Zander - 18 Months

I seriously can not believe this boy is a year and a half already! We are officially closer to two than we are to one now. It really makes me pretty sad! We are almost 100% certain he will be our last so that means no more babies for me!

I didn't realize I didn't do a 15 month update on him so it has been awhile. The last update I did was for his 12 months.

Stats: You are 24.2 pounds and 32.9 inches tall. You are one solid little boy. You are currently wearing 18 month pants and mostly 24 months or 2t shirts. You are in size 4 diapers and we will probably stay there for a little while longer. Your head is still really small. I am not sure what is going on with this but the doctor isn't concerned so we will just keep an eye on it.

Sleep: Well lets just say you are a dream little boy! You are so drastically different than your sister in this department. We did sleep train you at 11 months and you caught on like a champ. You are one early riser though!! You were doing well with sleeping until 6-630 but lately it is more like 5-515, you are up and ready for the day. It is a little early if I am being honest. You do go to bed at 630 though so really I guess I shouldn't complain. I wouldn't mind pushing your bedtime back until 7 but most nights you are surely ready at 630. I use to put you in bed every night but about 6 weeks ago that changed. Now you like your daddy to put you in bed. I turn on your diffuser and sound machine and we all read some stories on the couch. You give us all kisses goodnight and daddy takes you to your room for a few songs. Some nights you roll around in your bed or talk for a few, but you get settled right in. You have a random night here or there where you wake up during the night, but for the most part you sleep from 630-515am. You are currently napping one time, usually 1230ish-3ish. Daycare really made us transition to that one nap a day but you are doing pretty well with it.

Eating: You are one picky boy, funny looking back your sister was the same way. You love your fruits and veggies, but not much meats. The past month you have gotten worse and hardly eat dinner. I think teething is playing a role in that but we just go with it. You love yogurt and most of your breakfasts are cottage cheese and a fruit. You drink whole milk from a cup with a straw. We got rid of the bottle of the bottle right before you turned 1 and thankfully it was an easy transition. Some days you eat a lot others nothing much at all. You are still nursing in the mornings, but mostly because you get up at the butt crack of dawn and I love those morning snuggles with just you. You have weaned from breastfeeding all on your own. For a good time we were doing night and morning but at night you wanted to play with your sister and had no interest in breastfeeding so we just stopped trying. I think I wanted it more than you. I am not sure how long we will continue with the morning session but we will just play it by ear. I truly cherish this breastfeeding journey we have had.

Play: You are into EVERYTHING! You love to climb on everything and explore. Your sister continues to be a favorite of yours, though lately you two have really been pushing each others buttons. You guys love playing hide and seek and chase throughout the house. You love to read; some favorites are Brown Bear Brown Bear, Snuggle Puppy, Halloween Eekkk (you love making the robot sounds from this book), and I Love You Every Little Bit. You love to be outside playing at the park and have recently discovered you can go down the slide by yourself. Bubbles are a favorite as well and trying to ride Kinley's tricycle...soon enough buddy. We did do a beach trip, which  you were pretty unsure of, it took you a little to sit in the sand and start to enjoy yourself. You probably could do without without the beach; you can stay with Daddy while Kinley and I enjoy our beach days :)

You have 12 teeth with 4 left and then your two year old molars. I will for sure be happy when this teething non sense is over. You have a handful of words, but not too many. We will continue to watch that and hopefully you will explode like your sister did around 2. You started daycare this past September and you do so well. I was really worried, but you love your teacher and enjoy some play time with kids your age.

You love the bath and being crazy with your sister. You absolutely hate getting your diaper changed and it is a fight every time. You got your first hair cut and look like such a big boy!!

Happy year and a half birthday buddy! You are so laid back and usually a go with the flow type of guy. Not too much makes you upset, except a diaper change or your sister ripping toys from your hands, other than that you are one happy boy.

Zander - 12 Months

It has taken me a little while to write this post. I can't believe this is the last monthly post. You are officially a year old! I said it went fast with Kinley but it really went fast with you. When you have 2 kiddos things are so busy and the days fly by. You had a wonderful birthday party and an amazing photo shoot. We went out of town as a family for your birthday and had a great time, it was much needed family time.

