But, fifteen months has come and gone and now we are into our sixteenth month. SIXTEEN MONTHS you guys. I just have no words.
Lucas has turned into a full-fledged toddler. It's amazing how much he grows and changes daily and sometimes it overwhelms me how quick it is all happening. At his 15 month checkup he weighed just about 28 pounds. He's a big boy for his age and I love it. But with big boy status comes big boy changes. I am typically not a fan of gender stereotypes but this kid is all boy all the time. There is nothing sensitive about him. He loves his cars & trucks, and any chance dad is home to toss him around, he begs for it. In the air. On the couch. Rolling around the floor. Outside? He's happiest with a stick and some dirt. It's hard for me seeing my little guy want to be so rough & tough, but at the same time Lucas & M are building such an awesome relationship. It's fun to watch (although I do have to close my eyes from time to time).
Sleep has started to become an issue, in that we are transitioning from two naps a day to one nap a day. It's been a fine line figuring out what time exactly he needs to sleep as to not keep him up super late at night or up super early in the morning. Last week he was up until after 10pm. Saturday morning? 4am. It's too much for this mama. So we are tweaking and adjusting as necessary in order to perfect things as much as possible. You know, until it all changes again. Toddler sleep is tricky and if there is one thing about my kid, it's that he loves his routine. If we are 20 minutes off for ANYTHING, you will know it, so this adjustment period has been hard on him and trying for me. But at some point, we will figure it out.
On top of the sleep issues, we are also battling food issues. It was so great when he was starting out on solids, and the seven or eight months that followed. He would eat anything I put in front of him and some days I couldn't give him enough. I thought to myself, how wonderful! I have such a great eater! I am SO LUCKY that he is not picky about food! GO US!
Yeah. About that.
Proteins? Good luck. Vegetable? NO WAY. It's been a frustrating challenge trying to make sure my kid eats a balanced meal, even on a week to week basis. He will eat fruits all day long, and grains are an obvious win as well (who doesn't love a good carb?) but these days, that's about it. I offer, and it typically ends up on the floor. I hide, and he avoids no matter how much he typically loves what I am offering. One meal, he will LOVE something, and the next refuse to touch it. It's tricky & frustrating all at the same time. I worry about his health while also worrying that he's getting enough to sustain his growing body. I get sad when I think that Cheerios are his only source of iron because he refuses all other things. So I'm on a mission to fix the issue, AS BEST I CAN, and change things up.
I admit that as a working mom, we get stagnant in our meal choices. He's hungry long before I get around to making dinner, so typically he gets thrown things that are easy and convenient. My goal in the coming weeks is to experiment with some new toddler friendly recipes, that will hopefully hide the good stuff that he refuses to eat, while also satisfying whatever pallet he has at the moment. We introduced him to smoothies recently, which seemed to be a hit, so we will offer those on occasion. Once I start my adventures in stay at home mommyhood in a few weeks, this will be easier. I will have time to create and plan. But in the mean time, I need to find a solution that also works quickly. I see some mass cooking on weekends in my very, very near future.
Sleep and food struggles aside, this kid is amazing. He is at such a fun age where he is learning and growing. He wants to be so independent, but at the same time loves coming to me for the occasional snuggle. He melts my heart on a daily basis.
3 comments:
My pediatrician told me something that has been very useful in terms of toddler nutrition. She told me to think about it cumulatively, that some days it is all carbs, others fruits, others dairy. And that can go on for several days or weeks. Eventually they move on to other foods. She said that trying to provide a balanced meal might not work as toddlers are typically in the mood for one thing and variety is not fun for them. It does freak me out when all my toddler will eat is cheese for days.
My babe also loves dirt and trucks! I agree with Sunny about the food. I recently wrote a post on a good book I read about it too "My child won't eat!". http://onestepatatime.co.za
I didn't realize your little guy was about the same age as my daughter. Parenting a toddler can be tough some days! I stay at home and some days our meals aren't quite as nutritious as maybe they should be. I think it happens to all of us. :) And he doesn't look too upset about it!
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