Must have baby items

It varies from baby to baby, definitely, but I think every mom has a list of the items she couldn't live without when dealing with a newborn.

I thought I did a post like this with Neil but I'm not finding it on my blog so I think I meant to and never finished it. So this takes into consideration both kids but here are my top 4 baby items/must haves.

Itz Been Timer (or a phone app can work too but I love the timer itself)

I really like this timer at night and for breastfeeding. There are other features on it I don't use at all. It basically tracks the amount of time since the last ___. The last time they ate, when they fell asleep (or when they woke up depending on when you push the button), the last diaper change, or there is a 4th button to use as you see fit. Basically when you feed them, change diaper, etc., you just hit the button on the side and it starts a timer, that will count up to 24 hours. It doesn't tally or keep track of how many times you've done it, so that's where a phone app would be better. But for me, and nursing, it does two things. In the middle of the night I can glance at it and see oh it's been _ hours since he last ate so he's fussing and probably hungry right now. And it also has a button that you slide left/right so it tells me immediately which side to nurse on next.

The other thing I like about it is that at the top if you push the button it's a night light that lasts for about 5 minutes. I use it to navigate in the dark as well as see what's around me and/or help navigate the baby to latch on.

I used this religiously with Neil. I still use it with Nathan but when I'm using the phone application I don't want to use both and I only use the phone application. BUT I still have the timer because I use the light feature.

Ring Sling/Babywearing

I love baby wearing. I have a Maya Wrap ring sling that I got on ebay when we had Neil. It has a zipup pocket on the side that I can put things in. The ring sling allows your baby to be close but your hands can be free. I can use it in the newborn stage if I frog leg them into the pocket it creates. With Neil I used it to go to some sporting events that were chilly, and put a big coat around both of us. With both of them, they love being up close to me and just sleep in it for awhile. Also, with Neil I actually did nurse a few times with it on. I'm buying a Tula now. First so I can nurse easier in that- I can do it in the ring sling but only on one side now. Second for continuing to babywear Neil once Dave can use a regular carrier for Nathan.

This did take someone teaching me how to use it but once I got the hang of it, it was great. I also did a side toddler hold with Neil when he got a bit older.

Rock N Play

If you asked me during I wouldn't have noted this one for Neil. Lots of parents love it to use at night because it kind of cradles your baby and elevates them, both of which seem to help a lot of babies to sleep better. After looking back with Neil though, we did use the Rock N Play when we traveled somewhere and stayed in a hotel and it worked great. We also used it during the day, and you can rock it really easily by just reaching your hand out and nudging it. With Nathan, so far, I'm using it as a bassinet and it is where he spends his first sleep of the night which tends to also be his longest. It lets me get some sleep in bed (other than that Nathan is so darn noisy).

Cloth diaper inserts

Even though we don't use cloth diapers, these things are awesome for using as burp cloths. We  used this with my brother when he was a baby. I haven't gotten to the non-baby point but my mom also used them as dust rags after we were done with them and they worked really well for that too.

23 months

Wow in a month we will have a 2 year old. I was just hugging Neil today, thinking about this.

Neil is still asserting his independence and it seems like he's testing us. He still wants his own separate towel after a bath, but doesn't try to dry himself. (If I try to take it away, though, WHOA, watch out.) Where he used to choose from two sets of pajamas now he refuses to change and if I pick one he will pick the opposite. I didn't realize reverse psychology could work so early, ha. He also likes to tell us no, point his finger at us (I blame daycare for that) and is not listening. We say Neil over and over and he ignores us. But we know he can hear because he does respond when he hears something he wants to respond to.

With that said, though, I think (so far at least) this was the perfect age for Christmas. We could explain things to him- he got Santa. He understood that not all presents were for him, and even helped us give presents to each other from under the tree. He didn't open them until we said okay, and took his time for the most part. When we were at his aunt's house, though, once he opened one he just kept going so I think some of it was novelty for him. He also points out Baby Jesus and Mary, as well as the Three Wise Men, so thank goodness he's also getting the Christian aspect of the holiday, which is really the whole point.

Neil still calls all colors green but he does differentiate so that's a good sign. He still loves books, singing, and talking. I keep getting comments from people about how clearly he talks compared to other kids his age. I still think at times it can be hard- it's much easier if you understand what he's actually talking about. This month of course the theme has been Christmas, and we have been hearing repeated renditions of Frosty the Snowman, Jingle Bells, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Santa Claus Is Coming to Town... I'm sure I'm forgetting more. He just loves all the Christmas music and books.