Stats: You are 20lbs10oz and 30" long. You have definitely had a growth spurt and are growing like a weed. Your head is on the smaller side but it is long like mine so the doctor is not worried at all. You are meeting all milestones with no concerns. You are in size 3 diapers and wearing 12 month and some 18 month clothes.

Sleep: What a drastic change this month. We did sleep train you last month and it has made a world of difference. You can read more about that here, but if anyone is struggling with sleep and you think your kiddo is ready to be sleep trained give it a try, if it doesn't work try at another time. You usually go down about 7:15 and get up anywhere from 5-7am. If you get up before 6:30 I try to get you back to sleep because you are not ready to get up. Some days you will go back down, others are more difficult. Most nights I am still amazed you sleep through the night! We have added essential oils into our lives and I am loving the benefits you all are getting from them. Truly amazing! You are still napping 2 times a day. You usually go down around 930 and then again 1-2. They range anywhere from 45 mins - 2 hours.

Eat: Last month we had a really hard time with nursing. You are doing better this month but you like to hurry and don't last long unless we are in a quiet room, though the second you hear Kinley you basically jump out of my lap. You eat sooo much solid food I really don't know where you put it. I still nurse you on demand when I am not working, and when you wake up and before bed when I work. Since this post is going up so late and you are really 12.5 months now I am happy to say you have been bottle free for over a week. You drink you milk out of your cup, the 360 cup. It was the second cup we tried and you love it. You try to drink out of my cup daily but still haven't figured out the straw.

Play: You love playing with your sister. You love all the toys in her room, especially the play kitchen. You are a huge fan of putting things in things, like the toilet, so we have to make sure the bathroom doors are closed! You have loved reading books more this past month and I think it helps it is part of our nightly routine. It is so cute, you actually sit and listen. You still love swinging and have gotten more active at the park. You are walking all over the place and very steady on your feet. This started about a week after your first birthday. I thought it would take you a little longer but you will be running soon! You love playing chase with Kinley and just laugh your head off at her. I love watching the interaction between you two. Most of the time you both play really well together.

I can't believe you are 1!!! You have brought such joy to our lives and continue to each day! I am not quite sure what your sister would do with you and vice versa. When she goes to school in the morning she tells you, "I will be back Bubba, I love you!" You guys will always be best friends, at least that is what I hope for!

Monthly Updates:
Birth Story Part 1
Birth Story Part 2
1 Month
2 Months
3 Months
4 Months
5 Months
6 Months
7 Months
8 Months
9 Months
10 Months
11 Months

I am very proud I actually wrote a post every month. I kind of dropped off with your sister! Happy 1 year bub!!

Zander - 11 Months

Oh buddy we have less than a month until you turn the wild one! You have been such an amazing blessing to our lives I don't know what we did before you. The birthday party planning is in full effect and your invites are going to go out soon! Tiny prints sent us the cutest invites and stamps! I can't wait to address them and get them in the mail.

This past month has been a little crazy. everyone has been really sick! Thank goodness I didn't catch anything. We all know there are no sick days for moms so I am glad I dodged it all.

Stats: There is not an 11 month check up but we were at the doctor when you were 10.5 months old and you weighed in at 18lbs 14oz. They didn't do your height because it was a sick visit. You have had some major issues with your ears and been on medicine a few times in the last few months. You then spiked a really high fever that stayed for 4 days. I am so glad you are finally feeling better. You now have 5 teeth with a few more making there way through soon.

Sleep: After a terrible start this month with sleep we or I gave in to sleep training. With the sickness not going away we held you for sleep most nights which meant mommy and daddy really did not sleep. Once your fever broke we knew we had to go with the sleep training. I could not do the sleep training with Kinley but was able to see the light at the end of the tunnel if we stuck with it so I knew I had to be strong and go with it. Wouldn't you know Matt got very sick on night 2 and I was on my own. Anyway all the sleep training is for another post, but I am happy to say we are all sleeping much better and I am so happy I was able to see the end results. We are still working on your naps. You still sleep in your crib with your zipadee-zip and about 7 binks. You are still taking 2 naps a day ranging from 30 minutes - 2 hours. Overall I am very happy with the progress we have made when it come to sleep this past month.

