18 Months
The past month has been such a great joy as my little men become 18 months old. It’s amazing how much they’ve changed in the past six months. How much more independent and adventurous. And yet they are still my little baby boys who love to cuddle and need to keep Momma in sight. Their personalities are really starting to come out as they amaze us with their knowledge of the world around them and how well they watch and listen to us.
Forest has burst into speech. And he seems to know all the animal sounds, or at least his version. It doesn’t get any cuter then his sweet little voice “bawk bawk”ing like a chicken or “meeeow”ing like a kitten. Both boys “do the chicken dance” because of their Elmo that does the chicken dance and they are adorable as they flap their “wings” and “bawk bawk”. Every day the boys pop up with a new word. It is amazing and awesome. They have also taken off with the sign language. It only takes me showing them a sign for about a day before it sinks in.
Here is Logan doing his version of the sign for water. Logan also always has to say the word while Forest is happy to just sign it.
Logan loves shoes and feet so much. He’s taken to putting on my Teva’s and walking around the house waving and saying “bye bye”. He recently tried high heels for the first time.
Forest shakes his head yes or no when you ask him a question and usually it seems like he really does know what he’s saying. Only a couple of times have the situations been too confusing and then it turns into a game.
The other day during a particularly stressful moment between two tired babies and one tired Momma, Forest suddenly looked at me, reached out and pinched my nose. Of course I responded with a “honk honk” and all three of us burst into a fit of giggles. As a baby he was always the one to bring me back when I get lost in emotion with the deepness of his eyes, and that moment was amazing as he did it with actions.
Logan gives hugs and makes kissing noises. He loves cars and things he can sit on, making all kinds of great noises. He hates being in his car seat and wants to sit up front and drive the real car. (thanks to Dusty and Chris for teaching him that one).
The boys understood that they flew on airplanes last month and that airplanes fly in the sky.
Eating was always easy for us but now, especially one meal a day, has turned into a joke. I’m constantly having to check my ego at the door as the boys will eat something one day and not the next. Thank goodness for all the peer support on the subject to remind me constantly that they get what they need when they need it and to just let it be.
Baths used to be easy too. But now they don’t want their hair washed and don’t want to get out of the tub because it’s a giant source of fun. Water in all it’s forms is one of the greatest toys available and luckily it’s free.
Teething molars is making them both super clingy and fussy. Ironically enough these boys scream when I want to go to the bathroom but have no trouble running away from me at the park. Fickle much?
We made the mistake of getting used to 11.5 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Never take such things for granted with kids. It was glorious while it lasted and now I know it’s possible so I look forward to it’s next realization.
We read often. But the boys usually don’t want to read alone. They want to sit in a lap as they go through the pages and point out the words that they know. It’s super sweet. At bedtime we re-read the same books over and over again for about a month and then it’s on to another. Current nap favorite Little Gorilla and at bedtime it’s Hush Little Ones.
They have figured out how to do up the “seat belts” on their booster chairs. A very cool feat but also a problem because they also try and climb into them by themselves all the time and it results in horrible accidents. I have even had to remove all the extra chairs from the table because Forest’s monkey antics have reached a point where even my easy going heart is envisioning emergency room trips.
I’m starting to learn that my best defense against Forest’s “bad” behavior is to ignore it. He wants to get a reaction out of me, and when I get angry he just laughs. So I ignore a lot of things and find that he just stops doing them. I never knew how much you could see out of the corner of your eye or while seeming to look at something else. Is this the mysterious “eyes in the back of your head” that I thought my mother had?
Forest and Logan are happy, healthy and intelligent little boys. I love to take them outside on mini nature walks as we discover bugs, feathers, neighborhood dogs and cats. We pick up sticks and eat dirt. We hug trees and watch airplanes and hawks overhead. These are such precious times and I’m daily thankful to be here with them and watch them grow.
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Comments
WOW!!!! your boys are doing soooo well! they are beautiful and happy! Your one proud mama! I wish you all the best and send many hugs and kisses your familys way!! Take care! xoxoxo
Tara*
I was laughing at the picture of Logan in high heels. My one twin use to love to put on my high heel cowboy boots and run around the house. His brother would just look at him and laugh. I miss those days! What a fun age. Enjoy
logan looks SO MUCH like you in the first picture@!!!