Speaking of music, combined with independence, he doesn't want me playing the piano anymore, which is kind of disappointing because I like to play. Now he wants to play himself and he even had Mickey playing the piano (putting Mickey's hands on the keys). Santa got him a drum set for Christmas and he really likes that as well, but alternates playing with his Dad. He tries to alternate with me as well but I'm not really thrilled about playing drum set. I prefer those melodic percussion instruments.

We got out the toddler bed and gave Neil a blanket for the bed for Christmas. I'm not sure how or when we're going to transition but he loves hanging out in it and recently asked us to read to him in his bed instead of in the living room. He still goes to his crib to go to sleep but I'm wondering if he's going to ask to sleep in his big boy bed soon... For anyone reading this, I realized for now that he won't use the top sheet so we'll probably just have a crib sheet (crib mattress on the toddler bed) along with a blanket and this is when we are finally introducing a pillow for him. It doesn't look like he'll use it but we'll see. Dave doesn't really want him sleeping in there until he anchors some of the furniture because he's exploring more and we don't want him pulling the dresser or bookshelf on top of himself.

We also started letting him sit in the booster chair at the table to eat instead of the high chair. Right now I'm kind of letting it be his choice and so far anytime I've asked he's said booster chair. I'm not sure if it's that I can't handle him growing up, or I'm just being lazy, but I'm letting him pace it himself, for now. We may regret this later if he doesn't transition on his own though!

Neil takes FOREVER to eat. They tell us at daycare that he's middle of the road (good eater) so I don't know if we're doing something wrong at home but he takes a bite and then sings, talks, and has a good old time. Often I have to threaten to or actually take his plate away and he starts crying saying he wasn't done. We also ask him a lot if he's done and he says no, and stuffs food in his mouth. I will take any advice on this, or maybe it's a good thing because he's not just gobbling food and eating more than he really needs...

Speaking of eating, his tastes are changing and he's getting a bit more picky. I still think it's because he now has had more junk food so he doesn't want the better food anymore. He still eats vegetables for the most part, except broccoli, but he sometimes refuses to because of the other things on his plate. We also finally are letting him have chocolate/candy to some extent.

Closer to 22 months

Neil also got a portable basketball hoop for Christmas and has been playing with that. He likes to throw and kick balls, although he doesn't have any aim.

Sleeping wise, I think the naps are shorter. Last month I'm pretty sure at home he was still napping for 3 hours each day but it's dropped to between 1-2 hours. He seems tired but doesn't sleep longer than that even if we're quiet. One thing I probably don't mention is that when he wakes up, both from nap and in the morning, Neil doesn't cry or anything. He just lays there and waits for us. Sometimes I feel guilty because I don't know how long he's been awake. And this is one thing I'm nervous about with the transition to a toddler bed- I wonder if he's going be up and around as soon as he wakes (and who knows what time that really is).

Potty wise there hasn't been any progress but again I'm letting him call the shots on that. I think personally that it's too early. He doesn't tell us when he poops in his diaper- even if we saw him squatting and can smell it, if we ask him, he denies that he pooped. I will put him on the potty if he says he wants to go but this month he hasn't gone at all.

23 months

Stats:
Clothing: I started putting him in 2T pajamas but they are too big so we just let him wear a mix of 18 month and 2T pajamas. We're doing the same with shirts. Pants have to be 18 months and even some of those are too loose and fall down on him.
Diapers: Size 4
Shoes: Size 6 although I think 5.5 fits but we like the size 6 pairs better (and only have 1 pair of 5.5 size that I see)
Weight: 27 pounds
Height: 34 1/4 inches

22 months

Ok for the sake of publishing this I am going to be lax on pictures- sorry about that. I will try to catch up on the weekly pictures even though I'm really behind and there are some weeks we just don't have many pictures.

Neil is now 22 months old. It's hard to believe how quickly time passes.

We are dealing with full on temper tantrums at this point. We still alternate between ignoring, trying to get on his level and ask him what's wrong (telling him we can't understand when he's crying), and giving him a hug to see if it helps. I'm not sure if it's bad to use different techniques based on different situations. Honestly, a lot of how I am personally handling it is how patient I am feeling at the moment. And my patient can be pretty thin at times.

I'm not sure if it's the fact that I'm pregnant, or the holidays, or maybe even the fact that I don't have him eating as well (or it could always be the age of course) but Neil has stepped up wanting me and only me. Not all of the time but wow when he only wants me, cue the temper tantrum. I am still carrying him but there have been times I have put him down and let him scream. He will need to learn how to share me somehow. Oh these terrible twos. And yes I've heard three is worse.

Neil really wants to help us, including me cooking, which is nice but not helpful at all. He is getting an independent streak and wants to do things by himself and for himself, or help us out.

