Benaiah: 15 Months
I don’t know why, but 15 months seem so old.
Maybe it is because I can actually communicate with this little human or that he is now very opinoinated. Or maybe it is because he knows how to give actual kisses or that he knows how to give me the most adorable smile (on command, mind you) ever. Either way, he has absolutely captured my little heart and this 15 month thing, is a very good thing. I want him to stay here, forever. Pretty, please.
It’s been a while since I’ve done a little recap of what this munchkin is up to and before the months start blending together, I thought it was time to give a little update!
Sleeping
Benaiah is still a champ with bed time and consistently going to bed around 7-7:30. Our little routine has stayed the same from ‘the early days,’ (am I still too young to say that?) which involves bath time, prayers, nursing, and then a song or two. I am so thankful he goes down easily and SLEEPS THROUGH THE NIGHT. In case you didn’t remember, Niah was not the easiest sleeper, ever and sleeping through the night is a big deal around here. There are still a few days here and there where he starts crying randomly, in the middle of the night, but they are rare, which I am thankful for.
Naps
Nap time, on the other hand, is all over the place. A couple months ago, I had Benaiah’s nap time down to a science. He would fall asleep around 9:30 am, sleep for two hours and take a second nap around 3 (usually lasting for about 1 hour.) However, the past couple months (which feels like three years) Niah has been protesting napping in his crib and will not sleep no matter what I do. Scratch that, he will nap on me, but otherwise he would rather stay up and party all day. The problem with that, however, is he needs sleep and mom needs that nap time sanity. Right now, I am allowing him to rest on me during the day (since that is how he is sleeping) and hoping to transition him back to his crib once he falls into a semi-regular nap time schedule. Is this normal? Any suggestion from more experienced mothers would be so appreciated!
Social and New Skills
Niah is at that stage where there seems to be a new skill he is developing each day! I love watching him explore the world and learn! He know understands a ton of basic sentences and knows how to say ‘Done,’ ‘Mama.’ ‘Dada,’ ‘Banana,’ ‘Tree,’ ‘Knock-knock,’ and so many more words! Recenetly, he has become obsessed with the Adam Raccoon books and he asks to read it at least twice a day.
The more I watch Niah grow, the more I’m seeing such a mixture of myself and Landon. He is quite mechanical, an observer, thinker, and somewhat of an introvert, like Landon. However, I do see many of my traits in him too. He seems passionate, somewhat impulsive, and definitely has a firstborn personality (as I do too!)
The more I teach him about Jesus, the world, and life, the more I am humbled and thrilled to be his mom. It is seriously my favorite job ever, and although exhausting and somewhat draining (like when the toilet paper is ALL over the bathroom-again) it is so worth it!
Eating
I’ve never met someone who loves fruit as much as this kid. He does eat his vegetables (which makes mama happy), but he is passionate about his fruit. He loves bananas, blueberries, watermelon, strawberries, GRAPES, mango, anything sweet, really. He enjoys chicken, peanut butter sandwiches, broccoli, and other basic foods! Something I have noticed, is a slight rash whenever he eats dairy- so we are eliminating that from his diet this month, in order to see if that helps. Does anyone else have any issues with this?
How am I Doing?
God is teaching me so many new things, this season of life. I’ve realized, raising a toddler (boy) is BUSY and it is okay. Life sometimes looks a lot different than I’ve planned it out in my head, but it is all so worth it. I really feel like the older he grows and the more I bond with him and see how much he really loves me, the more I absolutely love being his mom. I always have loved him and loved being a mom, but actually being ‘friends,’ with my child takes the mom life to a whole new level.
Motherhood is weird, because I always feel so relieved when he goes to sleep and then about 2 hours later, I want to wake him up because I miss him. I am so thankful God made us like that!
Being Benaiah’s mother is one of the biggest blessings in my life and I am so excited to get to know this little human even more, as he grows (but not too fast) up.
Questions of the Day
- Has anyone else struggled with dairy allergies?
- Nap time – SOS! Any recommendations?
- What is going to be the highlight of your Wednesday?