This was a big month for our little guy. He started a brand new adventure - school!! Benjamin has become quite attached to his mommy over the past few months (which I secretly love :)), and sometimes has a hard time around strangers or even family members that we don't see as often. While we knew this was very common at the 18-19 month age, we thought it would be good for our little guy to have some experience interacting with other adults - and kids!! Chris and I toured a few different facilities in our area and chose to send Benjamin to Bright Beginnings Childcare for "Preschool Prep" two half days a week.
Friday was Benjamin's first day, and I was absolutely terrified to take him! I was convinced that he was going to cling to my legs and cry as we tried to leave. I had nightmares for weeks. I had to give myself a pep talk the morning of the big day that he would be ok even if he was sad at first when we left. Well...I couldn't have been more wrong! Chris carried him in to the Toddler Classroom and started walking him around showing him the toys. Benjamin immediately wanted down to play with some dinosaurs. Then he started running around playing on the slides and other toys! He didn't even look back! I was SO relieved. Not only was Benjamin super happy to be playing with his new friends in his awesome classroom, but his teacher seemed AMAZING. She was so kind and seemed great with all of the kids in the short amount of time that we were there. I knew I had left our most precious possession in good hands.
I ran a few errands and before I knew it, it was time to pick my little man up from school. When I arrived they were finishing up lunch. Benjamin caught sight of me, got a HUGE smile on his face, sprinted over to me, threw his arms around my neck, and laid his head down on my shoulder saying, "Mama! Mama!" It was seriously the BEST feeling ever! The day couldn't have gone any better - he had an awesome time at school, but was happy to see me when I picked him up! We are really glad we decided to try it out. I can't wait to see how he progresses and all the things he learns at school each week.
Here are some more stats about our toddler!
Age : 19 months
Weight : 28 pounds
Clothing and Diaper Size : 2T in Janie and Jack and most other brands, and 90 in Hanna Andersson. He is in a size 5 diaper.
Milestones : Benjamin is still talking up a storm, learning new words almost daily. Occasionally we have a hard time deciphering what he is trying to tell us. We lovingly call his little language "Benish". :) He tries to sing along to the ABCs and The Wheels on the Bus when one of his new Christmas toys plays those songs - it is so cute! He also will sing along to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star at bedtime, really belting out the last word of each phrase ("Like a diamond in the SKYYYYYYYYYYYY!") haha. He seems to be working on his eye teeth, but I can't feel anything popping through quite yet. He has been painting and coloring pictures a lot lately, and he is able to name the colors blue and green consistently. We are still working on the others. :) He can also recognize the shapes star, heart, and circle *most* of the time. Finally, he is able to count to 3! I'm so proud of him!
Sleep : Benjamin continues to be a good little sleeper, although he does fight bedtime routine these days! We used to have a nice little routine before bed. He would take a bath, get his jammies on, have a bottle, and we would read 3 or 4 bedtime stories in the chair in his room. Lately, he will sit still for stories until the bottle is gone, but then he squirms out of our lap and just wants to run around his bedroom! He doesn't put up a fight or cry when he has to go in his crib though. Hopefully it is just a phase and he'll be back to loving story time soon. Snuggling up in the chair and reading lots of books used to be one of my favorite parts of the day!
Eating : Benjamin still isn't a huge eater, but he has started to snack a little more throughout the day. I try to keep a bowl of blueberries or grapes or a healthy snack near by while he's playing, and he'll run over and eat a few every couple of minutes. It is easier to sneak the food in that way when he is distracted by playing. :)
Favorites : Going to school to play with his friends, Doc McStuffins and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, drinking out of a big boy cup, bath time (especially in Mom and Dad's big bath tub with the jets/bubbles!), his new iPad from Grandma and Papa for Christmas (he especially loves the Peek-a-Boo apps, Calling Elmo or Cookie Monster, and the Little People app!), puzzles, pushing his new baby doll around the house in a stroller, swimming with Daddy at the YMCA, helping Mommy cook, and taking Mommy or Daddy's hand to show them what he wants or where he wants to go. :)
Doesn't like : Still not loving diaper changes or getting dressed, not being picked up when he wants to be :), taking medicine, being confined in the car seat or high chair once he is ready to get moving, and gymnastics class. We recently tried a "Big and Little" class at our local gymnastics gym, and he wasn't loving having to follow all the directions. He just wanted to run around the gym and play with the things he wanted to play with like we usually have in the past at Open Gym! We decided after 2 very unsuccessful classes that we are going to give it a few months and we might try again once he is a little older. For now, he is absolutely LOVING Open Gym, so we are going to do that once a week instead!
I am starting to get SO excited about our newest addition that will be here soon! While I am nervous and anxious about the responsibility of having two little ones, I know he will be another miraculous blessing.
- How far along? 31 weeks tomorrow
- Baby size: Pineapple
- Total weight gain: I have stopped counting! I think I am close to 25 pounds total.
- Maternity clothes? Oh yes. This belly is huge.
- Stretch marks? Not that I have noticed!
- Sleep: Sleeping is starting to become difficult. I am having pain in my right hand similar to carpal tunnel. It gets so intense that it wakes me up at night! Between that, going to the bathroom, and just starting to get uncomfortable, I am up quite a few times every night. But I keep reminding myself that I can run to the bathroom or straighten out my wrist and then go right back to sleep - not exactly the luxury I will have in a few short weeks! ;)
- Best moment this week: Seeing Benjamin have a great day at school on Friday was a wonderful moment, not only when thinking about him, but when thinking about the new baby, too. I am really fortunate that I will have two mornings each week to have alone time with our new little one. I hope to somehow schedule in a morning or afternoon of alone time with our big brother Benjamin each week, too! I want to make sure that both of our boys get our undivided attention for at least a few hours each week.
- Miss anything? Not having to pee every 10 minutes. :) Benjamin and I were at Open Gym this weekend, and I had to go to the bathroom twice in the one hour we were there! I had to take him into the yucky public bathroom with me since we were there alone - ew!
- Movement: SO much movement! I can see the baby rolling across my stomach as he changes positions now, as opposed to sharp jabs or kicks every few moments. It is the absolute COOLEST thing I have ever experienced. I am so lucky to be able to have such healthy, amazing pregnancies!
- Food cravings: Hostess Fruit Pies. They now sell them in packages of 10 mini pies (half the size of a regular pie), and I eat one almost every night. Probably accounts for the 25 pounds I've gained this pregnancy!
- Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really!
- Gender: Boy! :) I am a lucky lady to be surrounded by all these sweet boys. I just ordered a few new outfits and pajamas for Benjamin from Hanna Andersson's new spring line, and it was so much fun to be able to get the matching outfit for his little brother!!
- Labor signs: Just some Braxton Hicks, but nothing too crazy!
- Symptoms: My sciatic nerve in my lower back is pretty sore, and I also have the numbness in my hand. Other than that I am just starting to get very sleepy. But I can't complain - overall I feel pretty good, and you can't really expect to feel 100% GREAT when you are growing a baby inside of you, can you? It kind of comes with the territory, and I just feel blessed that I am able to have a healthy pregnancy - back pain, tiredness, and all!
- Belly button in or out? Out!
- Wedding rings on or off? I am wearing my bigger fake wedding band just for comfort sake. My wedding rings will still fit, but they are getting snug!
- Happy or moody most of the time? Happy!
- Looking forward to: An ultrasound this Thursday to see how baby is growing. :)
- Diabetes update: My A1C was 6.2 when they checked it last! I am proud of myself and glad that I have the tools I need to keep myself healthy for the little one!