Neil still loves music and sings along to everything. I swear he knows lyrics better than I do! And he sings entire songs where sometimes it's not until halfway or most of the way through the song that we finally realize what he's singing. He seems to sing somewhat in tune, which makes me happy! Neil also likes to count. He doesn't get the concept of stopping (Neil, how many dogs are there- if there are three, he counts to three pointing at each one and then just keeps going pointing in a repeat again). He still skips 5 all the time though.

He also counts in Spanish, thanks to daycare. They apparently do count in Spanish. As far as I can tell he knows the first ten numbers but not always the order. He skips around there more than he does in English.

Neil is obsessed with puzzles and we have one meant for kids ages 4 and up. We let him play with the pieces and my mom and I have both been trying to show him how to put it together, knowing it's too early for that. Now he flips them all so you can see the color side and there are two pieces that he actually pulls out and puts together himself. I was surprised at that.

I'm nervous about colors but I think I'm too used to Neil picking things up quickly. I think his favorite color is green but if you ask him to get green he picks random colors. He doesn't associate the name of a color with an item of that color. I should see if he can group things together being the same.

I think Neil is going to be an engineer or something like that. He is very precise. He loves to put blankets on the floor or on stuffed animals and needs them "just so". He is meticulous about stretching them out, making them even, etc. And when he plays with megablocks he tends to line them up and match them to the extent that he can (in even lines etc).

Neil is getting more active- jumping up and down and spinning around in circles. It makes me tired just watching it haha. He also closing the doors of rooms but for the most part can't open them. So if we hear a door close we go see if he got "stuck" in that room. And we try to leave doors open; the way the heat is in our house, if you close a door then the heat doesn't circulate in there. Neil doesn't seem to care about that even though I've tried to explain it to him. He also has mastered steps although he either holds onto the bannister or slides on his butt. Either way though he's not insisting on holding our hands as long as he's inside on carpet.

We haven't gotten to the wanting to be naked phase but Neil in general is fascinated with zipping and unzipping everything, including his pajamas. We thought maybe he was saying he needed a diaper change, but nope, he just gets a satsified smile when he zips and unzips. Crazy kid! He also unzips his backpack and puts thing in it to carry around. Speaking of that, he is getting to the point that he loves putting things in and out of other things, like the pumpkin we let him carry to collect candy when we went trick or treating. Now if we're missing something we have to look in anything he can reach.

Neil loves magnets on the refrigerator and we (oops finally) used up the last of his gift certificates from his 1st birthday on a little alphabet magnet thing for the refrigerator. You can put a letter in the actual device and it says the letter along with the sound it makes. Neil seems to like the letter "D" best so far. We have no idea why.

Oh and I'm blaming Dave but Neil has taken to calling me "Jen" instead of "Mommy". It caught me off guard at first and I ask him what he calls me and he will go back to Mommy. It's cute but kinda weird at the same time.

Neil seems to have manners although he doesn't understand. Please can be hard to get out of him without some prompting but he says thank you fairly regularly and if he realizes he hurt one of us he is quick to say that he's sorry. I'm not sure he really knows what it means though because it doesn't teach him to be more gentle or stop...

Finally, Neil has both pooped AND peed on the potty chair/toilet!!! He peed one day after I peed myself. He asked to go potty and I said sure figuring yeah right. I wasn't paying attention and he sprayed all over. Doh. Then he actually started to poop in the bathtub one day so Dave caught him and put him on the potty chair and he finished pooping on the toilet. I'm not sure we can call that a success. And these are the only times he's done it but finally he's done it for us, not just daycare. I'm wondering if we need a better seat though so he doesn't spray. We still aren't pushing this but when he asks for the potty we put him on as fast as we can.

Stats:
Clothing - I only put away the light 18 month pajamas. It's been cooler so he's been in heavier 18 months pajamas. I think by next month I will move him to 2T in pajamas though. Everything else is 18 months. Pants are still falling down but he could and does wear some 2T shirts. When I get enough time to go through clothes again and find the 2T box, I might just get out all the 2T shirts we have and put away the 18 month ones. Some of them seem short even though they fit.

Diapers – size 4 
Shoes - size 5.5. His boots are 6 but he hasn't worn them yet.

Weight - 26.5 pounds

Height -  34 inches (If that's right he's grown 2.5 inches in a month. I either screwed up last month or this month... I did double check this month and had my mom look so I think 34 is correct.)

21 months

Neil is 21 months old. He is talking a lot more and definitely starting to develop a mind of his own.

Per daycare so far he is counting to 11. I've heard him count further but he also likes to leave out the number 5. He seems to know where number 5 goes because if I try to say "5" he continues with 6, 7, etc. If we ask him to clap two times he doesn't seem to get that but he likes to count things. So we encourage that when we read books, or are picking up toys, etc.

