Spear Summary of Month 18.
This post covers Spear’s 18th month of life (the entire month of May in 2019). He was 17 months old
Sleeping and Eating
Babywise recommends for toddlers to drop the morning nap and transition to one nap a day somewhere between 12 and 18 months old.
Spear is no where close to dropping his morning nap and I’m not complaining one bit!
He is a high sleep needs child and it’s pretty dang awesome 😉
I’m in zero rush for him to drop the nap. He’s still sleeping
He will also still fall asleep in the car but transition just fine when we get home so I don’t mind that either.
Basically he’s such an easy kid 😉
Spear is still a great eater but is getting to that picky toddler stage where he’s eating certain things off his tray and not just eating it ALL.
I have some strategies for getting my kids to eat vegetables and I’m def implementing them with him!
He is also at that age where he wants whatever anyone else is eating. Such a frustrating stage haha!
He got to try his first bit of Nutella this month and was an instant fan (who isn’t?)
Another frustrating toddler stage we’ve entered?
The one where I now have a child clinging to my legs whenever I’m trying to cook dinner.
I mean if you haven’t had a sobbing toddler attached to your leg while cooking are you even a mom?
Pink Eye and Eczema
Sigh. Mom life, right?
One of Spear’s eyes seemed a bit smaller than the other. It wasn’t goopy or crusty or anything.
Just a little red.
So I assumed allergies and didn’t stress it.
Thennnnn he woke up one morning and the second eye was red too. Still not goopy or anything but I decided to take him in.
Which was an interesting experience in itself because
Sure enough, pink eye.
Which is SO ANNOYING.
I had to put this GEL stuff IN HIS EYE – FOUR TIMES A DAY.
Such a joke!
Not drops y’all…GEL.
I’m SO thankful for my Instagram Community and the advice I received! Wise mamas suggested using a q-tip to apply and just applying it to the eyelashes. It worked well!
On top of the eye fun Spear also kept having a rash pop up on the back of his neck.
I also noticed it a bit behind his knees.
I kept hoping it was just a rash from his bib but knew in my gut that it was probably eczema.
Which is something I’ve yet to deal with as a parent. So. Fun.
Since I was at the dr for the eye issues I asked about his rash too and the dr did confirm eczema.
Speech Update:
Spear is also my first to be a little behind with his speech.
I know he’s not even 18 months old yet and that speech delay isn’t truly a concern at this stage but y’all know me.
I’m all about doing everything I can and working on any bumps in the road as soon as they arrive rather than waiting for them to get worse down the path.
We had Spear’s lip tie released at the end of April (you can read about that experience here)
Most of May was spent making sure we followed through with keeping the lip separated from the gums and he healed beautifully.
Part of the process in helping his lip tie being released was to also follow through with some physical therapy work as the dentist who did his release said his body is responding in a way that is causing his tongue to act tied and that by getting some therapy work done it will help in making his tongue “act correctly.”
I had a STRUGGLE finding a therapy option in town and I first took him to my physical therapist that I used for my foot.
They I guess were under the impression that I wanted a speech evaluation.
Which was FINE but not what I was wanting. They did say he would benefit from some speech therapy so I reached out to our local services to see about getting him an appointment.
I was also finally able to find someone locally who does the exact therapy that the dentist had recommended (CST) and it’s going really well!
I have noticed that he’s moving his tongue more. Sticking it out more. Moving it differently. Which I think is a positive move in the right direction.
He is also vocalizing more and using more words, at least when repeating us which is still positive!
Walking
Along with being my slowest speaker, Spear is also my latest walker.
He has come SUPER far with the walking and is right where he needs to be for his age at this point. He’s choosing to walk over crawl which is great!
I’m not sure if it was just timing or if it was related to the therapy, but I’m just happy to see him walking everywhere 🙂
I’m also trying to take the TIME to HAVE him walk.
