So my little man is getting to be quite the big man. I think he is just the coolest kid in town. He is developing his own personality and I’m having so much fun watching it come about. He thinks Lena is hilarious, especially when he throws her a tennis ball and she retrieves it. His crazy little cackle comes out for that. But in the blink of an eye, he can suddenly become scared and mad at her. I think it’s hard to control your emotions when your 17 months. It’s a bit of an emotional roller coaster, I feel ya Reed. I really do. ;) Reed expresses himself the way I would if I didn’t know any better. Freely. He has also been passionate about hugs lately and boy does that make Mommy happy! I’ll ask him for a hug and he toddles over to me with his huge, smiley, silly, sticky face and lays it on me. Melt me. Sometimes if I’m on the floor, at his little man level, he’ll come up behind me and give me a little pat on the back. “Ok, Reed, you had me at hello, you’re just sweetening the deal, aren’t you?”
Since I want to remember what a day is with my 17 month old Reed, you get to hear it too.
A typical day goes a little something like this……
Reed wakes up singing in his crib, a bit of talking and babbling. If we don’t get him after a few minutes he starts to warm up his lungs and let us know that he is AWAKE. “DAAA!”
Bryan or I go in and we are greeted with a big silly smile! He’s also pointing at something and saying “that”. His socks have probably been pulled off and he's holding them in his hands.
Reed gives us a quick hug and he’s ready to discover the day. Usually wants to turn off the sound machine, and when this happens it’s followed by an open mouth of excitement (the little things).
Then he might beg to open the curtains on the window, we let the light in; and if the trash man is out there, that’s a major added bonus to his morning! He’s excellent at what a truck sounds like right now, courtesy of Nana & Papa. ;)
He doesn’t ever let us forget to unplug his nightlight.
Sometimes it's a battle to change that diaper and get dressed for the day. Tears of frustration usually ensue somewhere in that time, but then they’re quickly gone by hitting up the adventures that are around the bend. If this is my task, I typically end up chasing him on my knees pleading for him to stay still so I can just get one more piece of clothing on! It’s all so very dramatic. If this is done by Bryan, it’s much more tolerated and done it a neat and quick fashion. (rolling my eyes, isn’t it more fun to play tag with a naked baby while tripping over hangers….?) I guess he knows Daddy means business.
Reed now loves to get in the “big bed” and play snuggle for the next 5-7 minutes. It’s so silly and cute. We make lots of “Aww” sounds and pretend to sleep on the pillow.
By this time I’m usually carrying him on my hip, while trying to apply just one more layer of mascara, making sure the iron is off, looking for his shoes, carrying my cell phone, maybe a coffee cup, and anything else that must travel down the stairs with us. I realize at this point if my hair isn’t done and my shirt isn’t ironed that it just ain’t going to happen.
I fix him breakfast like I’m a magician because 17 month old's don’t have any patience what so ever. At least mine doesn’t when it comes to FOOD. It’s usually oatmeal & fruit, toast & eggs, whole grain waffles, or my amazing banana (sometimes pumpkin, sometimes blueberry) pancakes. Reed typically eats way too many of these. I try to keep these for special occasions. Like weekends! Oh and sometimes he gets special smoothies if time permits; they contain yogurt, spinach, blueberries, pears, and any other happy smoothie fruit that I may have at the moment.
While he eats we look at books, talk about dogs & cats (aka-kitty kitty kitties!) or sing songs. If I step away for even a second (and I have to often to gather the remains of the morning) Reed has the beginning of his “morning meltdowns”. He can eat so fast that by the time you put a bite of food on his tray, he’s ready for the next, and next, and next!! NOW. He likes to bang his feet on the wooden high chair to emphasize the urgency of the matter. If you could see me at this hour, I’m usually signing and dancing to distract his thoughts of throwing his sippy cup again. He thinks gravity is hysterical. Especially when there is a cute mini dog in aiming range.
The rest of the morning is a balancing act of carrying purses, packed lunches, keys, sunscreen, shoes, and a toddler. Who is either tickled with laughter and silliness or sad because breakfast is over. We get in the car and sing our way to daycare.