I know that he listens in on Spanish at daycare so I made the mistake of saying "Hola" as I was strapping him into the car one day after daycare. He repeated something several times that I didn't understand. I could tell he was repeating the same thing and started to wonder if it was Spanish. It was- he was saying happy birthday (cumpleanos felis). That seems to be one of his favorite sayings and he'll even start singing the song in Spanish and then English.

Also, out of the blue he started reciting the months in order. This is from daycare as well. When I asked, they said there is a song the kids sing that lists the months in order. Let me say how impressed I am with daycare at this point, as much as I miss not seeing Neil all day and being at work.

Singing while walking in our neighborhood

Neil talks a LOT but it can still be hard to understand. When we figure out what he's trying to say it almost always makes sense but figuring it out can be hard and there are still times I nod my head to agree (may not be the smartest thing if I don't know what he's saying).

Neil still loves to sing, especially Happy Birthday, Yankee Doodle, Peanut Butter Sandwich (Raffi), and Wheels on the Bus as well as too many to name. I should have started to keep a list.. If mommy gets the order of verses "wrong" on Wheels on the Bus, it is quickly corrected.

One day I was in the kitchen and he was on the stairs. I walked over to make sure he was okay and he held out his index finger and said "Wait." I was shocked. I think he learned this from daycare. So I asked what he was doing and he held up his index finger again and said "Wait. Two minutes." Um, sorry bud, but I know you have no concept of how long two minutes is. But wow. I couldn't believe it.

He is also definitely getting opinionated. We took the picture to announce on Facebook that I'm pregnant again and had found a really cute Batman costume for him to wear. Now he loves Batman and will run around singing "nananananananana Batman" but when I tried to put the costume on him he refused and kept saying "No like." And no bribe worked on this so the picture ended up just being in a Batman short sleeved shirt. At least it was warm outside. October is always hit or miss with the weather.

Pumpkin patch

Neil is starting to get even more mobile, climbing up onto the couch and chairs pretty easily. Daddy showed him to take the stool over to our bed so he can get up to that. (Thanks, Daddy. Sarcastic there.) Neil is fascinated with opening and closing doors although he can't quite get the doorknob to work and likes to claim it's stuck. Now we need to keep an eye that he doesn't inadvertently shut himself in somewhere. He also has gone up and down the stairs of our deck (3 steps) by himself now, so he's getting better on the stairs as well although he's still pretty tentative.

With Dave in Savannah, GA

Foodwise, we have introduced more junk food. Pizza, first trip to McDonald's, eating out on a vacation in Savannah so it was almost all junk food like hot dogs, pizza, etc. He still seems to like most foods, with a preference for chicken. He does not like broccoli but eats most other vegetables we've tried.

Neil also wants to participate in whatever we're doing. When we give him a bath, he tries to help wash himself. Then he wants to towel dry himself (we use two towels- he gets one and I get the other). And when I put lotion on him he wants to rub it in himself. The easiest way now to distract him during diaper changes is to give him a wipe, which he then uses to wipe his face, his hands, his butt... you name it. (He also likes to wipe off the table after eating.)

Opening and closing the room door in Tybee Island

Stats:
Clothing - 18 month pajamas seem too tight now, so we're going to move up to 2T for pajamas only. Everything else is 18 months and the pants still seem to be too loose fairly often. BUT I have seen some change here. We pulled out his shorts from the summer for our trip to Savannah and he filled them out so much better!

Diapers – size 4 
Shoes - size 5.5, just decided yesterday to move up half a size and see how it works. We really only have one pair of shoes that size though.

Weight - 25 pounds even (He was 25.5 last month.)

Height -  Just under 31.5 inches.

20 months

Neil is 20 months now. He in general is still a good kid although he of course has his moments as all kids do.

Neil is still tentative on the stairs and always wants to hold our hands (and the banister with his other hand if possible). I'm really surprised how tentative he is but this could also be a blessing just because he's not running around jumping off things and stuff (yet).

Foodwise Neil still seems to prefer chicken over beef, and I still make fish type stuff for Dave and him at times. (I don't personally like seafood.) Neil doesn't really eat sandwiches, unless he has fish and I have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Then he decides he wants what Mommy has. Go figure. With the fall, he is eating slices of apples (not boiled/steamed- the first time he didn't want it because it wasn't soft but since then he's been fine), as well as peaches. We introduced him to the song Peaches by Presidents of the USA and he will now yell "Look out" when he says peaches.