Eat: You are giving me a run for my money with nursing. You are not interested about 90% of the time. I have had to increase my pumping sessions to make up for the times you won't nurse. I hate pumping!! You love solids and eat just about anything. The only thing you really don't like is eggs. You love all meat, especially chicken and turkey sausage. Yogurt is a definite favorite as well, though I wonder if it is giving you rashes. We still do some pouches with you since you love them so much and I know it will fill your tummy. You are still doing awesome with the 360 cup. I am still pumping twice at work but will hopefully go down to one shortly after your first birthday unless you continue to not nurse. You are just too busy and do not want to take the time to work for the milk, you take a bottle with no issues. I really do not know how much breastmilk you are getting during the day, we just go with it.

Play: You are into everything! Your sister is not liking it too much! You want to do everything with her and be apart of everything she is doing, you follow right behind her. You are standing and walking along furniture and standing on toys. Total boy you are! You still love walks in the wagon and playing at the park. Now that you can move a little more you are loving exploring and eating everything! We really have to watch you! Bath time continues to be a favorite for you and you scream and arch your back when we try to take you out. You would probably stay in there forever.

We are getting your 1 year pictures taken at the end of the month and I am feeling very emotional about it. I seriously can't believe you are going to be 1! I want to relive your birth over and over. It was truly amazing.

Well buddy. I am soaking up these last few weeks before they officially call you a toddler. I won't be calling you a toddler anytime soon! We love you so much! Happy 11 months!

Other Monthly Updates:

10 Months
9 Months
8 Months 
7 Months
6 Months
5 Months 
4 Months 
3 Months
2 Months
1 Month 

Zander - 10 Months

And just like that we are into double digit months. He will be one before I know it. We had a rough last month but we all survived.

The monthly pictures are really difficult to get as he is all over the place and does not want to sit still for anything. He is one busy boy! So much busier than his sister. She would accomplish skills and just move on to the next. He is content working on his skill for awhile before he moves on to the next one.

Stats: We did not have a 10 month check up but he did go to the doctor because Kinley was sick and wouldn't you know I forgot to get a weight check. I weighed him on our scale at home and he was about 19lbs. I really feel he is putting some weight on this last month. He is growing out of some of his 9 month clothes and we have officially moved into size 3 diapers. He can still fit into some of his 9 month clothes but they are getting tight, 12 months seem to be a better option for him now.

Sleep: Well we have had some good nights and some bad nights, lets be honest the majority of the nights have been bad.  He has mastered crawling and pulling up on everything. We transitioned out of the dockatot this last month so things have been difficult. He loves laying on his side and will sometimes move to his tummy. He seems to be waking up and having a difficult time going back to sleep. We still nurse or rock to sleep for nap and night. I know we need to teach him to fall asleep on his own but I really love the cuddles before he falls asleep. He is still taking 2 naps a day and going down for the night around 6:30-7ish. Who doesn't want to cuddle that handsome boy!

Eat: He still loves his food. He has seemed less interested in letting us feed him this past month. He really wants to do things himself. We are trying to do prunes daily to help ease his constipation issues which I think is helping. We have tried a few cups and I think have finally found one he loves! The munchkin 360 cup. He still gets bottles of breastmilk while I am working and has no issues with the bottle. We will probably try to get rid of the bottle around 12 months or somewhere around there. We didn't do breastmilk in a cup for Kinley but might go straight to the 360 cup for him, he loves drinking his water out of it. I am down to two pumping sessions a day and will probably wean from the pump after his first birthday.

Play: He has gotten so much more interactive this past month. Like I said he has started crawling and pulling up on everything. He is fast too. This all happened in about a weeks time. He is a pro at getting into cabinets and pulling up on the tables. We really need to baby proof things. He loves to swing and go on walks in his wagon. I am sure by Spring he will be chasing his sister at the playground. Like I said he is everywhere and into everything which makes him so hard to bathe! He does not stay on his butt and tries crawling around and pulls up on the side of the tub. He has slipped a few times which doesn't phase him one bit. He loves the water and goes right back to doing what he was doing, he doesn't miss a beat.

Happy 10 months Bub! I am so lucky you call me mommy and I love you so very much!