18 months

My little guy isn't so little anymore. Geez. And, I have to say, I love this age SO MUCH! So many new words, expressions, actions. So much love. So much silliness.

I knew I was never a big baby person. I love them, and I think they're wonderful; they smell sweet and are so needy and cuddly and fresh. But the toddler age--it's AMAZING! I love watching how Latham learns things. He knows all his body parts; he says about 20 words; how he says "Choo-choo" is THE CUTEST THING EVER. And that's just Adam's opinion, too.

My Latham is the most perfect being I could ever imagine. I can't believe I gave birth to such a wonderful bundle. Of course, he can be naughty. But he even looks cute (and knows it!) when he has to go to his time-out corner. And, wow, he just is doing so much. He's so athletic! He loves hide-and-seek! He loves tickling and being tickled! He loves talking to relatives on FaceTime! He loves taking my phone, holding it to his ear, and say "Hey!" He loves cleaning up toys! He loves Oliver! He loves reading!

And, he sleeps. LIKE THROUGH THE NIGHT. FOR SEVERAL MONTHS! For me, that is the biggest mystery. He went from helpless, sleepless infant to interested, sleepless baby to ambling, kinda sleeping toddler to THIS PERFECT MAN! Whhhhhaaaaaaatttt? Seriously, when the sleeping-through-the-night thing took hold, it changed everything for me. Geez.

To conclude: SLEEP IS AMAZING. My son absolutely rocks. Life is wild, but my Latham makes life look (and feel) GOOD!  :)

 Baby to Toddler...amazing!

Being a proud parent

My sweet Latham started daycare yesterday. He'll be going on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I've been working all summer to get him ready. I moved him to one nap a day, and then made sure that nap happened after lunch. We've been practicing napping on a nap mat, eating neatly, playing nicely, obeying (as much as possible) adults, and much more.

All of this practice and worry (on my part), and the day ended up going fine. He napped very well, played well, ate well, and was happy. This good report and a solid night's sleep (he slept for 12 hours, and even then I had to wake him) made me rather reflective.

It wasn't anything that I did that made the day work. And, when he has a bad day in daycare (as will surely happen at some point), it won't be my fault. He's a toddler and he definitely shows his own personality all the time.

Latham is happy with life, and confident that he's loved and cared for. He's inquisitive. He laughs and dances and smiles all the time. He can also scream and yell like a maniac, and loves to ignore mom and/or make her chase him all over grocery stores, museums, etc. He's a little piece of perfection rolled up into a crazy ball of willfulness, covered in the most beautiful curls imaginable.

And it's okay to be proud and scared and everything. That's part of being a parent, I guess. But it's also important to realize that he's exploring his world in ways that I don't recognize. He's probably more laidback than I am (maybe he gets that from his daddy). But Latham is his own person. And, wow, that's weird to say. He was attached to my breast for the better part of a year. He needed (and got) cuddles from me or Adam every 3 hours or so...especially at night! I can read his expressions and I know what he's thinking (most of the time). But he's his own little person. Having experiences without me, not needing my attention as much (at least during the night!), and just generally showing me that he will live his own life. It's weird. It's unsettling. It's what happens.

But I'm proud of who my Latham is now, and I know I'll be even more proud of him as time goes on.

Sorry if this rambles....but, hey, at least I produced a blog post, right? Be happy with that, y'all!  :)

Happy birth day to Eliana Rose!

Congratulations to the happy parents, Luke and Laura Copeland! Their beautiful daughter was born super-early this morning. I know that they're exhausted but that they are celebrating such a happy, blessed day. Since Latham was also born early in the morning (2:57 a.m.), I was able to think of April 7th as my "pain-day" and April 8th as the "glorious, wonderful, awe-inspiring, cuddle-day" of Latham's birthday. I hope Laura can do the same with August 1st versus August 2nd.  (Bonus: I plan to use April 7th in future years to get Latham to do tasks/chores/not argue/etc.)

L+L named their daughter Eliana Rose. I had to look it up, but Eliana (el-ee-AH-nah) is of Hebrew origin meaning "God has answered." It also is related to the Greek "Helene" and Old French "Elaine," so I already know that my newest niece is going to be quite the lovely, smart, successful gal.

Luke--great job of supporting Laura during the birth. Start figuring out how to scare off all the neighborhood guys. (My brother-in-law Chris recommends--for my other niece, Eva--not letting any boys talk to her and/or deploying her brother as a shield. In that case, we could loan you Latham.)

Laura--I barely remember the first few months. NOT because it was a blissful haze (though I hope it will be for you!), but I know you have a lot of people near and far to lean on. So lean on all of us! And please let me know how I can help. I know that you'll love motherhood more and more every day. Also, tell Luke to take a couple of feedings here and there--you don't have to do it all!

Eliana--you just keep growing strong, healthy, and gorgeous. We absolutely can't wait to meet you. Latham already smiles whenever he sees you. We'll be teaching him your name right away.

Love and smiles to you, Nashville Copelands!