Every so often daycare mentions Neil biting but as usual he doesn't really do it around us so I'm not really sure what to do. We do say no biting. And I think they put him in time out when he does it at daycare.

Speaking of daycare, I am very happy with how things are going there. Since it's smaller they let the kids somewhat set their pace and they allow Neil to sit in on preschool classes even though he's too young. He brings home papers (just kind of colors on them) and actually wants to sit and learn; he even sits in on the Spanish classes! He has started spelling his name although I'm not sure he made the connection that N-E-I-L is Neil. But if you ask him to spell his name, if he's in the mood, he now spells it.

Neil also loves music as usual and sings a lot. He is always walking around and singing various songs. His favorites at the moment are No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, Ring Around the Rosy, Happy Birthday, and Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. If I start the ABC song he will sing it all the way through. And he sings along with me when I sing Working on the Railroad. Those are just a few that seem to be his favorites- he also sings with me when I play Raffi songs on piano.

We have hit the no stage. Is this part of the terrible twos? Neil loves saying no. To everything. Neil, do you want to go outside? No. (As he is running out the door.) Neil do you like to read? No. (Um yes he does.)

I think that naptime is shorter now. It used to be that he would nap 2-3 hours on the weekends for us but now it seems to be closer to 2 hours most of the time.

I am done nursing! I did wean Neil of the night session and it turned out to be a lot easier than I thought. At first I just kept telling him that mommy's milk is almost gone. Then after a bit of that I started singing the ABC's and telling him when the song was over we're done. After a bit of this he actually stopped asking one night so I didn't offer. That was it. He did ask once a few nights later and I just said no, and he hasn't asked since. Kinda bittersweet but it's also really nice. Now instead of nursing he and I read a book together. He LOVES to read with us so he doesn't seem to mind. And he walks to his crib, giving Daddy a hug and kiss on the way.

Stats:
Clothing - We put away the summer stuff and pulled out fall/winter and with that put away all 12 month clothes. 12 month paths fits his waist but are too short so we're just dealing with 18 month pants.

Diapers – size 4 
Shoes - size 5

Weight - 25.5

Height -  I did not measure this myself.

19 months

Neil is now 19 months old. I was just watching some videos I had posted on You Tube and it really puts things into perspective, how quickly he is still changing and growing. I don't see it so much on these month-to-month posts but in particular looking at this past Christmas he has grown and matured leaps and bounds. I don't think I will ever get over this. What an amazing thing to be a part of and be able to watch.

I am starting to think we don't need a gate at the top of our stairs anymore. Neil is pretty tentative but he doesn't go running for the stairs anymore and understands the risk of falling (or kind of seems to). I almost said to Dave let's leave it open now but then Neil was walking down the stairs with sippy cup in hand (I was at the bottom) and fell the last two, smacking his head really hard and screaming for quite awhile. I'm not going to get overly protective but it did remind me the gate is there in case he gets close, isn't paying attention, and just stumbles down. The ceramic tile at the bottom is pretty hard. But he's getting better about going up and down stairs, even if he is a bit tentative and often asks for help when he goes up or down them, especially down. I'm usually more than willing to hold his hand but I let him walk down on his own.

Eating wise Neil still eats a lot. I do keep expecting at some point that he's going to start refusing foods such as vegetables or fruits, and he does vary somewhat day to day, but in general he eats almost everything we put in front of him. It makes it hard to tell what his favorites are but he seems to love berries- blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and I just found out he loves tangerines and will eat more than one at a time. I can't cut them up as quickly as he's eating them. He also of course loves animal crackers, pretzels, and goldfish. I think hot dogs are also becoming a meal favorite for his- which we have at baseball games or just to grill out if I'm running late from work or something.

Daycare hasn't been saying anything about him biting but I think he might still be doing it because every so often they will tell me had a really good day. Does this mean the other days they don't say that, that he did bite or came close to biting?

Speaking of daycare, it turns out that his naps have been shortening there. With new babies joining daycare they are officially moving Neil to the older room. He had been sleeping on a mat just fine but apparently it was in the nursery where it is quieter. Now he is on mats with older kids and he decides he wants to talk/play instead of sleep. I guess he also wakes up a lot easier if the other kids get noisy. He's been more cranky some nights after daycare so I wonder if it's from being tired.

We are still dealing with temper tantrums but now it's just a matter of the way things are. I'm working on trying to get him to understand that when he screams or cries I can't figure out what he wants until he calms down and can show or tell me what's wrong or what he needs. This will likely be a work in progress.

