Just like that RJ is almost 2!!! Crazy right?
The last Mama Diaries I posted she was a lovely 18 months and already so much has changed! Rj is pretty much speaking in full sentences now and is such a cute little chatter box. She is definitely hitting the “terrible” two’s stage, but isn’t so terrible. She responds very well to time outs (thank you Jesus) and when she decided to throw her full on tantrums, I just place her in her room and tell her that when she is ready to finish crying for no reason she is more than welcome to come out. She will cry for a bit, but then comes out shortly and says, “Sorry Mamma”, it is the sweetest.
My biggest challenge is being outside of the house with her in an eating environment or the store. She loves to wander! I am pretty sure last week at camp she was labeled the “wanderer”. She eats and then wants out of her high chair to explore and is always on the go and hates being in the shopping cart. I am pretty sure I walk like 15,000 steps a day chasing her around all day. I know it is crucial for me and Hubby to be on the same page with discipline as well as being consistent with RJ in this season of her life. This is our season of teaching her about disappointment as well as who is in charge. The power of wills will be FUN adventure I am sure 😉
This girl loves being outdoors , but boy does she LOVE watching Mickey Mouse Club House on TV! I never had the TV on much when she was younger or even up until she was about 18 months, but all of a sudden she has become addicted! Every time she wakes up or get’s up from her nap, the first thing she says is, “Mickey Mouse”. I have told hubby that I am about to chuck the TV out the door, because I don’t like her to sit in front of the TV for more than 20-30 minutes (oh and she would). It is getting easier to pull her away though and this summer has been so busy that she doesn’t have much time for it. If we didn’t watch sports on TV, we so would be a non TV household. I am not saying there is anything wrong with having a television in your house, just right now she is fixated on watching it every second of every day and throws silly tantrums over it.
Such a little fishy! This summer she has grown to love the water even more than last and even loves the SAND! When we went to Hawaii she hated it and now she can’t get enough. We haven’t been to the local beaches here this summer yet, but I am hoping to go soon. I have found that the water is truly her happy place!
We are blessed to have only gone through a few short seasons of RJ not sleeping. For the most part she has always been a great sleeper and when she wasn’t it was because she was teething or not feeling well. We pushed her bed time back this summer to 8:30pm and she now sleeps in till about 8am. She also has this awesome Toddler Sleep Sack that I swear has helped! It is made with organic cotton and I kinda want one myself! It makes it a lot less hectic in the evenings and we have so many fun events planned that go past 7:30pm that she now isn’t super grumpy because she is out way past her bed time. Naps are also getting a lot better (she fought those for months). We now are down to one nap a day. We lay her down in her crib around 1:30-2pm ish and she will sleep for about an hour and a half, sometimes longer. Friends the nap routine took consistency and a whole lot of patience. But when she naps, she eats better, sleeps at night better, and is overall just a more happy baby!
RJ is a bird when it comes to eating. She eats all three meals, but some are bigger than others. She loves to snack on things like, Cliff Bars, string cheese, Pirate’s Bootie, and fruit through out the day. She is finally eating Broccoli (with butter of course) and carrots! Her favorite foods are avocado and RICE!! You should hear her say guacamole, it’s the cutest. One baby step at a time with those veggies! I am excited to see what she loves to eat when she get’s older, I feel like her tasted buds are continuously changing.
I can’t believe she will be two in just two short months! I fought the Mickey Mouse theme for her birthday party, but I lost the battle. We are gonna go with a “Vintage” Mickey theme at the park. We are gonna have a gourmet hotdog buffet with kettle chips and watermelon. Trying to keep it as simple as possible, but I am realizing I just can’t keep birthdays simple…I LOVE CELEBRATING!!!
Question: Any great books or blogs out there about the toddler stage??Â
Comments
6 responses to “{Mama Diaries} 22 Months”
Yes to the Janet Lansbury article that was posted!! I highly recommend her. I am an Infant/Toddler teacher so tantrums (sometimes all 12 children at a time) are my specialty 😉 If you have found a way to handle them than props to you…A little advice from my experience and what research and best practice shows. Children at this age are learning how to regulate themselves and it is so helpful to validate a child’s emotions. You may think she is crying for no reason but she does have a reason, a 2 year old reason, but a reason nonetheless 🙂 Using language like “I hear you are upset, I am here for you when you need me” and remaining close by during a tantrum are ways that help children know that it is a safe place to voice their emotions and that you are there for them. Especially at such a young age using a time out be confusing because removing a child from a situation and not addressing it doesn’t really help them learn its okay to be upset and how to regulate those emotions. Sorry to sound so preachy but I truly have found such success with these methods!!!
Such a great advice Lauren thank you!!
Oh and also I guess I shouldn’t have said “no reason”, I really meant that she isn’t getting her WAY and she can’t handle that. I love what you said about making her emotions heard, that is good to think about for sure!
http://www.janetlansbury.com/2013/12/rie-parenting-basics-9-ways-to-put-respect-into-action/
Love and Logic for the preschool years- but mainly this is a hard stage (for some kids)- it wasn’t for us until the new baby came… Ay yay yay! now we have a run for our money;).
My Riley will be 2 on July 31 and he’s obsessed with Curious George. And Veggie Tales. I would be totally anti-TV if my husband would let it go…sports! It’s hard to find the screen balance, but summer busyness helps for sure! Thanks for sharing an update. It’s been fun to see how other kids the same age are doing all the same things. Tantrums included!! We do a min of timeout for every year of age. Creeping up to a 2min time out, thankful they work!!