Hello! My Harry updates are sporadic, but I'm finding it quite useful to stop and think about what he's like at the moment. Since he turned 1 he has changed on a weekly basis almost, and I'm worried I'll start to forget what he was like just a few months ago! I last did an update at
15 months, I think he's changed sufficiently to write a proper update now at 19 months (rapidly approaching 20, eek). I am rather alarmed at how quickly he's growing up!
Eating
He's still a bit of a fusspot but he's definitely using it to push boundaries rather than actually disliking foods. Some days he will pick and fuss at every meal, other days he devours everything we offer to him and asks for more. Blueberries are still like crack to him, he asks for them ("bees!") at every meal. Other favourites are sweet and sour chicken, spaghetti bolognese, mozzarella, tomato and pesto paninis, and pizza. He's quite happy with a quorn nugget, less happy with chunks of chicken or other meats, I don't think he enjoys the texture. If it's blended into a sauce or chopped up small I can sneak some in usually. He's become a lot more independent and wants to feed himself all the time, so I can usually just give him his meal and leave him to it (despite the horrendous mess it creates!) while I have a cup of tea. He's also taken to asking for snacks and has, to my frustration, figured out where his snack cupboard is.
He drinks like a trooper and is very good at reminding me to fill up his cup! He also happily drinks milk, especially when we are out, and even has his own mini Keep Cup purchased by my sister. He's also still breastfeeding... despite my best efforts to stop. I never thought we'd still be going at 19 months and would happily give it up, but his force of will is currently stronger than mine.
Sleeping
We're very slowly transitioning to 1 nap days. I've been working hard to get him into a routine with these as his afternoon naps were lasting too long, especially after Christmas, and he wasn't going to bed until 9pm. We're now at a point where he will wake up between 6.30-7am, nap at 11am for 1.5-2 hours, then bed by 7.30pm. It means I get my evenings back and he seems to sleep for longer stretches. I'm still having to feed at night as he comes into our bed about 3am... but it's not every hour and a half anymore, so I'm taking it as an improvement! Are we any closer to nightweaning/ sleeping through? Erm, no. But I'm going away for 2 nights in March so I am hoping that will help with the weaning.
Playing
Harry has a tendency to obsess over certain things for days at a time, then move on to something else swiftly. He has a couple of obsessions that go on rotation, a bit like his father in that respect! At the moment he is really into Toy Story, fire engines and horses (sadly, he can only say the first syllable, which makes conversation slightly awkward) and of course, trains. He has really got into imaginative play and I love listening to him narrate his games and scenarios, even if I don't follow everything that's going on. I find it really interesting how he views things and the concepts he comes up with - he likes placing the changing mat up against the sofa and using it as a slide for his cars, for example!
This last month I've felt less like I need to be involved with his games and more able to leave him playing independently while I get on with things. It's even better when he's with his cousin as they just entertain each other, shrieking with laughter and swapping toys. His attention span has increased too, and we're more able to sit and read books together, or watch bits of films, which usually results in a rare snuggle on the sofa. He's become more affectionate towards certain soft toys too, and has adopted his father's limited edition baseball Mickey Mouse as a companion.
Chatting
He's an absolute chatterbox and I love deciphering his language, it cracks me up. He can comfortably say a variety of easy words, as well as a few longer ones (triangle, anyone?) and even ventures into the odd sentence or two ("where's the train", usually. Did I mention he was a train dork? Still?)
He is pretty good at asking for things he wants, although he still uses the same word for multiple meanings ("bees" is either biscuits or blueberries, he's fairly happy with either translation) and to my immense joy will now say please. It's only been months of training! Rather less joyful was his discovery that he could say please for a feed, whilst clutching his chest to demonstrate exactly what he wanted. In the middle of an airport. Fantastic.
Embarrassing moments aside, I am really enjoying our little chats, and love how much more of his personality is emerging at the moment. He's a hilarious, affectionate bundle of energy, and although we're experiencing quite a few tantrums at the moment, the majority happen when he's overtired and I can usually calm him down with a distraction (touch wood). It's still exhausting and I wish wish wish he would sleep more, but I can't complain too much!