Milestones: 18 Month Update

The last six months since our 1 year update have flown by, and yet they feel like an eternity ago. I really can’t believe T is now 18 months old.

T is a proper little boy now, constantly on the move and constantly eating! He has his own little character and is smart and funny with it. He is also very kind, giving out kisses and cuddles without being prompted, and he likes to share everything he has (as long as you give it back).

I’m really enjoying this stage at the moment. I can play with T and he plays back, he genuinely enjoys being read to, and he genuinely understands what I’m saying to him. I know most parents say this, but T is so so smart.

If I ask him to put something on his head, he does. If I ask him where the cow is, he gets it and even makes the noise a cow makes. He knows the difference between and fork and a spoon, and knows which cat is which when I ask him to go look for them. I don’t mean to sound so shocked, but that’s a lot for someone who is only been around for 18 months!

Outings are even more enjoyable what with T being on the move and constantly noticing new things around him and not just the things that move.

Some days out are a bit slow, but that’s because we notice T often likes to just watch and ponder.

Breastfeeding

T is (surprisingly) still asking for boob every now and again, even though he went through a phase of not asking/wanting it when it was offered. At 18 months I just assumed food and water would cover everything now, but obviously not.

He now only has it before his morning nap and before bed. He used to ask for it around 2:00pm, but when I offered water instead he was quite happy with that. I feel he often asks for the sake of asking but doesn’t actually want any milk. I know that Breastfeeding is also a comfort thing, but I’m not even sure it’s like that with T as he can sometimes be on for a matter of seconds and he’s off.

Talking

There was a time when T was copying a few words, like “Oscar”, “Car”, “No” and “Mama”, however things have slowed down now – I’m not sure whether T is just prioritising other things now he thinks he knows ALL THE WORDS at 18 months.

He’s very vocal, and often has a lot to say in baby language, but they’re never real words or repetitive noises to represent something. For example, he won’t say anything similar to ‘thank you’ when we give him something even though we are CONSTANTLY saying “Ta”. He knows stuff, that’s for sure – certain animals or objects around the house for example – he just doesn’t attempt to copy the words. He does, however, shake his head when he doesn’t want something and that’s pretty cool.

We’re always talking to him and asking him questions, not to mention reading to him, therefore I’m not worried we’re not doing enough. I guess it’s just a case of waiting and listening.

Emotions

Leading on from the above, we’re also starting to experience the ‘terrible-twos’ or whatever age this starts now. Our holiday was a fine example.

Although we had an absolutely wonderful time on holiday, with T enjoying himself and still finding time to laugh, we found that T was quite emotional during that week, with tantrums happening daily – if not hourly on some days. Although the majority of them occurred when we stopped him from walking somewhere dangerous, or taking pebbles off of him that he wanted to eat, we also had random bouts of tears.

We thought it may have been one of many leaps or milestones, or maybe even teeth, however it could have been down to the change of scenery. We took lots of home comforts with us, but I perhaps it all got a bit much for him. I’d be interested to see if this was the case, or whether this is the start of ‘terrible-somethings’.

Food

Now we’re over the sickness spree T is 100% back to normal when it comes to meals.

He polishes off all his meals these days and still enjoys a variety of flavours (even heat/spice). His favourite is still anything with potato in it, although his quickest devour yet is still mama’s Lasagne. He still isn’t keen on apple slices, but when I grate it into his porridge he’s quite happy.

Sleep

Not as bad as a few weeks ago where he was waking every few hours, but we do still get the occasional midnight wake.

Mama can usually get him back off and then we’re good until 7, although more recently we’ve been having 5:30 wake ups, which is a killer when one of you has been up with him at midnight.

New ventures

In addition to the above, the past six months has seen new shoes, new words, and lots of movement. T is starting to bend his knees properly when he walks, and has almost lost that ‘toddler toddle’.

We also ventured into the unknown this month and got T’s hair cut!

I was reluctant at first, as I really wasn’t ready to lose the last few strands of ‘baby’, but his hair was wild and looking a little messy. I have no qualms about long hair, but it just didn’t ever sit right and was often leaving him quite hot.

We went to our usual barbers in Brighton and fell in love with their newest Barber. He wore a top hat so I was already smitten, and T was pretty calm throughout – only having to resort to the iPad towards the end. The cut only took a few minutes (probably not even 5) but it felt like a lifetime when I started to see curls drop to the floor.

The cut turned out great – we even managed to salvage some curls on his head still AND for our memory box.

I expect the next six months to fly, which is bound to happen when you’re working full time with a busy toddler. I’m really hoping to capture as much as possible. This comes from feeling like I’m not always ‘present’ in the moment. I’m often thinking of the next meal or when nap time is due, meaning I often can’t remember when T started doing a certain thing or making a certain noise. It’s tough to say the least, and I feel awful, but I think we’re doing OK now. I’ve certainly relaxed a little.

The last six months, although have still flown, don’t feel to have passed as quick as the first year. I’m hoping that’s because I’m making an effort to watch everything going on around T. It’s hard not to when he’s off before you even put him down!

K