Beckett & Eli 18 months
My sweet precious boys are 18 months. I read this quote on Facebook posted as advice to one of my friends with littles ones and I love it.. "The days are long but the years are short." Isn't that so true? It seems like yesterday the days and nights were turned upside down, no one was sleeping, we ate every hour it seemed like or changed a diaper, and I thought it would never end and then bam! They are 18 months.
The changes between 12 and 18 months are insane! It's a bittersweet time as we said goodbye to the little babies I had and said hello to my full blown big toddler boys Eli 28 lbs and Beckett 29 lbs. We are wearing toddler clothes (2T) and have really stinky chubby toddler feet.
We are becoming more and more independent. We are learning so many new things. Putting our clothes in our basket, throwing things in the trash (we have to be careful and check the trash before taking it out.. you never know what you might find in there!), and helping mommy find things. We have so many words and signs for thing we are really starting to communicate with mom and dad.
Beckett and Eli LOVE to play and they play hard. I recently redid their play area. I put up several things so we could rotate some toys. They love Little People and we have a dedicated area for all our Little People. It's amazing how much more they will play with their toys are a redo. They now are back to playing in their pen and loving it. They are also obsessed with bubbles, blocks, animals, weebels (spell?), cars - especially their ambulance and police car, and dump trucks. Bath time is one of our favorites especially when mom lets us play for a long time.
We are such a family of routine. The boys thrive on it and we do too. I love going into the room in the morning when they wake up. They are usually standing in their beds playing back and forth with each other... and giggling! I love all the giggles that this age has brought us. After breakfast, diapers, and dressing, we are "bye bye go stool" or at least that is how it sounds when Eli says it. We always help mommy find her "tees". After a day of school and work we meet back at home for a little play time.. usually outside with the dogs and acting silly. My favorite time of the day is our night time routine. After bath/pj routine we always watch Praise Baby to settle down. Sometimes we cuddle in the recliner but sometimes we all lay on the floor, the boys will put their heads on us and its the sweetest moment of they day. Eli has a lot of my mannerisms. It cracks me up the way he lays with his ankles crossed rubbing his feet together while he relaxes... just like mom! By the time its over the drink their milk and off to bed. Occasionally we have our moments but most every night they go straight down. Beckett makes the sweetest sigh when you put him in the bed and he snuggles down under his blanket. Sometimes I wish I could just crawl in with them :-)
They are still great eaters. We recently really began eating on plates and with toddler forks. They love to "stab" their meat and they do great with their spoons. They can pretty much eat their bowls of oatmeal by themselves.. we just have to watch close because they do love to finger paint with food!
They have their definite likes and dislikes. They both love fish, turkey, chicken, and pork and neither likes beef. Strangest thing.. they won't eat ground beef, steak, pie rib.. nothing. No hamburgers for these guys. They love their veggies and eat tons of them. Peas, corn, squash, butter beans, sweet potatoes, little red potatoes, green beans, broccoli, carrots, fried okra, fried green tomatoes, and such. The love pizza but not pasta.. I think it must be a texture thing but they won't eat spaghetti, lasagna, or anything that has noodles except shells & cheese. Beckett LOVES, I mean LOVES fruit. Seriously its crazy how much he loves fruit. He can eat about 1/2 of a small watermelon at one time and begs for more. Grapes, blueberries, strawberries, cantaloupe, he loves it. Eli will eat a little but not the way Beckett does. Eli is more a bread man. He loves crackers (they both love Ritz crackers so much) and rolls, cornbread, slices of bread, you name it. They can agree on one thing though.. Milk! We go through 1/2 gallon a day so a gallon every 2 days. We buy 3 gallons every time we go to the grocery store. Besides that, all they drink is water. And they love it too! Hands down favorite snack is www.kimsmagicpop.com. These huge flavored Korean rice cake snacks that we get at HEB. I think they have toddler crack in them. They go crazy for them!
