Toddler Time

Owen is officially a toddler.  It's hard to believe that I don't have a baby anymore and feels just as bittersweet as every other stage.  He walks where he wants to go, drinks cow's milk from a cup and has learned to communicate.  There have been a series of moments in the past month that proved Owen is gaining independence and have all caught me totally off guard.  The first time was at the aquarium.  Owen was walking all around, choosing what he wanted to look at and where he wanted to go.  It made him super mad when we tried to pick him up and carry him away from what he was looking at.  He had very little interest in the aquatic life but was all about the small stair case he discovered and the other kids running around.  The next moment was multiple weeks later when Owen mastered going down the slide all by himself.  Ty and I looked at each other with moist eyes after it happened the first time, both in awe of how quickly he is becoming a little boy.  Finally, I was out in Ballard after a doctors appointment and realized we were just in time for baby story time at the library.  Turns out, Owen isn't a baby anymore.  He was the oldest kid there.  I was embarrassed, realizing that we were crashing the baby story time, all the little ones were laying on blankets while Owen trampled over them.  Note to self, figure out the day and time for toddler story hour.

I hoped and prayed that when it was time to stop breastfeeding it would be a natural, easy transition. Thankfully, that's exactly what happened.  I was reluctant to stop nursing early in the morning because Owen would wake up between 5 and 6 am, eat, and go back to sleep until 7:30 or 8.  It was easy and we all got to sleep in.  I had weaned down quite a bit and was only feeding him twice a day, morning and night.  One day he slept until 8 and it was clear that he didn't need to eat in the morning anymore.  Despite the fact we both still enjoyed that quiet moment, I knew we were ready to give it up.  I stopped feeding him in the morning and continued to feed him at night for another week or so.  When I totally cut him off, he was pissed.  We had a few rough days and now he's totally over it.  I feared that nursing for too long would make it harder for him to give up emotionally and I feel like we were right on the cusp.  He certainly wasn't happy about it but he moved on rather quickly.  As much as I loved breastfeeding, I haven't look back.  14 months was long enough.  Nursing Owen was a wonderful thing and I am so thankful that we were able to have that experience.  While I miss the quiet moments we spent together nursing, I am enjoying the toddler experiences that have replaced them.

The worst part of the weaning process was the hormonal shifts and how horrible they made me feel.  I was exhausted, craved sweets and had headaches.  I even took a pregnancy test because I couldn't think of any other reason I would feel so awful.  Turns out, it was the weaning.  Nobody gave me a heads up on that one so I was totally blindsided.  Hopefully I don't gain weight now that I don't have an extra 500 calories pouring out of me in milk everyday!  I guess it's time to start paying a little closer attention to my diet and scale back the second helpings of dinner.

My little toddler is talking more and has added "ball," "dog," "go," and "yay" to his vocabulary.  He likes trucks, playing in the back yard and going down the slide.  He is turing into a good little eater and no longer drinks from a bottle.  Fruit is his favorite food, he's obsessed with raspberries, blueberries, pineapple, watermelon and oranges.  Goldfish and cliff kid bars also top his food chart.  He is going to bed later (7-7:30) so we are attempting to get into the habit of having dinner as family.  Owen loves Jake and plays with him all the time.  He's got 4 new teeth poking through and has developed a little stranger danger.  He still loves people but takes a few minutes to warm up and clings to our legs until he's comfortable with his surroundings.  The mini tantrums have started.  He loves to put things away and is very methodical.  Doors that are opened need to be shut and blocks need to go back in their bag.  I'm pretty sure that is a developmental thing but Ty is convinced that he's going to be a neat freak like me.  Now that Owen's walking I'm much more motived to get him out of the house and we are discovering all the toddler hot spots in town.

At the 15 month check up Owen was 24 pounds (66th percentile), 32 inches (77th percentile), and his head circumference was 19 inches (60th percentile, down from 90th).  His body is officially catching up with his head.