I can’t believe that I am writing this. It feels like just yesterday Benaiah turned a year old and now he’s 18 months old and only six months away from turning two? Just give me a second to weep.

But really, I couldn’t be happier or more excited about where he is at then now. And although I admittedly say that about every stage, 18 months just feels so good. Maybe it is because he is SO verbal these days or maybe it’s because I hear him wake up and say, ‘mama,’ right off the bat or maybe it’s because his silly antics that happen every single day, 24/7. Either way, I love this stage and everything about it. Yes, it is more challenging in certain ways than when he was a newborn or six months old, but it is also so much fun!

SLEEPING

Thank goodness we are still doing well with sleeping. Normally, Benaiah goes down around 7:30 after his usual bed time routine of bath + nurse + singing. He typically will sleep until exactly 7 am, however, lately he has been sleeping in a little later, which is fine by me. After so, so many months of not sleeping well, I feel like I am finally catching up on sleep and it is amazing. I am very thankful he is now a good sleeper and will get a good 12 hours almost every night. There are nights, every now and then that he will go to bed later (because of some family activity) and although he goes down later, he will still get up around the same time. Go figure. All in all, I am really happy with his sleeping habits and praise Jesus for that!

NAPS

Most days, naps are consistent and he does well with those too! (Another huge win.) Benaiah’s never been the greatest napper (unless he’s on me) but we’ve finally settled into a solid 2-3 hour afternoon napping routine which is life giving for mom and also really good for him! Normally, Landon comes home for lunch and after an hour of daddy time, Niah goes down around 2 and sleeps for a couple hours. He still has afternoons where he doesn’t sleep, but those seem to be spacing further and further apart, which is such a relief!

SOCIAL AND NEW SKILLS

Oh my goodness, every single day there seems to be something new that Niah is either saying, discovering, or doing and I love it! The words he mastered are: mama, da da, clock, bug, ball, dog, uh-oh, bye-bye, and a few others that I can’t think of right now #mombrain. He loves reading Curious George as of late, eating oatmeal with blueberries, and climbing onto furniture. The past couple months, I’ve noticed a change in his interactions with his friends and he seems to be a lot more interactive instead of both of them just staring at each other. It is so cute to watch two little humans interact! He also has recently gotten into Veggie Tales, which is a special treat he gets on some afternoons. Something both Landon and I’ve noticed is his love for music and dancing, which is hilarious and so sweet to watch! He also loves watching me run on the treadmill while he eats breakfast and hanging out with his grandmas, grandpas, aunts, and uncles! I am so in love with this fun stage and super excited to see what the next few months holds.

EATING

His love for food is still going strong, but in the last couple months he’s starting trying new things and developing new likes/dislikes. Without a doubt, his favorite food is blueberries (and pretty much any other fruit.) Aside from fruit, he loves eggs, toast, oatmeal, broccoli, cooked carrots, quinoa, nutritional yeast > which we call ‘cheese,’ (isn’t that hilarious!) noodles, crackers, popcorn, and hummus. Since we found out about his dairy allergy, we’ve had to be a little more creative on what he can and cannot have, but I really don’t mind. Thankfully, it hasn’t been to big of a switch, although I do have to be more mindful of what I give him or allow others to give him.

HOW AM I DOING?

Really, really good. Balancing a toddler, running three businesses, training for races, and being a present wife and mother is difficult, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything! This stage of life, while full is so rewarding! Whether it’s watching Niah learns things for the first time, cheering him on as he overcomes fears, conquering goals with Landon or supporting my clients, I know that I am right where God has called me to be. And that feels so, so good.

Life is definitely far, far from perfect. But it is a good life. Because I know whose I am and who I am and I look forward to all that God has in store.