayayayayaya!) and great at using hand gestures to show me what he wants or how he wants it done. The sound he loves the most though is his high-pitched, "Ya? Ya? Ya?" noise that I hear all day, which is almost always accompanied by his little pointing finger. I love that sound :)

Patton is very attached to his blanket. Actually, it's not even his blanket. It was given to me at Bennett's baby shower in 2009, and we have had it and used it ever sense. It's green and fuzzy and cute, so I used it in Patton's crib when he was an infant because the colors matched his room, and I guess it just sort of stuck with Patton. He drags that thing around with him EVERYWHERE and it is getting sort of gross. But he loves to wrap his right hand up in it (sort of like a tourniquet...which is worrisome...) and sit and cuddle or sleep or watch TV or drive in the car or ride in a shopping cart or take a walk or drag it behind him as he wanders through the house or the park or the library or wherever we are. Bennett had his friend Bear who did all that stuff with us when he was this age, so I guess Patton has this blanket. One day I will retire it and maybe frame a corner of the remaining shreds (because that's all it will be by then) but today I love seeing this little boy dragging it around like a long green tail.   

Patton is adorable. Like, ridiculously so. With his white-blonde hair and baby blues, he's got the makings of greatness. Sometimes I look at him and think, "Man, we did a good job!" The people at Wal Mart seem to think so as well, since I can barely get out the door some days with all the comments we get. And if you knew the Wal Mart we shop at, you would know that this is more than a little creepy at times...

Patton is super quiet and easy, but when something doesn't go his way, you KNOW it. For example: Yesterday Patton was playing in Bennett's room when Matt and I went to check on him. We stood quietly in the doorway and watched as Patton slowly and carefully picked up block after block and attempted to stack them on top of each other (he has learned to do this from watching Bennett). Each block stacked was accompanied by a small "Hmmm" of approval from Patton. After about three blocks though, the little pile tumbled over into a heap. Patton stared at the pile of blocks for about five seconds, then picked up one of the blocks and HURLED it across the room with a screech of frustration. It was a little funny to see this range of emotion in our 15 month old, but at the same time really scary. He's just got this little streak of rebellion that shows itself every once in awhile, and I lay awake at nights sometimes dreading the day he becomes a teenager. I mean, he's got a pretty mean stare-down as a toddler. What could be next? We are doing all we can to assist Patton with his anger management issues now (BEFORE he can drive) but I think we have a long road ahead of us. Wish us luck. 

Patton is reeeallly happy (when he's not throwing blocks across the room). Since he was born it has taken the smallest look or gentlest touch to get him to crack up into a huge grin and belly laugh. Today we were laying in my bed and my finger accidentally poked Patton slightly on the ribs and I thought he was going to wet his pants he was laughing so hard. It's so fun to be around this boy, because he makes you feel good about life. There is always something to be happy about. The only time his laughibility seems to get in the way is at Church, when he cracks up at every little thing Bennett does and disrupts the entire Sacrament meeting. At least it's cute. And I think I already mentioned on here previously that our church is at a TERRIBLE time and we struggle there. A lot. Church is sacred, but so are lunches and nap times to a one year old. It's a hard balance. Only three more months until Nursery! Yay!!

Patton is IN LOVE with Bennett. I cannot stress that enough. He wants to be exactly like his big brother and do everything he does. If Bennett is coloring, Patton is coloring (and he's pretty good, too. He even holds his pencil the right way...which we all know is something I didn't teach him). If Bennett is building with blocks, Patton is building with blocks (which can sometimes frustrates Bennett, since Patton's dexterity isn't up to Bennett's par). And if Bennett is laying on the couch watching a movie, Patton is laying right next to him (or on top of him) watching the movie as well. They play together all day and aren't allowed to sleep together at night because there is no "off" switch on their happiness. I think it is safe to say that they are each others' best friends. Bennett is a SUPER good big brother, and is very patient with Patton and very aware of him and his needs. I love being a mom with these two. They make my heart happy and I hope they can keep their close friendship throughout their lives.

Patton is a fantastic cuddler. He knows how to sit still and just enjoy a good snuggle, and we are loving that after our very wiggly first child. His favorite thing to do right now is reading books and turning pages in arbitrary directions...which makes it a little hard to actually read the book. But I look forward to his daily routine of finding me wherever I am in the house and forcefully pushing a book into my hands, then turning around and backing up his little behind until he finds my lap. Once he is plopped down on me with a big smile on his face, he'll add a few "Ya? Ya? Ya?s" in his high, scratchy voice and some vigorous pointing and I mean really? How can you say no to that? So we read a lot. Sometimes we also just sit and watch the world go by. Patton is a people watcher, and is content to let Bennett be the mover and entertainer while he enjoys the show for long periods of time. And I can't say that I blame him. Because Bennett is pretty entertaining.   

Patton is obsessed with shoes. Which is convenient because somehow he has ended up with 16 pairs of size 5-6 shoes. This kid could be in the middle of a post-bath meltdown, and as soon as I mention the word "shoes" he'll perk up and stick his foot into the air to be fitted. Most days he will go through three or four pairs of shoes, since he continuously brings me new ones for him to try on. And even if he is stripped down to just his diaper, chances are he'll still have on his shoes. Socks are good too, because they cover his feet, but shoes are the best. Any shoes laying around the house are also fair game to Patton, which makes for a good show when they happen to be Matt's boots or my flip-flops. And since Patton loves shoes so much, he automatically assumes that ALL people must love shoes. Which means I end up trying on several pars of shoes a day as well. We are all learning to love our footwear.

Patton is growing up and it's crazy! He can drink out of actual cups (although we still give him a sippy most of the time, just to avoid any accidents), and we recently removed the bumpers from his crib and replaced them with a pillow. Which he loves. He is also on the last legs of his pacis, and by the time he enters Nursery with the new year I dare say they may be a thing of the past. And his highchair is dangerously close to being packed up and traded in for a booster seat at the table. When did all of this happen?!? I just had this baby yesterday, and he is already getting so big and independent! On one hand I love it, since now he can play with Bennett and feed himself and all that good jazz that older babies can do. But on the other hand it is freaking me out how fast time went, and how no matter how desperately I want it to stand still, it wont. Not ever. But I am happy for the time I have now with this adorable, happy, laid-back-but-still-strongly-opinionated 15 month old, and I can't wait for the rest of what is to come.

Love you, Patton Buddy!
You are amazing.

2 comments:

Heather Jones said...

Maverick doesn't talk either! I guess our boys can be dumb together :) it is a little slow, but we probably aren't those parents that think every, "Mamamamamama" or "bababababa" are actually words. Although Mav can say, "uh-oh" but that isn't a real word. Patton really is an adorable baby, he has the sweetest tiny features.

Unknown said...

THANK YOU for telling us about your cute boy! I love that he has a shoe feddish. You did too at that age! What a cute personality he has. So good to get to know him a little better. Give him a kiss for me!