Naps: We went back to two naps this month; we just kept Henry up for longer in between naps. His morning nap was around 11:15am and his afternoon nap was around 4pm.

He seems to be rapidly outgrowing this schedule though so we’ll either be pushing Henry’s bedtime later to still accommodate two naps, or try one nap again with an earlier bedtime. His morning naps haven’t been getting much longer so it doesn’t necessarily seem like he’s ready for just one nap.

Feeding: I continue to breastfeed Henry in the morning. Henry gets breast milk in a sippy cup for the rest of the day.

Towards the end of this month, I decided to do another test to see if Henry is still sensitive to dairy. The last time we did a test was early July. I allowed myself to indulge in some goodies (cookies, deep-fried candy bar, and a cheese curd) at the Minnesota State Fair. Typically Henry gets rashy and bumpy cheeks within 12-24 hours of having consumed dairy. So far, it seems like Henry may have outgrown his sensitivity, or he’s at least a lot less sensitive than he once was. We’ve got our fingers crossed that things are on the up-and-up, although it honestly will be really bizarre to be able to include dairy in our cooking and diets again.

Clothing: almost all 18-month

Bedtime: 7:30-7:45pm

Eating: In addition to seeming to have outgrown the dairy intolerance, it also seems that Henry can now tolerate strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries. 

Henry continues to eat almost everything we give him. A new favorite of his is kale chips. Other favorites continue to be berries, black beans, and hummus. He doesn’t like to eat uncooked leafy greens (obviously aside from kale chips) or anything that’s spicy.

Sleeping: Henry typically sleeps just over 11 hours each night. He continues to sleep soundly throughout the night, and will only make noise if there’s something seriously wrong like being too groggy to figure out why he can’t roll into the wall of his crib or getting his foot stuck between the bars of his crib.

Development: Henry loves using his signs to communicate with us. He consistently uses the signs for “please”,  “more”, and “milk”. He’s getting better at “eat”, “thank you”, “outside,” and “all gone”. Altogether, he knows is able to use 12 signs on his own but some aren’t the standard ASL sign. Mimicking is a big thing for him right now; he’s very eager to attempt a new sign when we introduce it to him. His first tries are usually pretty sloppy but we reward him for attempts, and will also move his hands for him so that he feels the correct movement and position.

As part of his mimicking, Henry has become quite the helper around the house. Whenever we are doing chores, Henry wants a chance to help out as well. He likes to sweep with the broom, pick up things from floor and put them in the trash can, put his toys in their baskets and bins, and put laundry in the dryer. He also enjoys “helping” to make the bed in the morning. He loves to dive on the pillows and blankets as we straighten them out and fluff them up. His favorite grown-up activity by-far is helping with cooking. He likes getting the opportunity to stir things especially, but just be held to watch the action is often enough for him.

Walking still hasn’t happened for Henry, but I’m certainly OK with that at this point. I know that once he starts walking, both of our worlds will turn upside-down. Henry is able to balance for as long as wants while standing; we just have to distract him enough so that he doesn’t realize that he’s standing on his own. He will also let go of his support object in order to use both of his hands to sign. Within the last week, Henry has also been a lot more interested in holding onto our hands to walk somewhere. This is especially true when he is taking something to the trash can.

Likes and Dislikes: In true stereotypical first child fashion, Henry does not like it when he does something wrong. He gets very frustrated with himself when we tell him no or remind him that he has to be more gentle. He will swat at his ears, cover his eyes with his hands, huff and puff, or fall face-forward on the floor.

Henry loves going outside. Most mornings he’s asking to go outside before we’ve even finished breakfast. When he notices that we’re getting ready to go somewhere, he’ll grab our bags, socks, or shoes to help speed up the process of getting out of the house.

We’ve been spending a lot of time at the park lately and Henry’s new favorite thing to do is go down the slides at the playground. There were a few days where he could have easily spent hours at the playground going down the same slide over and over again. At first Henry would sign “please” to us to help him get situated at the top of the slide, but now he’s able to do it all on his own. I even got to take Henry down the giant slide at the state fair. Henry wasn’t quite sure what to think of that experience.

Henry still likes sitting on “big people” furniture. It’s not uncommon for us to find him alone in the office, living room, or bedroom standing next to the couch, a chair, or the bed while signing “please” to get help up.

New This Month: I’ve been working hard to get Henry involved in lots of activities so that he has exposure to other kids. Our schedule this month filled up very quickly with storytimes at the library, playdates with a few friends, and now a music and movement class. We’ve only had one session of the music class so far. It took Henry a bit to warm up to all the activity, but once they brought out the play instruments, he was having a blast.

Other Notes: We’ve been seeing the emergence of a more demanding and less patient version of Henry during the last week of this month. I know it’s just a phase as he sorts through a new developmental leap, but this one seems to be hitting him especially hard. He gets so easily frustrated, has mood swings, doesn’t seem to be getting nearly as restful sleep, and has less of an appetite.

We’re so thankful that we’ve taken the time and invested the effort in teaching Henry some signs so that he can communicate with us. I know life for all of us is so much easier because of it. I can’t imagine how frustrated we would all feel.

Mama and Papa Update: While we certainly have to be more diligent with our parenting now, it really is so much fun to have a toddler in our family. Yes, Henry can be a bit of a stinker sometimes, but in the end we just have to remind ourselves that he’s learning about the world and trying to sort through what is appropriate and what is not. Henry always has something to say, whether it be through babbling or using his signs, so there’s never a chance to get lonely. There’s also nothing like getting a big hug from Henry or being able to snuggle with him in a pile of pillows and blankets. He certainly knows how to melt your heart.