Last week, Grayson turned 10 months, and I realized that he’s quickly growing from baby to toddler. When did this happen!? We finally have a groove going. He still takes two naps a day, is sleeping g r e a t at night, and for the most part, he smiles and laughs all day long. Plus, he doesn’t talk back yet. Toddlers throw tantrums. They (or so I’ve heard) lay in the middle of the aisle at the grocery store screaming because you aren’t buying the cookies they want. How do you go about punishing one, exactly? Time-out? If you’re an advocate for spanking, I don’t think you can spank so early, can you? Anyway…
The one year mark is also when we’re supposed to give up the bottle, start weaning from the pacifier, and switch to sippy cups. I’m trying to start leaving the pacifier in the crib so he just uses it for naps and bedtime, but whenever he’s pouting I find myself wanting to grab it and shove it in his mouth. (Patience, patience….) He’s doing really well in the switch from formula to the half juice, half water mixture I’ve started to give him, so he only gets a few ounces of formula in the morning, a few before each nap, and a full bottle at bedtime. Since he still doesn’t have any teeth, it’s not really a problem, and we give it to him instead of letting him fall asleep with it in his mouth, but I know as soon as he gets teeth, that’s a no-no. I bought one sippy cup recommended for first-time users a few weeks back, and instead of trying to drink from it, he bangs it against the highchair tray. Clearly not a winner.
Lastly, I’ve started planning Grayson’s one year birthday. Since it’s in August, we’ve decided that a pool party at my in-laws seems to be the best option. I’m finding that making the guest list is harder than I would have imagined, because I want my close friends there, but when you start inviting friends from one group, I feel obligated to invite other friends so they’re not left out, and “what if this person sees pictures on your facebook wall” and so on. It’s like our wedding all over again, which, to be honest, was extremely stressful. We’ve already got a pretty lengthy list, but I’m trying to stay calm. He’s not even going to remember his first birthday, plus, he’s gonna need a nap in the middle of the party, anyway. Anybody that has done this before care to give any tips?
I just can’t believe my little bean is almost one.
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| Grayson and my Dad on Father’s Day |
I remember feeling the exact same way for Abram’s first birthday. What we ended up doing was a family luncheon in between nap one and nap two. That made it totally clear and it was fun. Then, last year, we had a party and it was so interesting because since he was two and much more aware, we invited his buddies from the past two years and their families. By then, he had dropped his morning nap so we did it at 10 am with homemade muffins and cereal bars as well as fruit and then finished with cupcakes. We also did a grandparent luncheon on the day of his actual birthday and that was a nice way to give the grand parents some special time since we knew he’d be playing hard with his buds at his party. This year, we’re thinking about having an immediate famiy birthday and then alternating moving forward- one year will be a birthday party and one year will be a family even that we do together (that he would chose- this year, for example, it could be going to a water park together). It is a lot to think about but I know you’ll come up with something that is just perfect for all of you!