Year and a Half

Posting this a little late but it's been a busy 2 weeks!

The cutest 18 month old I know 

Dominic just had his half birthday and is officially a year and a half old!!  How quickly the time has gone by.  I feel like I just had him a couple of months ago.  I can say without a doubt that these last 18 months have been the best of my life, and I have to add that this is my favorite age yet too!  Dominic has developed into his own person with preferences, interests, dislikes, and most of all a sense of humor (my favorite part). 

At this point Dominic weighs 26 pounds and is 33 inches tall.  He is wearing 18 month, 24 month, and 2T shirts and 18 month shorts (depending on the outfit).  He is also wearing 2T pajamas now and is about to move to XL sleep sacks.  Dominic’s shoe size is a 6, but he still squeezes into his size 5 sandals if he has too.  He continues to wear size 4 diapers too although he fits in size 5’s, but there’s no need to change that till he weighs even more especially since you get fewer at the same price in the 5's.  

Dominic continues to sleep about 11 ½ hours a night (as long as he’s not sick or enduring the worst of the teething) and typically takes a 2 hour nap once a day.   He has 11 teeth right now – the 4 front top teeth, 4 bottom front teeth, the top and bottom molars on the right side, and is getting the bottom left molar.  Dominic doesn’t just walk, he runs…everywhere!  He is always on the move, being the “busiest” child I know...and the most fun one! 

The list of Dominic’s activities continues to be a long one.  We have 2 playgroups a week – one on Tuesday afternoons and the other on Wednesday mornings which will soon be moving to Monday mornings.  Starting in September, Dominic will begin Parents' Morning Out one day a week (3 hours), which I'm both excited and nervous about, as well as a music class once a week.  Additionally, I would like to continue giving Dominic swim lessons (myself) once our local pool closes, and I have a Gymboree Groupon that I want to use in October.  So, needless to say, the fall will be busy for Dominic and me!  That seems to be how we both like it though.

Dominic's language is coming along more and more although it was slow to start.  Things "clicked" for him around 16 months or so.  He seems to understand a lot/most of what we say these days and continues to learn more and more.  He follows instructions well ("Let's go bye bye" = he heads to the door, "Time to go night night" = he heads to stairs and waits at the gate if we're downstairs, or when we're upstairs he go to his crib and tries to get in).  I know that soon enough that won’t be the case, and getting him to do what I say will be a huge struggle.  Dominic also responds to questions we ask of him not necessarily with words but with actions too.  The words that Dominic says are increasing too as he is saying more and more new words and phrases.  He likes to copy sounds we make too.  Dominic has a polite streak in him as he says "thank you" and we're working on please currently.  

The skills or "tricks" that Dominic demonstrates are developing too.  His biggest strength has always been his physical skills, and that continues to be true.  He's been throwing a ball overhand for about 3 months, so we joke that he's a future baseball or football player, but he loves bouncing balls so maybe a basketball player.  Dominic has become increasingly interested in body parts, identifying his nose, head, teeth, tongue, and belly button.  He likes to stack 3 or 4 blocks at a time...and promptly knock them over being the typical boy he is.  

Sharing his toys, food, and just about everything else is something that Dominic is really enjoying these days.  We politely thank him and accept these items (even if they are covered in saliva or something equally as disgusting) and then quickly return them to him.  Dominic smiles and then brings us something else.  It's a fun, little game, and we love encouraging Dominic's generosity.  He also loves to "help" us especially with cleaning.  If there's something on the ground, Dominic enjoys putting it away - often times in the wrong place, but his heart is in the right place.  He loves helping me load the clothes from the washer to the dryer.  The only problem is that Dominic likes to throw things away - things that don't belong in the trash can!  

Dominic’s absolute favorite thing to do is being chased around.  He loves it and laughs hysterically. Another one of Dominic’s favorite activities at the moment is kissing people especially girls.  Sometimes they don’t exactly reciprocate, but I always do when he kisses me.  When Dominic sees Brian and I kiss he always smiles, so I feel like he probably has a healthy sense of affection.  I’ve heard horror stories about toddlers screaming whenever they see their parents kiss, so we lucked out on that one. 

