Life Tossed Together: Life with a Toddler

It's so interesting to see how Lucas is changing from a baby into a toddler. Other than the walking, which is still hesitant but getting more confident by the day, he's also branching out into throwing tantrums and being a picky eater.

The tantrums mainly stem from being forced to give up a desired object, or transitioning from an activity he really wants to do, like crawl into the street. I mostly try to ignore them, although it's hard when you're in a public place where other parents can see you! His don't last more than a minute or two right now, though.

The picky eater thing I am also trying to ignore. I am determined not to be a short order cook mama -- so I give him about 3-4 choices of food per meal, including one item he definitely likes assuming he is hungry. Once he refuses an item, I give it a break for a few minutes and try again. When he's refused all the choices, meal time is over. If he hasn't eaten much or anything, I offer food again about an hour later and he'll usually be interested. No fighting, no tears. It's very low stress for all involved, and clearly my Biggest Boy isn't going to starve to death anytime soon if he skips a meal or two.

I was right on target with his one-year stats, though. He weighed 25lbs 9oz, and was 32.25in tall at his appointment last week. That's 93rd percentile for weight and 97th percentile for height, the first time his height is greater than his weight.

Our daily routine these days goes something like this:

5:30-6:30am: Lucas is up for the day. We nurse and then get up and I watch the news for a bit while Lucas plays around in the living room.

7:00am: Breakfast time for both. Usually I feed Lucas first and then me, although sometimes we eat together. Then more playtime.

8:00am: We head out on a 30-40 minute walk or run around the nearby school and park. Fresh air for Lucas and exercise for me, win-win!

9:00am: Back from our walk, we start winding down for morning nap. Quiet play in the nursery, followed by books, milk, and sleep. He's usually asleep around 9:30.

11:00am: Wake-up from nap, change into play clothes, prep lunch for both.

11:30am: Lunch time!

12:00pm: Usually we head out the door for errands, park dates, Gymboree, or other outside the house events around this time.

2:30pm: Start winding down for afternoon nap. Hopefully Lucas is asleep by 3:00pm.

4:00-4:30pm: Lucas wakes up and we play in the backyard until Brandon gets home from work.

5:30pm: Dinner time for everyone! Eventually, depending on what everyone is eating.

6:45pm: Bathtime for Lucas, followed by jammies and books.

7:00pm: One more nursing session and then bedtime, in theory, although he generally doesn't fall asleep until 7:30 or 8:00.

He's still getting up at least once per night, often twice, occasionally three times, but it's mostly manageable. Our days feel a lot busier than back when I was counting the minutes until Brandon got home when Lucas was a newborn!

Here are a few recent photos!