16 Months

The last month has been a whirlwind of craziness.  When I said something to Robbie this morning about the kids being 16 months on the 16th, he said he thought they were 17 months already.  This month sped by and was so packed with stuff, it does almost feel as if two months have passed.

16 months on the 16th. Does that mean this is their golden month, or does that only count with years? Either way, it's a special month.  They all are.  The last month brought more teeth, more words, and more consistent sleep.  It also brought more tears and more separation anxiety.

Between the evenings and days away from the kids for adult time and the unusual hours I had to cover at work, the kids thought every time I set them down, I was leaving them. When we would go to my parents, they would cry. When grandma came to our house, they would cry. If we went to the daycare and I set them down, they would cry. And of course when I did actually leave, they would cry. I can see they're gradually realizing that I always come back, so the tears were less frequent this weekend when I had to run to work.

We are starting to see more tantrums, usually for ridiculous reasons. My favorite this month was when B threw a fit because I wouldn't let her hold the honey badger while she was eating. Macaroni and cheese doesn't mix well with stuffed animals, but try telling that to a toddler. I was fully expecting her to refuse dinner just to get the honey badger back. Not being able to climb on the dishwasher, having to stay inside when it's raining and holding still for diaper changes are some of the most common reasons for tantrums these days. Of course wanting whatever item, book, toy, sippy cup, their sibling has tops the list.

Harrison is still holding steady at 8 teeth. You can see and feel all of his molars, but none have broken the skin. Brooke went form 9 to 12 teeth in two days, and she took it like a champ. one night while brushing her teeth, I looked at her only to see blood streaming down her face. Harrison's gums don't bleed when teeth break the skin, but hers do.  Not every one, but quite a few of them have.

Kind of a side note, we have a lot of people ask us about their amber teething necklaces. They wear them all the time. There are still some days when we use Motrin at bedtime and days when teething rings are a must, but I do think the necklaces help.  We haven't had a fever from teething since they started wearing them. We haven't had any days where someone was inconsolable due to teething pain since we got them. We don't need to use teething tablets anymore.  As one friend said, "She just got three teeth in two days and is still alive?" Yes, and I really think it's because of their necklaces. They take the edge off enough to keep them happy. No more teething monsters in this house.

There are a few new words that have entered their everyday vocabulary. My favorite is cheese. Harrison was the first to say it and it's so funny when he does. He sounds like a little Borat and pronounces it more like chiz than cheese. It makes me laugh every time. Go is another one that get's used every day. If I say we're going to go somewhere, they run to the front door and say go. Boo was the first to get the G sound down. Harrison has started saying shoe as well. They both are making tons of new sounds, and I feel like the language explosion everyone talks about close to 18 months isn't too far away.

At the start of this month, we were still back and forth between one and two naps. Some days their second nap would be completely boycotted and other days they'd take one afternoon nap that wasn't long enough and then we'd have to put them to bed early. The last week and a half they have been taking one two hour nap each day and staying on their same 8p-8a sleep schedule, with the exception of Saturday when I completely messed up their schedule so we could stay out late for a friend's birthday dinner.

They have also been waking up less often for their 6am nursing session. I feel like it's probably time to just be done with the night nursing they're still holding on to.  Question for any other nursing moms that dropped the final night feeding after a year: Did/Do you do a wake up nursing to make up for the one they aren't getting overnight, or do you just completely drop that feeding? Obviously we don't need to worry about lack of calories since they eat three meals a day, plus a couple nursing sessions and a snack.

They are both still eating mostly with their hands.  We are trying to introduce silverware, but mostly they push food around their plate or hold the fork in one hand and use their other hand to eat. They both like using silverware, so much so that they often refuse to eat until they have some, but it's still more of a pain than it's worth. At what age do they stop looking like they bathed in their food after every meal?

They still love to read more than pretty much anything else. They definitely have their favorite books and they expect you to read them over and over and over again. Brooke has started to get specific books if you as for them. If you ask her to get "The Little Blue Truck" or "Everywhere Babies" or "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," she will go get you that specific book. The other day I asked her to get "Jesus is With Me" which was sitting right next to "Jesus Loves the Little Children." She looked very confused and couldn't decide which one to pick up. When I sang, yes they're books that are sung, the first line of "Jesus is With Me" she picked it up and brought it right over. Brookie is one smart cookie.

Both kids love the dogs, but Harrison really LOVES the dogs. I feel like everyday he becomes more and more attached to them. He is constantly petting them, climbing on them, pointing to them and saying dog. He has started dropping throwing the ball for my parents little dog. We are constantly telling them to be nice when they pet the dogs, so now if we say nice they will pet the dog. Or if we say be nice to your brother, Brooke will pet his head. It makes me laugh every time.

This month has been really trying, for more reasons than just the babies, but a lot of fun. Seeing them grow and learn is so great. It's tough when I see how frustrated they get because they can't yet communicate what they are feeling or what they want/need, but I can see their brains processing and learning new things each day. I'm really excited for this month because there will be lots of new things for them to experience with the change of seasons.

Happy 16 months, H and B. I wouldn't trade a day of it for anything. I love you to the moon and back.

They wanted nothing to do with pictures in the sac today. I got one smile. Out of 40 pictures, Harrison smiled once and Brooke scowled the entire time.