I'm about a week late on my 18 month post for Maddyx. He officialy celebrated this milestone on January 25th. I know, I know, such a bad Mama....but we've had a lot going on the past couple of weeks, and to be honest, I just haven't felt at all inspired to write. Every time I'd start, I just couldn't put it together. I seem to go through blogging phases. I'm going to try and get back to my "on" phase though. So I apologize to my sweet boy for being a week late on your 18 month (a year and a half, Whoa!!) post. I promise to try and do better in the future.
What does a year and a half look like in our house? For starters, it's just as cute as every other month! It's a ton of walking without any real destination. You know, the aimless wandering. It's several attempts to go from a quick walk to a run, with the end result being, well, not good. Like when he takes off running but never bothers to look down. Ever. And then he runs right off of a concrete step and takes a nose dive. Oh poor Maddyx. We love our son more than life itself, but graceful is one thing he is NOT. In his defense, he is in the 98th percentile for his weight and head circumference, so he's got a whole lot to balance on his two little size 5 footsies. I can't even begin to paint the picture of how many falls, tip over backwards, lose balance sideways, trip over toys, and just plain fall for no reason, we have in a matter of one day. As it stands right now he has a bruise on each side of his forehead, a black eye and a huge scratch from the corner of his eye down to the center of his nose. You get the picture? I know, not good.
We haven't seen a ton of progression in the talking department, and it's just so hard to know where he "should" be, since every child is so different. I try really hard not to compare him to the other adopted babies, but sometimes I find myself thinking hmmmmm...should he be more verbal by now? He does have some things he says all of the time....one word that he says All. Day. Long is "WOOOOW". That is pretty much his go-to response for everything. It's pretty hilarious. He also says ball and book and tries to say Cooper. He did say Mama and Dada for awhile, but he seems to have moved past that. Heck, who needs a Mama or a Dada when you've got your dog Cooper? He also says nigh-nigh and is starting to *try* and say water and pillow. That really just sounds like "wa" and "puh", but when you become a parent you suddenly become fluent in baby-talk.
Sleeping has been nothing short of amazing for the last month or two. Maddyx goes down at 7:00pm and sleeps until 7:00-7:30am. Not going to complain here!
Last but not least, this week is my very first week back to work. I cannot believe that it's been a little over five months since Maddyx came home. I feel so blessed that my employer was so incredibly supportive of our journey and allowed me to take an extra couple of months off to bond and just spend quality time with Maddyx. It really made such a big difference. For me and him. Until this last month I couldn't honestly say in my heart of hearts that I felt okay about going back to work. And I really needed to feel like it was right before I went back. At this point I feel like we've got a really good thing going and we're all in a great place as a family. Maddyx has a wonderful Nanny who comes to our house 2-3 days a week to watch him. Then he spends one day with his Dad and I get to stay home with him on Fridays. We're on day three of our new schedule and things are going perfectly. Again, I can't complain! Although working all day and then coming straight home to job number two and three (mom and wife) is definitely not easy. However, I am finding it easier than the full time job of stay-at-home-mom. It has given me some much needed time out of the house and seems to allow me to be a better mom when I get home. I think it's because my time with him is now limited, and therefore I don't take any moment for granted, and each moment is such a treasure. Which was really hard for me to fully grasp when we were together all day, every day. You can't help but go a little bit crazy. At least I couldn't. I know we're only three days in, but I think this is going to work out just fine!
So here's what 18 months looks like in our house.......
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| Our little baby is growing up. |
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| From Drop Box |
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| This is our very serious look. |
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| From Drop Box |
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| This picture wasn't the greatest quality, but how could I resist this pose? |
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| From Drop Box |
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| ........And here we come...."I'm gonna get you, Maddyx" is one of his favorite games right now. |
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| From Drop Box |
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| "What do you mean you don't want to cuddle?" |
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| From Drop Box |
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| Being 18 months isn't easy, but some one's gotta do it. |
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| From Drop Box |
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| Battered and bruised, and still as cute as ever. |
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| From Drop Box |
He is so stinky adorable. So glad to hear that your milestone transitions are going well...going back to work is something that I am still contemplating. Love, love, love his little VANS! Reminds me of highschool in Cali!!!
ReplyDeleteawww, maddyx! it sounds like you're true champ in every way! sounds like you're doing wonderfully...you can carson could have a sleepover and actually *gasp* sleep! so awesome! ;)
ReplyDeleteand, michelle, i'm so glad my little guy isn't the only one walking around with bruises and bumps! yikes!
Sounds like Maddyx is doing awesome! I'm very jealous about all that sleep you get. Woo-eeee!
ReplyDeleteFabulous photos! Even the ones with bumps and bruises. ;-) The "what do you mean you don't want to cuddle?" shot made me laugh out loud. Awesome capture.
I've found that having some away time from Spencer has made me a much more balanced Mama as well. It re-balances me and all of that....
Oh I just love these photos! So adorable. That's a sad little black eye but he's definitely a boy, eh?! Great update! The sleep is just awesome! Which is nice since you just went back to work. I'm sure that's been a tough transition but i think you're right about being more present with your kiddo when you don't spend all day with him. I'll be going back to work in the not too distant future and I am already kind of freaking out but thinking it will be nice, too. Happy 18 months to your cutie patootie!
ReplyDeleteI just love those cheecks! About the verbal thing every child is different. If your looking at Matthew's just remember that he is 20 months old. I think just one month apart makes a difference. Good luck with going back to work!
ReplyDeletebesides being an absolutely adorable boy, i LOVE that at 18 months maddyx gets to sport bare feet in green grass!
ReplyDeleteso happy to hear that things are going well (so far) since you've headed back to work. i totally agree with you - that working definitely helps keep you focused on what's important and really enjoy and treasure every moment you have with your kid(s). and, how great that maddyx gets a whole day with mom and a whole day with dad each week! that is super awesome and super special!
may sleep continue to be a strength of maddyx's and may all those bumps and bruises quickly become a thing of the past. :)
Great post - I'm so glad that you were able to have all that time with Maddyx before you went back to work. I'm so with you on the talking thing and it's exactly what others have said - every child is different. However, there are a lot of our kids that are just a little slower at it because they came home at an older age. The sleeping is awesome! Wesley's been getting up at 4:30am and it's killing us!
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