Wow, I can't believe this. Out of all of the months, the 18 month mark was for some reason the biggest milestone for me. I don't know why, I just couldn't wait for Graham to be a year and a half. So far, however, it has been the hardest. Graham is now so full of energy and personality that he runs me into the ground every night. There have been more tears from both of us, long nights, a TON of clingyness (he will not leave me alone for 2 seconds!), fits and tantrums, and a very stubborn baby. Now, don't get me wrong, I am still loving being a mom but it is stressful! They always said it would be hard, but I never imagined it to be this hard. I can only pray the tough times will pass quickly.
Of course, above all of the bad is the good. Graham is such a sweetheart. He loves being with me and cuddling up to me. He loves giggling and singing songs and playing games and making everyone around him laugh. He is so smart and all of the sudden, so mobile. He is starting to climb on everything and runs faster than I probably ever had. :) He is so full of energy!!
He talks like CRAZY, never stopping! He is starting to put two words together, his favorite being "give me!" He still loves saying every animal sound he knows and telling me stories. When the doctor asked us how many words we think he can say, we couldn't even come up with a number. Probably hundreds is what we ended up telling him. He said the average 18 month old can say 8 words!! That blew us away. I think he was saying 8 words at 9 months old. I think we have a genius on our hands. :)
He has recently taken up singing. If it gets quiet or he is playing alone, he will always be either singing to himself or humming. He coaxes me to sing all of the time and loves when I turn the radio on. We recently bought a disc of primary songs and he has attached himself to "I am a Child of God." He is constantly singing "lead me, guide me, walk beside me! HELP me...." and then it stops. We are working on the rest. It is one of my proudest moments when I hear that sweet voice sing that he is a Child of God. It makes all of the bad times brighten. I am so grateful and so lucky to have his sweet spirit in my home.
Graham is still huge, however he has dropped in weight after so much running around. And trust me, he runs A LOT!!! His 18 month stats are:
Weight: 28 lbs 15 oz.............................85%
Height: 35 inches.................................95%
Head: 20 1/2 inches.............................90%
I can't believe how old he is getting. He is no longer a baby and has officially entered toddler hood. We have taken bottles away completely and he is now putting himself to bed and not having us rock him (that took a LONG time to do.) We call him our big boy now and he beams every time we say that to him.
Graham really shows what a big boy he is. He is very protective of his stuff and other things around him. He loves babies and will bend down to their height and ask them if they want their "ba-ba." He will pat their head and say "oh! a baby!" He is going to make a good big brother someday. I guess that is why he came to us first, so he can help me with others that may come.
Graham is, in my eyes, the perfect child. I love him so much and am so grateful for these 18 months I have had to be his mother. The Lord has truely blessed me with him and I have learned more about how to be a mother and about myself by having him. We love you Graham Crackers!!!
1 comment:
What a sweetheart. You really do have a big boy on your hands and he's perfect Julia.
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