18 Months

Due to our crazy summer, Cole's 18-month appointment took place yesterday. He was NOT happy. He's now very aware that room/table and the nurse equal pain. Luckily, it was only one shot this visit and we don't have to go back for 6 months. He's now 24lbs 11.5oz (27%) and 33in (70%). No worries, his head is still in the 92 percentile!

He still has the same sounds and inflections for things - It's very clear when a fire truck drives by our place and not just a regular truck! Words: wow, ooh, uh oh, choo-choo, na-na (milk), grandpa and hot (always followed by him blowing... food, slides or our stairs always get it even when they're not - he knows he's cute when he says it). E-I-E-I and Row-Row are our cues to sing... And animal noises are our go-to trick with family and friends: his duck, snake, cow, pig and monkey are hilarious. It's amazing what he knows though - If a train is on TV, he'll say choo-choo the entire time he's running around the house gathering every train he owns. I can ask him to shut the front door, find me his cup, pick up his toys or get the vacuum (dustbuster). If he's hungry or thirsty, he'll push your legs towards the kitchen or bring you his snack cup. If he wants to watch Elmo, he'll hand you the remote. He's ready to use words, just a matter of time.

He is down to one nap a day (1pm to 4pm) and may be the only toddler that runs to his room when you say it's naptime or bedtime (9:30pm). He never fights it and only wakes up in the middle of the night if he's teething. We're up to 14!

In the last 18 months, I've had some great and not so great moments where I had to wonder if I was being punked or if someone was going to nominate me for a Best New Mom award.

*6 months - One of our many flights and a large man chooses the seat next to us. Of course. I heart Southwest. He is given-a-seatbelt-extender-and-it-didn’t-fit huge. Halfway through the flight I smell something gross and realize it’s my child. Do we wake the man next to us to go the restroom? Is Cole done? Do we give him more time? Does everyone smell this?! Huge man wakes up and proceeds to bathroom. Wohoo! Didn’t have to wake him. Oh god, we have an up-the-backer. What do we do?! Do it here? Can people smell it? Flight attendant, what is that man doing?! No joke, 10 minutes. Is he stuck?! What do we do?! Given permission to go to back of the plane floor (on Southwest only the front bathroom has a changing station). Flight attendant #2 says no, makes us go to front. Great, I have taken my stinky (now brown) child all around the plane for no reason. Original (aka nice) flight attendant says we may not want to go in there after he’s done… Yeah, you think? FINALLY he’s done. We were given several trash bags and permission for Tom to stand at the front while I went to work. Nightmare over.

*9 months – Dinner with Tom’s parents/brother at sushi buffet in SD… Mindlessly take Cole for change in bathroom. WOW. We have yet another up-the-backer and 2, maybe 3 wipes. Yep, always prepared!!! Another mother came in, really amping up my nerves – How the hell do I clean up this mess? Why am I being watched?! She offered some wipes, the Bears onesie was thrown out and 15 minutes later I walked out of the bathroom with a naked baby. Yep, change of clothes at the table in the diaper bag. Mother of the Year.

*10 months - Walking through Downers Grove not realizing Cole was sliding out of the stroller into the street. Hey, I was distracted! I left a restaurant with Terri/Lily because Cole was acting like a maniac. I didn’t want to upset the other patrons and completely forgot to strap him in once we hit the front sidewalk. It was my parents’ stroller, so let’s blame them.

*10 months – Same day. Maybe 5 minutes later? Attempting to get pictures of newborn Lily and Cole… He was sitting next to her and all of a sudden he turned and went for her eyes. I wanted to melt into the floor.

*16 months – Lunch with Uncle Mike, Aunt Sarah and Grandma Karen in Seattle. Diaper change while checks being paid (I’m no fool, best time to do it!). UGH. Leaky diaper. All I brought to bathroom is wipes and a new diaper. Naked baby through yet another restaurant.

I'm sure there's more... How about every black eye, bloody lip, scratch and bruise that occurs right before a pediatrician appointment?

What I’ve learned – Always have a change of clothes and hundreds of wipes in the diaper bag and don’t leave it at the table when you head for the bathroom.

All in all, think we’ve done okay these past 18 months. When you’re expecting, you receive tons of advice – All the tips are great, but each baby and family is different. I’m not sure where I read my favorite: Your baby should join your family circle, not be put in the center of it. It’s very hard not to adapt your life to the new baby and we certainly did those first couple of months – When a little being needs constant care, it’s hard not to. After a few months though, I did my best to keep this “rule” in mind.

Life before Cole was filled with festivals, concerts, hiking/walking, and travel - Cole's travels: Chicago, San Francisco, Sedona/Flagstaff, Chicago, New York, Big Bear, Tampa, Phoenix, Seattle, New York and Chicago - In the next four months he'll visit Palm Springs, Santa Monica and Tampa. We’re always out and about on the weekends, and this summer has been packed with free fun - farmers' markets, beach days, BBQ’s with friends, and Point Loma/Encinitas concerts. Sure, playgrounds are now in the mix and we went to Touch-a-Truck before Solana Beach Fest... but that's no different than me watching Star Wars. You do things to make your loved ones happy.

It's said having a baby changes everything, but I'm not sure what the means really - We now have to be home between 1 and 4pm every day, but I love the forced down-time. That’s Tom’s time to sit on the porch and read, go for a run or tackle errands and my time to scrapbook, write here or watch quality programs like Teen Mom and Rachel Zoe on the DVR. Date nights are a thing of the past, but that's simply because I'm not sure how to find a local, trustworthy teenager so we can enjoy more.

Cole's now my priority and sleep was an issue for quite a few months, but I'm doing my best to keep the golden rule in mind and not have everything change. I'm actually quite okay with him changing most things - He's amazing, and we're having a blast seeing life through his eyes. I just can't forget about our original little family and what brought us together. After all, Cole will leave the nest eventually! Well, hopefully...