Mr. Beckett is the sweetest cuddliest ray of sunshine. His smile is pure JOY and SUNSHINE. He gives spontaneous hugs all the time. He is always up for giving kisses too. He is a little fussier (ok.. Justin might say whiny :-) He is sensitive but I am so proud of how much he is toughing up and taking some bumps and bruises lately. The biggest news is BECKETT IS WALKING! Yeah! He started wearing his orthotics the SureStep about 2 months ago and started physical therapy twice a month.
She comes to her school and is amazing with him. The very first session he walked almost 16 steps! On vacation he really started getting more confident and this past week he is walking EVERYWHERE!
It has opened a whole new world. He wants to chase Eli but he is not quite that stable yet so we still have some spills. He is working now in therapy with pulling to standing without support. Right now he walks from item to item to stand and if he falls he just crawls until he can pull up on something else. We were just talking tonight its amazing how much vocabulary he has added since he started walking. The therapist told us they are connected and that most kids vocabulary usually kicks in high gear when they start walking. Ball, dog, daddy, mommy, boat, book, eat, more, done, up, down, sock, diaper, ride, open, bye bye and uh-oh are all words I heard tonight. He is really good at pointing out items in books and when you ask him. They both know the basic body parts. Beckett always gets good reports at school. They usually say "Beckett did a great job sharing with friends today." or "Beckett was really enthusiastic about the lesson on eggs, insects, boats, etc." He always wants to cook me something in the play kitchen when I pick him up from school. Beckett loves to watch Mickey Mouse. He bounces up and down when he comes on, points at the screen and blabbers. He loves to sit in your lap and read books.. he almost always comes out with one when he dives the toybox. I just can't get enough of his sweet soft cuddly kisses!
Mr Eli has the BEST sense of humor. He is a jokester, prankster, and mischievous little imp with a dimple under his eye. When he laughs its like a ray of sunshine came in the window.
He got his daddy's love of silliness and jokes for sure. The two of them connect in that way and are always being super silly. I came home Saturday and daddy and Eli were scotch taping their noses! Big fun :-) He loves to put on hats and shoes and put stuff around his neck to make you laugh. He loves getting claps and good jobs. He is the "teacher's pet" because he always needs to be helping the teacher. His teacher say that he is the class clown and always trying to make other kids laugh.. especially his buddy Effe. And not always with good behavior either! Loves to help Beckett. When Beckett falls down, he tries to help him up (by the neck) and says "up up". Beckett is not a fan. Nor is he a fan of Eli helping wipe his face, change his diaper, put on his shoes, or take off his socks! He gives great hugs and kisses.. but only when he wants to. Sometimes when you are playing with him he will give you the biggest squeeze and sometimes he will run if he thinks you are going to hug him. He is my dancer. Always dancing when music comes on or toys play music. This week he has mastered the shake baby shake so we can add a booty shake to the mix.
Oh.. and another talent. Falling out on the floor. Yep. Temper tantrum little guy.
Oh and he doesn't really love to share. Ok. Let's be real. He hates to share. Here is his face when he has to play by himself in the pen because he can't be nice and share with brother. Really likes it doesn't he?
I can't even count how many words he has now. And he is starting to string them together in 2 word phrases. When we read books, he can name so many animals and things. Even zebra! Boat, car, dump truck, pizza, airplane,ride are all new words. His words are very clearly pronounced too. He loves sound effects. Whee and Whoa of course. Beep beep for cars, choo choo for trains, motorboat sounds. Life has sound effects and a soundtrack in Eli's world. "tuck" which means stuck is a popular word in his vocabulary because you can often find him "tuck" somewhere he shouldn't be. In between furniture, in toys, on top of tables, in drawers, closets, you name it, he can get "tuck" in it. He makes life an adventure and a blast when he's around!
They are the best of friends but almost like that friend you were roommates with that you loved but you fought with? Sometimes the giggles and playing together are so sweet that I just can't stop watching and trying to drink in every second and then it changes in a flash and a barroom type brawl has broken out and I am the bouncer. The older they get the more violent it gets.. biting, hair pulling, hitting, pushing, and then as soon as we break it up and they cool for a second.. they are giggling again!
The other night, I was rocking Eli and having our special time together and I was thinking how fast the time goes and how quickly these moments fade. I was reminded of a song that we sang in college about lingering in the moment... can I just stay here? Forever?
