Whoa, it’s been a little bit since I’ve blogged. Between being a mom, trying to manage a job as an event planner during a pandemic, and oh yeah… just dealing with a pandemic, life has gotten pretty crazy. I plan to share a life update very soon, as well as getting back to a regular blogging schedule.
I can’t believe I’m sharing an 18-month update on Jude! It feels like just yesterday I shared my birthing story and the struggles of being a new mom. Every month I always say is my favorite month, and though time is flying by, there’s nothing better than seeing your child’s personality develop in front of your eyes. Jude is such a sweet boy. He loves, loves, LOVES animals (especially dogs), prefers veggies over chicken nuggets (we got lucky on that one), will dance to every song, and isn’t stingy about giving hugs. He wakes up every day with a smile on his face and a determination to make us laugh. He’s curious about everything, loves to explore new places, and never met a structure he isn’t afraid of climbing. We count our lucky stars every day for him!
Although we’re no longer doing the month-by-month photos (which I highly suggest for new moms to do the first year because they’re so fun to look back on), I wanted to do a little photoshoot with Jude to celebrate 18 months. He’s grown so much since turning 1! I shot these in our neighborhood courtyard and they capture his fun and curious personality perfectly. I also will take any excuse to put him in a bubble romper. This one is actually from Amazon! Jude also has been living in his Native shoes, which are so easy to slip on and clean when they get dirty. I highly recommend them.
He’s always been a pretty great sleeper, thanks to the Taking Cara Babies courses. Right now he goes to bed around 7-7:30 PM and wakes around 7/7:30 AM. He takes one nap a day from around 12:30-3:00 PM (this changes depending on what time he woke up that morning). He is a very flexible child and goes with the flow, so things change daily depending on what we’re doing.
Keeping a toddler occupied can be tough, so doing it during a pandemic can be very challenging some days. Pre-COVID we loved going to Bubbles Academy. They such a great indoor play space along with fun art classes. If you’re in Chicago, I highly suggest checking them out (they’re doing some social-distancing classes along with virtual offerings!). When we’re indoors, Jude plays the most with his Pikler Triangle. I was hesitant to buy one thinking we wouldn’t get much use out of it, but I was completely wrong. It is by far the most used toy and worth the space it takes up in the living room (which isn’t even that bad). We purchased this one from Etsy and can’t say enough great things about the product and seller! Jude also loves to be involved in everything that we’re doing, so my husband built him a learning tower for the kitchen. It’s also another one of our most used toddler products right now. It’s a great place to put him in while we cook, so he can “help out” and watch what we’re doing. If you’re not up for making your own, Etsy has a ton! Some other toys we get a lot of use out of are this play kitchen,this water table., and this piano. We still use and love our Uppa Baby Cruz stroller but have also been using the City Mini by Baby Jogger for our trips to the park and to trails. It’s a great stroller to take outdoors!
We’ve been working on building Jude’s vocabulary, so there’s been a lot of book reading in our house. Thankfully he loves to curl up with a book, “read along”, and turn the pages. Some of his favorite books are Goodnight, Gorilla, Kitten’s First Full Moon, I am Martin Luther King Jr, Spider-Man, Spider-Man!, I Love You Through and Through, and Fiona The Hippo (among many others).
Some other products we’re loving in toddlerhood:
Bath products: Burt’s Bee’s Shampoo and Wash, and Vanicream lotion – Jude has very sensitive skin and this combo works great. I also use this lotion for myself!
Clothing: These shorts from Amazon – they’re so cheap, light, and perfect for summer! And again, these Native shoes.
Other products: Crayola 48ct Washable Chalk – I may appreciate these pastel colors more than Jude, but we’ve been enjoying spending our mornings drawing outside. Even if Jude still tries putting the chalk in his mouth. We’re also still getting a lot of use out of our Baby Bjorn One carrier. It goes from newborn to three-years-old!
And that’s a little update on Jude! I’m not going to lie, I was a little worried about toddlerhood, especially since Jude was a very easy baby, but we’ve been enjoying it so much. Of course, it comes with its challenges (it’s crazy when your baby all of a sudden has an opinion!) and I’m not looking forward to having to curb my cursing because he’s starting to imitate us, but it’s great how interactive and fun he is. We’ve really been enjoying summer days outdoors (thank God for warm weather during this pandemic) and afternoons on our patio, and I’m so happy that we were able to take a trip to Florida before COVID hit. Jude was a dream to fly with and absolutely loved the experience… hoping it stays that way when it’s safe to travel again.
Next update, he will be two! Crazy to think he’s now closer to being two than he is to being one. Here’s to hoping he still hasn’t picked up on any of my cursing by then.
x Jill
