Eighteen Months - Nursing and Growing

Eighteen months and still going. Nursing is so smooth and easy and comfortable for us both now. Peabody would nurse as many times a day as I'd let him - he's a milky, milky little boy. But we are busy and I DO turn him down on occasion. He's guaranteed mornings, naptime and bedtime and sometimes he'll get a short little session in the late morning if we can fit it in. Peabody signs "milk" for any drink, but not often for nursing - to communicate that he usually climbs into my arms and lies down or sidles up and starts trying to pry my shirt up.

Peabody naps once a day now, for only 40 minutes if I put him in his bed, but up to two hours if I hold and rock him. I'd have told another mother two years ago to NEVER do that because "he'll never learn to nap on his own" but I really tried everything else and the 40 minute naps weren't enough to keep him rested, so I've learned/taught myself to never say never. When you have a sleepy boy and you need a break in your day (even if you spend the break nursing, rocking and nodding off yourself!), you do what you have to do. And once I surrendered myself to the idea of it vs. resenting how it impacted ME and MY NEEDS, I actually began to enjoy it. I think I'll look back on this time with him as times I gave myself to my child and to God and enjoyed them both immensely. (I get to pray a lot as I rock that sweet boy in our big red chair, and I think the prayer time has really been some of the most significant and meaningful time I've had with God in my life.)

He is not much for talking other than a few signs (eat, more, cookie, help, love, drink), Ah for Hi, na-na for night-night and a few others that are so rare I can't think of them. But he loves to sing and can mimic a tune very well, matching it note for note. He is as big a fan of Elmo as Bean was at this age, maybe bigger, and whenever he sees a picture or other image of Elmo, he hums "Thaaaaaat's Elmo's wooooorld..." He also hums it when he knows he's gettin' into trouble with Al or me, for some reason, probably because he knows it goes a long way to diffusing our anger to hear him hum his favorite little tune.

I've been reading some books specific to raising little boys, as with each day that passes I feel a little more in over my head with this small dynamo we've created. He is FULL of energy and has his own opinions about everything - he's as headstrong as the day is long right now, as he has been since he was born, practically. And I don't think that's a bad thing at all, I just have had no experience with it because Bean is and has always been more of a pleaser. SoI'm trying to get educated on how to harness my boy's energy and use it all for good and in his own benefit without totally doing in his MOTHER.

I have so much more I'd love to write about my sweet little man but both kids are awake and needing me so I'll go now. Just wanted to document our 18 month milestone since I missed one year, and get this picture (taken during today's naptime) posted for posterity.

Quick stats: Peabody weighs 23 lbs on the dot and wears a size 18 mos. clothes and a SIZE 6.5 (US) SHOE. His feet are still very, very long and very skinny and they look exactly like Al's. He got his first real hair cut (by Daddy) the first weekend in February, right before he turned 18 months old (I'd cut it a little here and there a few times myself but this was an all-over cut with the clippers). He hated the cutting, but he looks absolutely adorable - a little bit more like a little boy, but still with those blue eyes and soft cheeks, he's still very much a baby.

Love my little boy! Love him, love him, love him!