Mmm, I want to linger Mmm, a little longer Mmm, a little longer here with you
Mmm, and as the years go by Mmm, I'll think of you and sigh Mmm, This is good night and not good bye
Mmm, I want to linger Mmm, a little longer Mmm, a little longer here with you
Love, The Riley's
The changes between 12 and 18 months are insane! It's a bittersweet time as we said goodbye to the little babies I had and said hello to my full blown big toddler boys Eli 28 lbs and Beckett 29 lbs. We are wearing toddler clothes (2T) and have really stinky chubby toddler feet.
We are becoming more and more independent. We are learning so many new things. Putting our clothes in our basket, throwing things in the trash (we have to be careful and check the trash before taking it out.. you never know what you might find in there!), and helping mommy find things. We have so many words and signs for thing we are really starting to communicate with mom and dad.
Beckett and Eli LOVE to play and they play hard. I recently redid their play area. I put up several things so we could rotate some toys. They love Little People and we have a dedicated area for all our Little People. It's amazing how much more they will play with their toys are a redo. They now are back to playing in their pen and loving it. They are also obsessed with bubbles, blocks, animals, weebels (spell?), cars - especially their ambulance and police car, and dump trucks. Bath time is one of our favorites especially when mom lets us play for a long time.
We are such a family of routine. The boys thrive on it and we do too. I love going into the room in the morning when they wake up. They are usually standing in their beds playing back and forth with each other... and giggling! I love all the giggles that this age has brought us. After breakfast, diapers, and dressing, we are "bye bye go stool" or at least that is how it sounds when Eli says it. We always help mommy find her "tees". After a day of school and work we meet back at home for a little play time.. usually outside with the dogs and acting silly. My favorite time of the day is our night time routine. After bath/pj routine we always watch Praise Baby to settle down. Sometimes we cuddle in the recliner but sometimes we all lay on the floor, the boys will put their heads on us and its the sweetest moment of they day. Eli has a lot of my mannerisms. It cracks me up the way he lays with his ankles crossed rubbing his feet together while he relaxes... just like mom! By the time its over the drink their milk and off to bed. Occasionally we have our moments but most every night they go straight down. Beckett makes the sweetest sigh when you put him in the bed and he snuggles down under his blanket. Sometimes I wish I could just crawl in with them :-)
They are still great eaters. We recently really began eating on plates and with toddler forks. They love to "stab" their meat and they do great with their spoons. They can pretty much eat their bowls of oatmeal by themselves.. we just have to watch close because they do love to finger paint with food!
They have their definite likes and dislikes. They both love fish, turkey, chicken, and pork and neither likes beef. Strangest thing.. they won't eat ground beef, steak, pie rib.. nothing. No hamburgers for these guys. They love their veggies and eat tons of them. Peas, corn, squash, butter beans, sweet potatoes, little red potatoes, green beans, broccoli, carrots, fried okra, fried green tomatoes, and such. The love pizza but not pasta.. I think it must be a texture thing but they won't eat spaghetti, lasagna, or anything that has noodles except shells & cheese. Beckett LOVES, I mean LOVES fruit. Seriously its crazy how much he loves fruit. He can eat about 1/2 of a small watermelon at one time and begs for more. Grapes, blueberries, strawberries, cantaloupe, he loves it. Eli will eat a little but not the way Beckett does. Eli is more a bread man. He loves crackers (they both love Ritz crackers so much) and rolls, cornbread, slices of bread, you name it. They can agree on one thing though.. Milk! We go through 1/2 gallon a day so a gallon every 2 days. We buy 3 gallons every time we go to the grocery store. Besides that, all they drink is water. And they love it too! Hands down favorite snack is www.kimsmagicpop.com. These huge flavored Korean rice cake snacks that we get at HEB. I think they have toddler crack in them. They go crazy for them!
Mr. Beckett is the sweetest cuddliest ray of sunshine. His smile is pure JOY and SUNSHINE. He gives spontaneous hugs all the time. He is always up for giving kisses too. He is a little fussier (ok.. Justin might say whiny :-) He is sensitive but I am so proud of how much he is toughing up and taking some bumps and bruises lately. The biggest news is BECKETT IS WALKING! Yeah! He started wearing his orthotics the SureStep about 2 months ago and started physical therapy twice a month.