Dominic also loves organizing things.  We wonder if he’s a little OCD.  He likes collect or line up his toys based on the color or design and putting things away (where he considers them to be put away, that is) or in some kind of container.  He seems to also want objects that go together to stay together.  For example, he likes to pick up shoes from our shoe pile and take the pair (not a single shoe) and place them somewhere else in the house, with the right one on the right side and the left one on the left side.  I'll frequently ask Brian, "Did you put those shoes there?" and he claims that it wasn't him, and I know it wasn't me.  

Dominic is extremely analytical, examining objects at every turn.  We say he prefers to analyze the world rather than to talk about it.  One of his latest “things” is to compare 2 similar objects like 2 blocks or 2 sippy cups (one with water and the other with milk in it for instance).  He'll sip both back and forth, hold both of them up, examine them closely, analyzing the 2 objects very closely, and comparing them.    

Dominic doesn't have a transitional or comfort object (i.e., the blanket like Linus from Charlie Brown carried around), but he does have a favorite "spot."  He loves the right corner position on our sofa (the chofa part).  If you happen to sit there, Dominic will come up and squeeze you over.  He doesn't get upset or mad, he just makes it clear that you're in his spot and you need to move.  The spot is the first place I look for Dominic around the house and a thumb in his mouth when he sits there is pretty common especially when he's tired.  I've sat him there since he was a baby and it's the easiest spot to climb up on for him.  

The stairs have been an obsession of Dominic's since he was 7 months old and learned to climb them (the beginning of the end as I call it).  He's had one fall - while I was out of town and his dad was watching him haha, but otherwise has always been an excellent stair climber both up and down.  The last several months, he's been really working on walking independently down the stairs but is still too short.  This is pretty scary for me personally.  He typically knows that he needs to hold someone's hand to walk down the stairs, but if he comes upon a single step he will try to walk down it independently.  The pool steps have helped him with this as well.  He loves climbing those steps.  

Brushing Dominic's teeth had been a bit of a challenge at times, but I feel like he's finally enjoying it.  I'm not sure how great of a job brushing we're doing because Dominic is more interested in sucking the toddler toothpaste off the brush, but he gets excited when I bring the toothbrush out.  I try to brush his teeth as he lays on the bed and sing our tooth brushing song (where the actual tooth cleaning occurs as much as possible), then I let him help me brush his teeth while we both hold the tooth brush, and finally he gets to "brush" his teeth himself, which really means sucking the toothpaste and biting down on the toothbrush.  We try to make this a routine in the morning and at night too.  

Music is another big part of Dominic’s life.  If he’s upset, it amazes me how singing to him can be so soothing and distracting.  His favorite songs to sing along with are “5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed” and “Pat-a-Cake.” He loves singing along with “5 Little Monkeys” by pointing his finger sternly and saying “No!”  He also enjoys playing “Pat-a-Cake" and enjoys making the clapping and rolling gestures.  Dominic also loves “The Itsy Bitsy Spider,” “I’m a Little Tea Pot,” “Old McDonald,” and “Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star.”   As soon as music comes on, Dominic starts dancing.  I never realized that rhythm is something that is so innate in a person.  Some other favorites of Dominic’s are taking baths, swimming, the TV show “Super Why,” the hula hoop, blocks, and reading! 

Although this is a fantastic age, there are of course challenges that we encounter.  I would say the biggest one is that Dominic still doesn’t have the communication skills necessary at all times, so that can lead to some frustration.  The more he talks, the easier that gets however.  I still look forward to Dominic being able to tell me if his ear hurts instead of just having me read the signs or taking him to the doctor whenever he doesn’t “seem” okay. 

  

Dominic's shyness/stranger anxiety appears to be lessening - a little.  He still greatly prefers women to men and is more comfortable with older men than those in their 20s and 30s (Brian's friends), but he's acting a little less shy around them lately.  The pediatrician (who Dominic is scared of) recommends to keep having Dominic around these men to help him get passed his fear.  I guess it's like someone who's afraid of heights skydiving...Dominic has to hang out with Brian's "scary" friends. Haha

Each day I notice something new and different that Dominic has learned or started doing that demonstrates how he has become more of a functional person and less of a baby.  It’s sad but also an astonishing experience to witness especially on a daily basis.  Dominic’s a sweet, hysterical, and truly amazing child.  No wonder I love him and motherhood so much!  These passed 18 months have been more than I could ever have imagined and definitely the happiest of my life.  Happy Half Birthday, Dominic!!