Reed walks in with a presence these days. After he climbs down from my arms, he might cling to me for a minute. He usually goes right for the toy room and grabs whatever toy he’d been dreaming about since he left it there the day before. He usually greets it with some kind of “roaring” boyish noise.
I reluctantly (every. single. morning.) kiss and hug him and tell him to be a good boy and have a good day. He LOVES daycare and is so cared for. Some days he has a touch of separation anxiety. He screams and cries and throws his arms up for me to pick him up. But on most days he is just fine and waddles off with excitement and maybe a look behind to see me off. I linger for a while, not sure if this is good or bad but it makes us both feel right. I admit, my fantasies these days consist of quitting my job and hanging out with my red head all day.
I go to work and you must wonder what time is it by now. Yes, I’m a solid 15 min late almost every day, I’m working on this. I think. I work and I think about what Reed’s doing. I know he’s having a blast.
When it’s time to pick him up…..it’s like Christmas morning. I can’t get there fast enough. I love to see his reaction when I get there, his arms usually go straight up in the air he smiles and he makes his “uh uh” noise-which translates to “I want”, or “come here”, or “Mama” or anything that makes sense in the moment. Once he’s had his welcoming hug, he typically wants to go back to opening and closing playhouse doors, riding in cool plastic cars, or walking around the awesome backyard with all his buds.
At a pretty early age I started telling him to go to his cubby and get his lunchbox out and he amazingly did it every time. He knows which one is his and pulls his lunch box out with a loud grunt, like it’s incredibly heavy. ;)
He blows kisses with a sly smile on our way out and we head home. Side note-the way a 17 month old blows a kiss-he puts his hand to his mouth and makes a clicking noise with his tongue.
We drive home and talk about the loud trucks on the road. We might even hold hands quickly if I'm lucky. This requires a lot of stretching on my part. Reed usually won’t let me carry him up the front stairs anymore; he MUST “walk” up them all by himself. This takes some time, but we get there. His newest fascination is getting the mail. Sometimes we have to make the walk even if its not there yet.
Lena, (or “Yena” as lovingly yelled by Reed) greets us at the door, I manage to put my 10 million bags down, throw Reed’s leftover whatever in the fridge, scoop up Reed and take Lena down the stairs out to use the facilities and eat (inhale) her dinner. This requires more singing and dancing because Reed likes to grab Lena while she eats. We might play with the key or talk about the "backyard."
We all head back up the stairs and I hang and play with Reed till DADDY arrives. I used to make dinner before Bryan got home, but Reed requires 100% of my attention these days. Since he's SO mobile and all. We might sit on the stairs outside and play with bubbles, or walk around and wait for Daddy. When he gets home Reed gets so excited, he has a special Daddy face, he makes an excited gasp and looks out the window while Bryan makes his way in if we're inside. Lena is usually barking as a way to show her own excitement. Reed is starting pick up on telling Lena “No, no”. He points sternly with his chubby little finger.
Dinner happens in some form, Lena usually gets her second meal at this point. Reed loves broccoli, of all the things, he cracks me up-broccoli? I mean, its one of my all time favs too. I’m going with it.
We venture out on our evening walk in our red umbrella stroller. It takes us past many dogs, families, cats, tree lined sidewalks and cars. Reed likes to get out by the school and stretch his legs for a bit. Bryan usually has to carry him the rest of the way, there usually isn’t any returning to the stroller at this point. Lena gets her energy out too.
We’re back and we read a few pages in a book, play with some toys and wind down.
Splish splashy bath time is next. He can't wait to get in! Lets see how many water filled toys we can throw out of the tub. Buddha belly cleaned and hair squeaky clean. Lotioned up and teeth "brushed". PJ’s and sleep are near.
We climb up in his chair and snuggle and read a few more pages in a book. When he's done with that, we say goodnight to everything in his room, (make sure Lena's not under the crib) I hold him close and sing “You are my sunshine” however many times he likes. He lays his head on my shoulder and I kiss him and lay him in his bead. He likes his back rubbed and if you stop too early he will look up at you like “ohh, you’re not off the hook yet silly Mommy”.
I lean over his crib and lovingly rub his back until he’s comfy and cozy and dreaming up his little toddler adventures for the next day....