Speaking of telling me what he wants, needs, I'm pretty sure he is way above the chart as far as talking, understanding, etc. He can say his ABC's all by himself. I keep trying to get it on video but every time I try he stops. I will post a video where I got him to say part of it, kind of, along with other things, but I haven't gotten the whole thing yet. And I only got that video because I let him see himself on my phone while it was recording. He's learning a lot at daycare but it's going both ways. There are days at daycare they ask me how he knows something (for example someone brought in a banjo and he called it banjo right away. Thank you to the Dr. Seuss book "Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb."). Neil really loves to say the Ring Around the Rosy Rhyme and he is obsessed with monkeys and the "No more monkeys jumping on the bed" ditty (see the video I referenced already in this paragraph - video at the end of this post).

Potty training we were laid back on anyways but I'm stepping back even further. Daycare says that they have had him go both #1 and #2 on the potty there, but I still haven't seen it at home. And one day he was squatting so I asked if he wanted to go on the potty and he said yes. I put him on the toilet and he just played for awhile. So I gave up, took him off, put the diaper on, and what did he do?! Pooped in the diaper. So I do not think he is ready. With that said, though, I still let him go on the potty if he asks for it. We'll see how things progress as time goes on but I am not even remotely pushing it and won't report on it in the future unless there is progress further than this. I'm not expecting progress either- I have in my mind it's going to be more around age 3 which seems to be more normal for boys.

As far as nursing, we dropped the morning session and I only nurse at night, and only for about 5 minutes. I also no longer pump if I am not home to nurse him at night. It's just a matter of time until we're done but this last nursing session is really really hard to drop. I have tried don't offer, I have tried acting like I don't know what he wants, I've tried saying there is no more milk, I've tried substituting cow's milk... None of that has worked. I really don't want to make him cry in the crib but I'm getting to the point I'm not sure what other option there is. He goes down for naps fine without nursing, milk, and wide awake. Even at night he doesn't always fall asleep nursing and as long as he nurses he will go in his crib fine, wide awake. But he does not want to give up that last nursing session. Oh and he's fine if I'm not home as well, goes to sleep without a huge fuss and no nursing/mom's milk.

Stats:
Clothing - 18 month tops and 12 month bottoms. He's also in 18 month pajamas. (same as last month although I'm about to start putting away some of his 12 month clothes because 18 in general seem to be fitting better)

Diapers – size 4 - We made the leap. He was getting some poopy diapers that were dangerously close to coming up out the back and I said ok it's time.
Shoes - size 5

Weight - He actually likes to get on the scale in our bathroom and it is saying 24.5 pounds.

Height -  I did not measure this myself.

Sleeping toddler

I did a post awhile ago showing how much Neil moves around at night. We've also noticed that he really likes to stick arms and legs through the slats in the crib. He's only gotten stuck once and that was a long time ago, and never actually hurt himself. I will admit we never did end up using a bumper in the crib although we had a breathable mesh one, and at this point a bumper is a definite no no because he could use it to climb up and get/fall out of the crib.

These pictures are from March 2014 through August 2014 just for a time frame. Ages ~14 to 18 months.

And then just for fun a couple of pictures that were just funny 

but didn't have appendages sticking out of the crib slats...

18 months

I can't believe my "baby" is a year and a half old!

At Kennywood Park

Neil has made some leaps and bounds with motor skills recently. He's starting to climb more, up on the couch, into the car at daycare, etc. But he still wants me to hold him over walking/climbing himself. I feel mean but sometimes I tell him he has legs and he can walk. He actually used to go up and down the stairs more than he does now (maybe the novelty wore off). 

Peek a boo! (At a Pirates game)

Neil is still eating really well. He has good days and bad but in general he still eats more than I do. If he doesn't eat as much one day, daycare keeps the extra. I check the fridge every day so I know if I should pack less for the following day (if he has leftovers).

In general, Neil's not biting as much BUT he bit a kid at daycare leaving marks. I'm mortified and apologized a bunch of times. It turns out he and the other kid (who is a year older and new to daycare) got into a little argument and according to the other kid's dad his kid hits a lot. So who knows what really happened there. I keep a close eye on Neil when other kids are around and if it looks like there's a chance he's going to bite I will step in. However, I haven't seen it myself around other kids.

Neil is also getting more assertive. I blame part of this on the other kids at daycare and seeing other behaviors but I know individual personality also comes into play so we'll see what happens as he continues to get older. He pushes people away if he doesn't want them close. He does seem to be okay with sharing toys, etc. from what I can see though.

Eating ice cream (mine)

Since this is 18 months I'll talk again about schedule although it's pretty settled at this point.