She comes to her school and is amazing with him. The very first session he walked almost 16 steps! On vacation he really started getting more confident and this past week he is walking EVERYWHERE!
It has opened a whole new world. He wants to chase Eli but he is not quite that stable yet so we still have some spills. He is working now in therapy with pulling to standing without support. Right now he walks from item to item to stand and if he falls he just crawls until he can pull up on something else. We were just talking tonight its amazing how much vocabulary he has added since he started walking. The therapist told us they are connected and that most kids vocabulary usually kicks in high gear when they start walking. Ball, dog, daddy, mommy, boat, book, eat, more, done, up, down, sock, diaper, ride, open, bye bye and uh-oh are all words I heard tonight. He is really good at pointing out items in books and when you ask him. They both know the basic body parts. Beckett always gets good reports at school. They usually say "Beckett did a great job sharing with friends today." or "Beckett was really enthusiastic about the lesson on eggs, insects, boats, etc." He always wants to cook me something in the play kitchen when I pick him up from school. Beckett loves to watch Mickey Mouse. He bounces up and down when he comes on, points at the screen and blabbers. He loves to sit in your lap and read books.. he almost always comes out with one when he dives the toybox. I just can't get enough of his sweet soft cuddly kisses!
Mr Eli has the BEST sense of humor. He is a jokester, prankster, and mischievous little imp with a dimple under his eye. When he laughs its like a ray of sunshine came in the window.
He got his daddy's love of silliness and jokes for sure. The two of them connect in that way and are always being super silly. I came home Saturday and daddy and Eli were scotch taping their noses! Big fun :-) He loves to put on hats and shoes and put stuff around his neck to make you laugh. He loves getting claps and good jobs. He is the "teacher's pet" because he always needs to be helping the teacher. His teacher say that he is the class clown and always trying to make other kids laugh.. especially his buddy Effe. And not always with good behavior either! Loves to help Beckett. When Beckett falls down, he tries to help him up (by the neck) and says "up up". Beckett is not a fan. Nor is he a fan of Eli helping wipe his face, change his diaper, put on his shoes, or take off his socks! He gives great hugs and kisses.. but only when he wants to. Sometimes when you are playing with him he will give you the biggest squeeze and sometimes he will run if he thinks you are going to hug him. He is my dancer. Always dancing when music comes on or toys play music. This week he has mastered the shake baby shake so we can add a booty shake to the mix.
Oh.. and another talent. Falling out on the floor. Yep. Temper tantrum little guy.
Oh and he doesn't really love to share. Ok. Let's be real. He hates to share. Here is his face when he has to play by himself in the pen because he can't be nice and share with brother. Really likes it doesn't he?
I can't even count how many words he has now. And he is starting to string them together in 2 word phrases. When we read books, he can name so many animals and things. Even zebra! Boat, car, dump truck, pizza, airplane,ride are all new words. His words are very clearly pronounced too. He loves sound effects. Whee and Whoa of course. Beep beep for cars, choo choo for trains, motorboat sounds. Life has sound effects and a soundtrack in Eli's world. "tuck" which means stuck is a popular word in his vocabulary because you can often find him "tuck" somewhere he shouldn't be. In between furniture, in toys, on top of tables, in drawers, closets, you name it, he can get "tuck" in it. He makes life an adventure and a blast when he's around!
They are the best of friends but almost like that friend you were roommates with that you loved but you fought with? Sometimes the giggles and playing together are so sweet that I just can't stop watching and trying to drink in every second and then it changes in a flash and a barroom type brawl has broken out and I am the bouncer. The older they get the more violent it gets.. biting, hair pulling, hitting, pushing, and then as soon as we break it up and they cool for a second.. they are giggling again!
The other night, I was rocking Eli and having our special time together and I was thinking how fast the time goes and how quickly these moments fade. I was reminded of a song that we sang in college about lingering in the moment... can I just stay here? Forever?