When did my baby become a little boy?

In the past week, my 19-month old has done several things that made me step back, drop my jaw, and stare in astonishment.  He didn't meet any of those major milestones that you will find on websites and in pediatricians' offices.  The changes are more subtle, but in some ways they are far cooler than any of those official markers of age.  Now, I totally understand that some of these things might be cool only to me as his mom, but, well, heck, I'm a proud momma and I want to write about them!

He has become one of the "big kids" at storytime.


We often go to storytime at our local library for "babies" 0-24 months.  This week, I noticed that Max has become one of the big kids at these events.  It's now his job to look out for the babies and be gentle with the toys.  When did that happen?!?  I feel like it was yesterday that he was the one getting his toys snatched away by the big kids!







He can open and close doors.


He can't quite reach most handles well enough to turn, but he finds so much joy in opening a door to say "hi!" then waving "bye" and shutting the door again.  He's had the ability to push doors open and closed for a while, but I am impressed at his imaginative ability as he plays this game.





He doesn't need to be carried everywhere.


I'm rounding the corner into my third trimester of pregnancy, so for the past few weeks I have been working with Max to be able to walk more places on his own.  (Carrying him is getting harder for me, and I know it will only become more so after the baby is born.)

Two weeks ago, Max could only handle walking the short distance from a sidewalk to the door of a building.  He was so distracted by everything else, that I was mostly plucking him from the pavement just to keep moving.  This week he showed that he could handle walking farther and farther without getting tired or distracted by ice chunks, dirty cars, or stray shopping carts!



He can remember directions and follow them.


Sometimes I give Max little jobs to do while I am getting meals together.  If my husband is working somewhere in the house (usually the basement), I will write a note that says "Dinner is ready" and ask Max to give it to Daddy.  It amazes me that Max is able to hold onto and deliver the note while walking past roomfuls of toys and other distractions!








He added new words to his vocabulary.


Just two months ago, it seemed that he was destined to say little more than "dis" (this) for the rest of his life.  Now, he can say lots of different words, and even tries to imitate new words each day!  Here are some of the recent additions to his vocabulary (along with how they actually sound):

 

yes

(ahs)

 

 

Papa

(pap or papa)

 

 

roar!

(raw!)

 

 

off 

(means both off and on)

 

 

bus

(ahs)

 

 

 

meow

(mmm...with an adorable, cat-like inflection!)

 

 

 

bop

(I still haven't totally figured out all of the meanings of this word, but he says it alot!)

 

 

 

 



He doesn't sleep like a baby.

 

 

Gone are the days when shushing and rocking sooth him into sleep. I can no longer just swoop him up and hold him to help him fall back asleep if he wakes too soon.  I find myself having to think more and more about how I feel when I'm tired and can't sleep, or when I need to wind down for a nap, rather than what works for a baby. 

 

He has his own little quirks, like having to have a sip of water before settling down, wanting a blanket tucked up by his face to sleep, and watching me swish the hanging polka dots above his bed before I walk out of the room.  It is so fun to watch him develop his own preferences!

 

 

I hope you don't mind my musings about my little guy.  I don't keep any kind of journal, and it's nice to have some kind of record of thoughts and reflections like this.  Thanks for indulging me.  :)