TATUM LEILANI MADRID: 19 MONTHS OLD

 

Tatum girl, so much closer to being two. It's unreal.

This 19-month update almost didn't happen (much like her older brother at this age, this month was clearly a busy one).  This past month afforded us less nursing (at times) and more strong-willed toddler behaviors. We tested limits this month -- both mama and baby, and we watched our youngest babe really come into her own and show so many "older toddler milestones" in the process. Playing alongside her siblings, running, showing SO much personality and emotion. Wow! 19 months was definitely a huge leap for our girl.

Feeding:  Believe it or not, I have sort of eased up on stressing whether or not Tatum is eating all of her food. She's become somewhat of a bird with her eating habits and of course, I'm always alarmed, concerned, and wondering if she's feeling unwell.. but truthfully, Tatum has followed suit alongside her siblings. I'm trusting her and letting her handle what she feels like eating and what she doesn't. I still prepare her plate and put all the food groups there, but I sort of let her take the lead and pick through what she wants before I go over and ask her if she wants to eat this or that. We know she's healthy and thriving. Trusting her lead is a new thing for me in motherhood. I sort of love this! 

Sleep: I've recently gone back to working out in the morning and it's thrown off our entire routine. Tatum was once a babe that had her nap in the morning via our baby carrier and then again in the afternoon either before or after pick up for our school-aged kiddos. The morning nap is happening -- about an hour but the afternoon nap isn't. She's fighting her sleep and in fighting her sleep, she's tired before her normal bedtime and it's throwing us off. I need to find out a way to smooth out these kinks in the nap schedule. Bedtime is still an absolute breeze. When Tatum goes down for the night, she's asleep. 

Milestones: Tatum is so communicative -- both vocally and by way of body language and signs. She's always telling us what she wants and everyone in our home can respond accordingly. Tatum remains so empathetic, always following social cues and responding accordingly. She's running, climbing, dumping out all the bins (both toys and not so many toys), and finding herself in the throws of power struggles with mom, dad, or sibs. We try to compromise rather than get into a tug-war with our nearly two-year-old -- but, we fall short sometimes. We are working on mastering more complex parts of the body, a variety of sing-a-long songs, and "pretend play. I can tell the potty will be finding itself around our living space more permanently, sooner than later. So. Much. Change.

Things You Like:  Lately:  Tatum loves her baby doll, her older brother's HESS cars/trucks, and tearing books off of the kid's library shelves and trying to read them. She also loves MUSIC -- of all kinds, which is really not new... but watching her sing some of the words is new and we LOVE to see that. Snuggling with other people in our family seems to be all the rave right now, it's not just mama! Tatum will grab a blanket with a sibling and find contentment. It is the sweetest thing. Drawing, coloring, and climbing on tables seem to be Tatum's all-time favorites right now. She also adores pulling up the living room blinds and watching the rain fall, our decor move, or one of her parents pull into the driveway. 

Next month puts our toddler much closer to two and I just can't believe it. This developmental age always seems to fly right on by and I know I for one can hardly believe it.