7:00am wakes up for the day- 7 days a week

• On the weekend nurses and then has yogurt for breakfast

• During the week goes to daycare and has yogurt/what I pumped for breakfast at daycare

11:00am lunch

• I try to send a protein, veggie, and fruit along with cow's milk

12:30pm nap

• Usually 2-3 hours

3:30pm snack

• At daycare this is almost always a banana. I send a banana almost daily to daycare. He gets milk or water whenever he wants it throughout the day.

5:45pm dinner

• Again I try to get protein, veggie, and fruit, and we often give him animal crackers. With cow's milk

7:00-7:30 start bedtime routine

• Bath  (not daily)

• Change diaper

• Put on pajamas (let him choose out of two)

• Choose book(s)

• Brush teeth

• Read book(s) with Daddy

• Nurse

Neil has started to pick out books that he really likes. He likes to talk along with the book and knows what's coming in a lot of the parts. His favorites right now are:

• The Little Engine That Could

• Hand, Hand, Fingers Thumb

• We All Go Traveling By

Neil still throws tantrums but it's getting more predictable. Knock on wood! Usually it's because he's not getting what he wants and of course it's worse when he's tired. One day I made him walk in from the car after we got home and he threw himself on the driveway. Since we're on a pretty dead street and I could hear him screaming, I ran in the house to drop some stuff off, keeping an eye on him. I could hear the screaming getting closer as he walked into the garage still throwing a tantrum. I guess he just wants attention!

We did a study at the University of Pittsburgh where he proved that he doesn't help or share. They told me this is normal for his age. They did things like drop something on the floor to see how he would react. He watched but did nothing- not when she reached out her hand for the item, and not even when she asked him to get the thing she dropped. It was hard to sit there and not tell him to go get the items or help. (I was in a chair filling out surveys.) He may not help other people but he does help us. He throws things in the garbage for us (we used this trick on my brother who is 16 years younger than me), helps me carry in the diaper bag from the car after daycare, and sometimes just comes up and pats me on the shoulder or back. It's interesting to see that he won't do any of that for someone he doesn't know.

Waiting patiently at the doctor's office

Neil is still talking like crazy. He repeats pretty much everything. He of course can't pronounce everything correctly, but he talks quite a bit, to us. He doesn't talk as much around other people until he gets comfortable. There are a lot of times that we can't understand what he's saying unless we can get some context but he definitely repeats the same syllables.

He looks forward to this at church now

This is too early, but potty training. Apparently at daycare they have gotten him to go to the bathroom on the toilet (both peeing and pooping). I think it's when they've moved him to the toilet before he actually goes- when he squats to start pooping. We did buy him a toilet seat for home but he hasn't gone at home yet, although he likes to sit on it and asks to sit on the potty sometimes. So we're going with it but not taking away diapers or anything. I'm not sure he's really ready, just very interested. He doesn't tell us when he has to go, yet. And so far when he's asked, he's just sat there and not actually gone to the bathroom.

Stats:
Clothing - 18 month tops and 12 month bottoms. He's also in 18 month pajamas. 

Diapers – size 3
Shoes - size 5

Weight - I will update this after the doctor appointment, which isn't for a few weeks. I actually did have him at the doctor's for something else and he weighed in at 25 pounds with clothes and shoes on.

Height -  I will update this after the doctor appointment, which isn't for a few weeks.

17 months

Neil turned 17 months on June 29th. I usually use the last month's post to start the next month's post and just looking at the pictures I can't believe how quickly time is flying by.

Neil is getting more social. I know not to really expect that at this age and I think daycare helps with this. Neil definitely gets social interaction with other kids daily. (On the flip side, though, daycare also brings other problems such as biting, which I'll discuss later.) Our neighborhood has some kids his age though and with the weather being nicer, we spend a lot of time outside on the weekends or evenings when I'm home. Neil always points at the door and says "outside". Our house and the road next to our house is hilly so we often walk down to the cul de sac (just a few houses away) so he can use his Cozy Coupe Car, bike, etc. Thankfully the cul de sac itself is flat but it's teaching him that playing in the road is ok. Tradeoffs, right?

Anyway, one of the houses has a 3 year old girl, another house has grandkids who are almost 3 (girl) and almost 1 (boy). Neil is starting to love going down to visit, to the point that when I get him out of the car after daycare he tries to walk down the street instead of the house. But it's nice for me to see him interact with other kids and have the older ones try to show him how to use his scooter/bike and his quad.

Neil has an obsession with rocks. He picks them up all the time. I have found if I let him carry two rocks, one in each hand, he is super happy for whatever we do outside. Also, we now have rocks all over in his house. I don't know how/where he hides them, but he does. I have even found them tucked in his diaper (and no he didn't eat them and have them come out in the diaper, he shoves them in.) Don't ask me how this is comfortable.

