Naps: 1 nap, typically starting around 1pm and lasting about 70 minutes

Henry was not the best napper this month thanks to the 18-month sleep regression plus lots of travel for the holidays. He had a lot of separation anxiety so had a really tough time settling down for naps. Once asleep he would sleep for 50-70 minutes before waking up and getting upset about being alone. Some days I would be able to get him back to sleep quickly, but there were many days that the only way he would go back to sleep was if he was sitting on my lap and leaning against my chest.

Clothing: 18-24 month

Bedtime: 7:15-7:45pm

Bedtime was all over the place this month. We were travelling over the holidays which meant bedtime ended up being a little later than it should have been. Also, with Henry’s poor napping, we ended up having to have quite a few nights of really early bedtimes to compensate for the lost sleep throughout the day.

Eating: Henry eats three meals a day with a snack in the afternoon. He loves trying new things, and typically has a really big appetite. He seemed to be going through a growth spurt towards the end of the month and couldn’t get enough to eat at meals. There were times where he had seconds, thirds, and fourths for lunch and dinner.

Sleeping: This month was a rough one in the sleep department. The combination of sleep regression and lots of travelling made for lots of nights with dwindling patience for us.

At the worst of the 18-month sleep regression, we were having to spend at least a half-hour working with Henry to calm him down and go to sleep at bedtime. He got so anxious about us leaving the room. He would sleep somewhat fitfully until about 2am when he would wake up screaming. When we went in to comfort him, he would act like he was ready to get up and insist on being out of his crib. It would take another half-hour to get him back to sleep but he would only sleep for another 20 minutes before the cycle started all over. Eventually we would throw in the towel and Henry would come sleep in bed with us. He was often so exhausted that he would sleep until after 9am.

After about a week of this, we set up Henry’s travel crib in our room. He slept in there for a few weeks. This helped immensely, especially with getting Henry to calm down quickly in the middle of the night. He went from waking up at least 5 times in the night to only once, and even then it only took a few shushes to get him back asleep.

Henry moved back into his own room at the end of this month, and things have been going well since.

Development: Henry has started to develop an imagination. He likes to pretend to eat toy foods, feed his stuffed animals, and walk figurines. One day we made a banana car at snack time that he liked driving around the table.

Henry got a toy vegetable cutting set that challenges his hand-eye coordination. He’s getting really good at holding the knife in the correct orientation, and cutting the vegetables at the cut mark.

Likes and Dislikes: What Henry used to have for bananas has shifted to clementines. Henry will do anything for a clementine. Even if he says that he’s full and is done eating, he will gladly make room for clementines. We’ve used this a couple of times to encourage him to eat more than a couple bites of his meal.

With Henry’s case of separation anxiety, he hated having me leave to go downstairs/to the bathroom/etc., even for just a moment and even if Adam was right there to be with him. I always announced to him that I was going but would be right back so it wouldn’t catch him by surprise. Still, he brought out the huge pout lip and crocodile tears.

Henry did not like having to get dressed or undressed this month either. This was especially evident at bath time. He still likes being in the bath, but he hates the idea of having to get ready for the bath. He would run in the opposite direction when he heard the water turn on and turn into a floppy fish when we caught him.

Obviously Henry has been wearing lots of long-sleeve shirts with the cold winter weather. He’s very particular about having his sleeves rolled down. He will tolerate having them rolled up for mealtimes and washing his hands, but as soon as he’s done those sleeves need to be rolled back down. If he’s wearing just a t-shirt, he tries rolling the sleeves down until we ask him if he wants to put his hoodie back on.

Henry loves to help wash the dishes. Actually, he’s mostly interested in being up on the counter while we are hand-washing dishes so that he can watch and play with the dishes that have been cleaned.

Henry hates having to get dressed in his winter gear. He starts whining the moment you start to put his snowpants on. His snowboots are the worst of all. He’s used to wearing soft-soled shoes and hasn’t figured out how to walk in his big clunky boots. He acts like he’s wearing lead boots and will stand in the same spot until you come for him. The only way he will move around while wearing his boots is if you hold his hand and guide him. Even then, it’s a challenge to convince him that he can walk.

Henry received a ride-in truck for Christmas. He loves climbing in and out of the truck, playing with the door latches, turning the lights on, and being pushed in it throughout the house.

New This Month: After countless times where plans fell through, Henry finally got to meet his great-grandparents on Adam’s side. We went to their house on Christmas Eve. Henry loved being there because they had lots of toy cars for him to play with.

We took Henry sledding a couple of times this month. He wasn’t too sure about it this first time but he loved in the next time we went. He especially likes watching other people slide down the hill to meet him at the bottom. He doesn’t like riding in a sled that doesn’t have good back support because he’s afraid of tipping out or falling backwards.

Other Notes: Henry has gotten into throwing everything. When he’s done using something or wants to make a point, he throws it on the ground. He’s got quite the arm for throwing too. We’re working with him to throw only things that are meant to be thrown, like balls, and to opt for throwing soft things when he’s inside. This has a limited success rate. Right now the most successful thing is to remove him from the situation when he starts getting too rough.

Mama and Papa Update: This month was a trying one for us. Henry’s poor sleep, clinginess during the day, and developing toddler attitude all at once certainly tested our patience. It’s good to have our old Henry back now that we’re getting to the end of Henry’s sleep regression and he’s becoming less clingy.