NAOMI’S 18-MONTH TODDLER UPDATE

The last baby update I’ve done was four months ago, when Naomi turned one year old.

Naomi is now an 18-month-old toddler with a big personality and a lovable nature.

Just when I started to get a hang on motherhood, our little peanut turned into a bouncy toddler overnight and it made me question everything I knew about becoming a mother. Instead of reaching for books, I’m leaning more towards trusting my instincts and making space for her own individuality to flourish. It’s a beautiful thing to witness and to get to know her more and more everyday.

Here’s an 18-month toddler update on our precious Naomi.

Most recent development:

After going through a tough developmental leap (separation anxiety and crankiness to the max), it felt like she woke up one morning with updated software! She is able to instantaneously pick things up from words she’s learned or understand what other people say.

Perhaps the most astonishing thing to witness is her ability to understand the sequence of things. In the morning, I ask her if she wants breakfast and she will nod, walk into the kitchen, open the fridge to get the milk, climb in her learning tower, and then help mama with breakfast.

She’s also very capable in making her own choices when it comes to what she wants to eat, read, wear, and whom she wants to hang out with.

Personality:

The most beautiful thing for me witness as a mom is seeing Naomi grow up as a kind, gentle and lovable human being. She acknowledges and respects the people around her with a smile, a wave hello and goodbye. Even in her moments of defiance, she’s never hurtful and listens to us when we try to explain things.

There’s nothing she loves more than spending time with other kids, sharing her toys and food, and she gives them a big hug or a pat on the head. Perhaps my favorite thing I’m milking at the moment are those embraces and sloppy kisses I get out of nowhere.

She’s always been an independent (or really driven) little girl, but it is quickly turning into stubbornness especially when we try to help her. The other day, she was super frustrated because she couldn’t close her color marker because the cap was turned upside down and when we tried to help her, she screamed and cried even more. In the end, her hands were covered in blue marker and Anthony and I couldn’t help but laugh at the situation.

Funniest thing she does:

Naomi closes her hand into a ball, stomps her feet, closes her eye and squeals when she gets really excited! She gets excited about cats and dogs, when we put her favorite TV show on, and when we read her favorite books.

Her Favorite Word:

NO! in a thick French accent.

“Naomi, can I get a kiss?” NO

“Do you want to take a bath?” NO

“Do you like broccoli?” NO

Her other favorite words: ‘NO DAT!’ (not that), ’KAKA’ (for poop), and ‘Hello’ and ‘Bye’ (usually on her toy phone).

Eating:

Being a mom to a fussy eater has seen some emotional turmoil, filled with frustration and defeat, that I will share in another post. Accepting that she’s not the greatest eater had me ease up on my approach and I’ve been noticing an increase in her appetite and willingness to try new foods when I’m not on her back all the time. Since we’ve got back from Montreal, she’s been eating what we’re eating for the most part, even rice with butternut squash curry and veggies. Let see if this continues (I’m hoping it will).

Other than that, I feel like our BLW journey (Baby-Led Weaning) has started to pay off. Naomi can confidently eat with a spoon or fork (not at the same time) and drinks from a glass. She rarely throws food on the floor anymore, choosing to give it to mama or dada instead.

Dislikes:

 I’ve mentioned previously that Naomi dislikes being away from me and it has intensified over the summer since she has stopped going to nursery. It’s understandable, especially when she knows me as her primary caregiver, but it’s gotten to a point where I’m not able to leave her sight to go to the bathroom.

Learning:

Naomi is helping me a lot in the kitchen and practices her precision and balancing skills by scooping, pouring, transferring, and stirring. She can also sit in her IKEA table now so we’ve been doing a lot of our Montessori activities there. Naomi can confidently understand French and English and responds very well to us when we’re talking. I have a feeling this little girl will learn French well before I do!

My favorite time with her

Naomi is with me most of the day and it’s been challenging juggling everything from taking care of her, doing the household responsibilities, as well as keeping the blog alive and being active on social media.

That said, I try to pick little moments when I’m truly present with her throughout the day and those are my favorites. She calls my name when she wakes up and I go to her room, kiss her good morning, then I would pick up books and climb inside her crib where we snuggle and read stories.

What we love right now:

Bedtime for Batman book: She wants us to read this book to her over and over again

VTech Baby Little Smartphone: This blogger baby is always busy making important phone calls.

Little Tikes Rocking Horse: This is her favorite toy whenever we go to a soft play area. She even makes ‘Neigh’ sounds.

Monsoon Hat: as pictured above. She doesn’t leave the house without it.

Yoplait Frubes: After having a taste of real ice cream in Montreal, I wanted to find a healthy option and found these Yoplait yogurt pops in Carrefour. She thinks it’s ice cream which makes for a happy mama and little one!

This is a pretty long post (so apologies for the long read!), but so much has happened since my last update that I wanted to document all of these memories and moments in our 18-month-old toddler’s life.

Do you have a toddler as well? What are you loving the most in this phase? I’d love to know!