The Gosmas: 18 Months

Monday, October 29, 2012

18 Months

Jackson is 18 months old. He is growing slow and steady! He is 23.5 lbs, 32.5 inches and his head circumference is 18 in. He is staying in the 40-50% for weight and height and is in the 10th percentile for head. He had to get 2 vaccines and also his flu shot. He did great and only cried for a min afterwards.

Our pediatrician is great and will talk to us about anything and never rushes us out. I had some questions about behavior and discipline as Jackson is learning to test his independence. We have yet to do any sort of time outs yet though. Jackson has started having mini tantrums when he doesn't get his way. Thankfully they don't last long! He also does it when he is tired. So the key is to catch him before he gets to that point and get him down for a nap!

These past 3 months have been lots of fun! We have spent lots of time playing outside, went to the beach for Labor day, went to Fernbank, the fire station, the zoo, did some finger painting, went to fun fall festivals, the pumpkin patch, petting zoo, Jackson spent a few days with his grandparents while Jimmy and I had our own getaway and did some holiday crafting. Of course we also spend lots of time at home playing with toys, working on our shapes, learning body parts and also trying new foods (which includes throwing half on the floor for Cooper), throwing mini tantrums and being a typical 18 month old. My main objective on this blog is to record the things we do as sort of a journal but I also like to remember the hard times. The hard times help me learn and try to be a better mom. They give me more patience (not at the time but usually after the fact)!

Jackson is still a pretty good eater. Breakfast is by far our best meal of the day. He loves eggs and will eat his and then come begging to us for more! He loves oatmeal with raisins and cinnamon too. Cereal, pancakes, yogurt and of course fruit are his favorites. Lunch is usually chicken, pb&j or grilled cheese. Dinner is what we eat a lot of times. He loves pot roast, some pasta dishes, chicken and pizza. He isn't as good about eating his veggies but could seriously live off of fruit if I let him! He still drinks 2-3 cups of whole milk a day. He does really well with regular cups and prefers to use a straw in them. He loves to sit in our chairs and barstools to have his milk and/or snack. He climbs up all by himself. Jackson's 1 year molars finally cut through. I'll be happy when he gets the rest of his teeth!

Jackson sleeps from about 7:30pm until 7 or 7:30am. He typically takes just one (2-3 hour) nap a day around 12 or 12:30 but every now and then still takes 2. Just depends on the day! Jackson is talking more and more and I love hearing the words he comes up with. As his ped put it - his brain is working faster than his mouth so most of his phrases sounds like jibberish but he is getting much better with individual words. Its crazy to think that 3 months ago he barely said anything and he had just been walking for a couple weeks. Now he is running and always saying something!

Jackson knows most of his body parts and points to them when asked. He loves to give high fives and fist bumps. He listens to us and understands most of what we say. I can ask him to go put away his blocks and he will. Or I can ask him to go get his shoes so we can go outside. He will go over to the basket and get his shoes out. He loves to throw away his dirty diaper (once I have folded it up) in the garbage can. We asked him the other day to go give Uncle John a high five. We were a few tables away. He walked right over to him, passing by Gretchen, Joe and his Grandma and walked up to John ready to high five!

Jackson is wearing mostly size 12-18 month clothing and size 3 diapers. We did switch him to size 4 overnights just to be sure he doesn't wet through!

Now that I wait a few months to do these posts I feel like they get very lengthy and I worry that I forget to include some of the important updates and memories! The days, weeks, and months are flying by! We are so proud of the little guy Jackson is becoming and try to make the most of everyday! Even the bad ones! :)