Naps: one nap beginning around 1:30pm and lasting 2-2 1/2 hours

There were a few days this month where Henry had to be woken from his nap because he still wasn’t up at 4:30pm, and a few days where he would briefly wake up after 2 hours only to go back to sleep for another 45 minutes.

Clothing: 18 and 24 month

Bedtime: 8:00pm

Eating: Henry’s tastes seem to be changing. Some of his old favorites, like peanut butter toast, that he used to want to eat night and day are now ones that he’ll take just a few bites of. Henry still eats well, but there were a few times this month where he did not want to eat what was placed in front of him. If we saw that he had tried the dish a few times and decided that he didn’t like it, then we would let him have something else to eat.

Henry is still getting breast milk at one or two meals a day, and has almond milk otherwise.

Sleeping: Henry was a rockstar when it came to sleeping this month. For the vast majority of this month Henry was sleeping 12-13 hours each night. There was a stretch where I had to wake him in the morning as he was still sound asleep at 8:30/9am. The last few days of the month saw a shortening in overnight sleep and some night waking, but I’m guessing that’s just a phase arising from new brain development.

Development: We’ve had a couple rough days of dealing with separation, especially from me. Our first instance of it was at ECFE. Both of us were able to attend that day, and when we re-entered Henry’s classroom it was apparent that he had been crying the whole time. Henry also has had a very difficult time with me leaving when I volunteer at the library and attend a community education class. Even though he is with Adam, he is constantly asking about me and wanting to watch for me out the window. He even has refused eating dinner or going to bed without me there.

Henry’s increased need for sleep and clinginess makes me think we’re on the cusp of a language explosion. Henry has added a handful of words to repertoire, and has started using “Mama” and “Papa” in order to get our attention. Henry now calls out our names when he wakes up, and asks about us if we are gone.

Henry has started referring to himself by holding his hand to his chest. He will do this to indicate something that he wants to do or something that belongs to him.

Henry is in-search of things that he can do by himself. He wants to climb up and down the stairs on his own, walk on his own without holding hands or riding in the stroller when we go on walks, and decide when we go places like downstairs or outside. He gets really frustrated when his plans don’t match reality.

Likes and Dislikes: Henry has a new interest in asking for more of a particular thing that he enjoyed doing. He will ask for more tickling and spinning, but he will also ask for more of something that we have no control over such as cars driving past our house or airplanes flying overhead.

For most of this month Henry really disliked having to get ready for the bath. He would run to the other parent in order to try to escape. Our only lure that worked to get him in the tub without having a total fit was bathtub finger paint and bathtub coloring. There were still numerous baths where he spent the entire time screaming.

Trucks, cars, and airplanes are still a huge interest of Henry’s. This month he got ride in an airplane and watch all the action at the airport. He also got to “drive” his Grandpa’s big red semi-truck which he couldn’t get enough of.

Henry loves reading books, especially if they have illustrations of cars, but really dislikes when we have to be done reading books at bedtime. We try to prep him by telling him how many books we’re going to read, and when we’re on the last one, but he still begs for more. I’m glad he likes reading as much as he does, but it’s heartbreaking having to put him to bed in such a sad state.

Henry loves to help out in the kitchen. His favorite things to help out with are cracking eggs and brushing washes on breads and pastries. He also loves making smoothies, and of course, trying to sneak tastes of whatever we are cooking or baking (especially the mixer paddle). He knows when we use the mixer that something tasty is being made.

Henry loves bubbles. Since it was still cold out for much of the month, we tried doing bubbles indoors. Henry likes to try to blow bubbles himself but always touches the wand to his lips. We got a floor fan out to help him to blow bubbles on his own. Now whenever he sees the fan, he begs to do bubbles.

New This Month: We traveled to San Diego for a family vacation. Henry got his own seat on the airplane, and loved watching the planes land and take-off. We took him to the ocean several times where he loved digging in the sand. He loved the safari tram ride that we got to take at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and seeing all the airplanes at the San Diego Air and Space Museum. We were impressed with how well Henry did with such a dramatic shift to his schedule and constantly being on the go.

Henry went on his first amusement park rides at Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America. We went during Toddler Tuesday and got a discounted wristband. Of course Henry loved the truck and car rides the most.

Henry’s Nana and Papa Tom took him to Chuckie Cheese’s for the first time this month. They said he didn’t really seem to care while they were there, but whenever he notices the picture of them together on the fridge at Chuckie Cheese’s Henry breaks out with clapping and saying “yay”.

Other Notes: With Henry’s search for independence, he has also developed what we can only describe as “crazy eyes”. Sometimes when we tell him to stop doing something, he gets this look on his face that says “Oh yeah, just try me”. He tenses up, sometimes grinds his teeth, and holds on to whatever it is for dear life. He also does this when he decides he is done eating and tries to rock back on his chair. Usually it comes at time when he already has poor impulse control and is tired or hungry.

Mama and Papa Update: We were just reminiscing about how we ever went anywhere when Henry had to take more than one nap and when he was still nursing. We love being able to do so much with Henry in longer stretches of time, and take him to new places as he gets older and develops more interests.

We’re also learning how to deal with a tiny human who very clearly wants to do things of his own choosing. It’s a difficult journey to navigate with wanting him to be independent, but also to be aware of the rest of the world around him.