Note the wet bag from my Citrus Lane June post

Neil only naps once a day, because that's the schedule that daycare has him on and we pretty much follow it on the weekends. I think left to his own he'd still be taking two naps. He often falls asleep while eating lunch. It's hilarious to watch but I also feel bad that he's that tired. 

Neil is just sprouting teeth!!! He had 6 teeth as of last month and now has 3 more. 2 of them are his top molars. He's been super clingy with me so maybe this is why. Super clingy to the point that he wants to be held and will scream when I put him down. It makes it extremely hard to prepare any meal for us for dinner after work.

Speaking of teeth, we really have a biting problem now. I think that seeing some of the older boys at daycare has made Neil in general aggressive. When he does something he shouldn't and we tell him no, he hits himself repeatedly. I am trying to get him to stop. I try to tell him he's a good boy but needs to do what's right. Who knows if we're too young to understand what I mean. I think he really tries. But back to the biting- I don't know what prompts it but he has bitten other kids at daycare. I saw him do it once to a little girl (from daycare) we saw out at a restaurant. The two were pretty close to each other so I don't know if she did something he didn't like or what but he left a mark on her neck. (Vampire, maybe?) He also keeps biting Dave's finger when Dave is washing off his face after a meal. We keep telling him no as soon as he does it but he's still doing it.

I had a biting problem when I was a toddler, but I was older than this and I remember it. (Nerd I am, I was conducting "experiments" to see how bite marks changed with the harder I bit, who I bit, etc. So yeah my sister was bitten a few times. When my mom got me a sticker book and promised a sticker every day I didn't bite, I wanted the sticker more than the bite marks, plus I wasn't learning anything new, so boom it worked.) Neil is too young for something like this to work, so we're trying to think of other ideas. So far it's just saying a strong no. He seems to feel bad about it and gives us a hug but then he does it again later.

Along the behavior line, I have been reading that at a certain age, older than he is now, I think, they realize they can make decisions and then do the opposite of what you want just to show that they can do what they want. I figure that's going to happen regardless but we're doing what we can to temper that. Sometimes we let him choose his pajamas. We'll hold out a pair in each hand and let him choose. For awhile we thought he was just choosing what was in our right hand but he's chosen from either side. I also let him choose what washcloth he wants before he goes into the bathtub. That also helps with colors because I hold two out and say the color as I ask which he wants. "Neil, do you want blue or red today?" We have 5-6 different colors so that works really well. I've been watching to see if he tends to pick a particular color but don't see a pattern yet. And we'll see if this giving him choices early on will help with temper tantrums later...

Temper tantrum wise, he still throws them. Most of the time it seems be because he wants me to hold him or something. But there are times that he literally is standing there, throws himself on the floor, and screams. Dave and I look at each other, bewildered, and end up shrugging our shoulders. If we have no idea what's wrong we certainly can't help. Hopefully as he communicates better this will improve.

Neil still talks a lot. He sometimes mixes words up but still signs as well as talking (especially with "please" and "eat"). He says multiple syllable words all the time and repeats everything. We have him saying "Let's go Bucs." and he's good enough speaking that if I have both avocado and applesauce at a meal for him he can tell me which one he wants distinctly (and does say both those words with multiple syllables).

Eating is still going well. I try to give Neil a vegetable, fruit, and protein at both lunch and dinner. I tend to be short on vegetables. Neil loves berries- blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. So I'm buying a lot of those while they're fresh. Just this month I stopped cutting them up and he's eating them whole. I can tell he's starting to chew things although there are times he just swallows whatever he puts in his mouth. So I usually either give him a really big piece of food he has to chew or cut it up into smaller bites that he won't choke on. He had his first french fries this month and really liked chewing them up.

Neil is learning how to use a fork and knife. It's pretty messy but he seems to like it. Sometimes if he doesn't really want to eat something I hand him silverware and he will start eating again.

I still nurse morning and night. I think I'm ready to drop the morning one because I really want 15-20 minutes more sleep before work. I'm really getting worn down with work, as you might be able to tell from my lack of blog posts. Well, it's not just work, it's life, but work is a huge part of it.

This seems to becoming a monthly trend - picture at the drums at church.

Neil also had his first haircut, which I'll make a separate post about (with pictures).

Stats:

Diapers – size 3
Clothing - 18 month tops and 12 month bottoms. I think we're finally getting to the point that the 12 month bottoms fit and some are getting tight actually. He's also in 18 month pajamas. 
Shoes - size 4

Weight - 23 to 23.5 pounds (measured by both of us getting on the scale and subtracting my weight)

Height - I didn't try to measure his height myself.

There are so many pictures I think I'm going to copy Julie's idea and post weekly pictures that we've taken.