Swimming
We started swimming this month and I was nervous going into it that I’d have a hard time getting Spear going with his survival swim lessons.
I feel SO proud of myself for how well I’ve done with him with swim and I’m super proud of how quickly he picked it all back up and how well he’s doing with it all.
Part of our summer schedule is spending a good bit of time in the pool each week to really keep him on track with his skills.
He’s done awesome!
He really LOVES this random frisbee so his reward when he finishes his survival swim is to get to walk around carrying his frisbee 😉
TV Time
Spear doesn’t watch TV. He has zero interest. At all.
And I know he’s not even two yet so he’s under the recommended age for screen time.
But all of my other kids have always been straight ZOMBIES with screen time. We don’t do it often but man it’s so handy when needed.
Like at the dr it would have been SO nice if Spear just SAT in the dang waiting room and zombied out to the tv screen rather than trying to cruise all over the waiting room with his pink eyes.
And once he drops his morning nap I will have a bit of screen time for him each day so I want him to actually sit and watch it!
I do think there is a benefit to
And that’s a skill Spear needs to work on 😉
So I’ve started doing just 5-10 minutes a day of screen time with him. I have a little toddler seat that I buckle him into and I turn on Little Baby Bum. It’s working well so far!
I sit right beside him and he’s starting to enjoy it more and more.
Of course Tess loves to “help” Spear watch tv 😉
More About Spear This Month:
It was so pretty outside in the beginning of the month and we hung out outside as much as we could.
Spear had fun in the grass and drawing with chalk for the first time!
Zach has been working hard on our yard and Spear took a little ride for the first time on the lawn mower! He LOVED it and wanted to take over the driving 😉
Spear loves to read books and is so cute always doing “I love to pat the Bible” every time he “reads” a book.
I’m working with him on being GENTLE with books. Kid is just rough!
Spear still loves to get into my cabinets and I’m working with him on CLEANING THEM BACK UP!
He is also quick to run for the stairs if someone leaves the gate open.
Of course my goal is for the kids to ALWAYS close the baby gate but on the times that they forget I use the opportunity as a chance to help him learn how to come down the stairs safely.
And honestly? I can see us not even needing the gate for too much longer as he does SO WELL going down the stairs in a safe way!
Siblings and Spear:
I’m excited for the time that summer will give the kids to built on their bonds with each other.
Tess though doesn’t need any extra bonding. She just LOVES her brother. Like is OBSESSED with him.
It is THE most precious thing in the ENTIRE WORLD. She’s genuine. She truly just loves him more than I’ve ever seen a child love their sibling.
She wants to be RIGHT beside him CONSTANTLY.
She smothers him. Always kissing on him. Always anticipating his every move. Always meeting his every want and desire.
Zach has titled her the “helicopter sister” and it’s so dead on!
While Tess is adorable with Spear…he does get annoyed with her and I have to remind her to give him some space and that when he pushes her away it’s his way of asking her to stop.
I’d say if I had to pick the sibling that Spear is most drawn to that it’s Kye. He will follow Kye around, climb into his lap, and just LIGHT UP whenever he sees his big brother!
Poor Britt doesn’t even have a chance to connect with Spear with Tess hanging all over him all the time.
But I have noticed with Spear becoming so popular with Tess it’s made him more desirable for Britt too. Girl doesn’t like to be left out 😉
Spear Videos from This Month:
Spear’s Schedule at 17 Months Old:
7:00: Up for the Day, Diaper Change and Breakfast
8:00: Independent Playtime (45 minutes)
8:45: TV Time for 5 – 10 Minutes
9:00 – 11:00: Morning Nap
11:00 Up from Nap.
11:30: Lunch
12:00: Swim
1:00 – 4:00: Afternoon Nap
4:00: Up from Nap
5:30: Dinner
6:30: Bathtime
6:45: Pjs, Story, Prayer
7:00: Down for the Night
Sibling Comparisions :
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