18 Months and On the Go
Over our Christmas vacation in Pensacola, Florida, with Chris’s family, Chris’ mom, Jackie, took us all to the Naval Air Museum at the Air Force base in town. Chris and I had been a thousand times before on class field trips as we grew up, but this was our first time going with Bean and, like so many other experiences, this one was just better because Bean was with us.
He’s really into airplanes right now (“eha-panes”) so this museum was the perfect place for him to explore. It’s basically just a big aircraft hanger with restored government planes dating all the way back to the beginning of flight. You can touch anything and even climb in and explore a lot of them.
On January 1, Bean turned 19 months old and as we walked around that museum, it struck me how old 19 months really is. Bean is such an independent, active, on-the-go little dude right now and I just love it.
He isn’t scared of anything that we’ve found yet and his curiosity is one of my favorite parts about his personality. Actually, he’s a lot like his dad. Chris loves to wander around and get into things on his own, and I see that so much in Bean. Both of them are content to entertain themselves and they both do better when they are learning on their own terms, instead of being taught to.
If 17 months was all about independence, then 18 months was all about learning when to ask for help. I was pleasantly surprised to see Bean not quite so headstrong this past month as he was the month before that. I think he is learning that asking us for help doesn’t mean we are going to take over or tell him what to do. We help and then we back off and let him continue on and even at 18 months old, I can tell Bean is learning to trust that about us.
One of the greatest things we have taught Bean this month was the word “help.” Whenever we would see him struggling with something, we would ask him if he needed help instead of just jumping in and doing it for him. When we asked, “Do you need help?” he would repeat back to us, “Help,” and then that gave us permission to help him out. Sometimes he would actually say no, that he didn’t want help and so we’d let him figure out whatever he was struggling with on his own. But when he would ask for help, we made sure to just get him started on the task at hand and then turn it back over to him to finish. We never wanted him to feel like asking for help meant that he couldn’t do something himself. Now, Bean will come to us and ask for help without us prompting him. It’s a nice way of showing our respect for Bean and for Bean to learn that asking and receiving help doesn’t require that he give up any of his independence.
Another thing that has taken off this past month that seems to really help with the temper tantrums is Bean’s ability to communicate and his ability to understand abstract concepts. He is talking up a storm and every day he seems to be adding new words to his vocabulary. He now understands what and where “home” is and so when we’re out somewhere and he starts to get fidgety, I can explain that we’re going home soon and he seems to understand what that concept means. He usually starts giggling and saying something about seeing Lucy and Molly (or Daddy, if Chris isn’t already out with us). Another concept that has really helped things is the idea of waiting and being patient. Though he is hit or miss on actually doing it, he does understand what it means to wait for something. So, if I say that he has to wait before we can eat dinner or he has to wait before we can leave, he understands what that means. He might not WANT to wait, but he at least knows what we’re saying.
I’m so happy that Bean is still as interested in books as he has always been. He still loves to be read to, but he also loves to read out loud to us or to his stuffed animals. In fact, just tonight after I had read two books to him and I put him down in his new big boy bed, he asked for a book to read in bed. So, I tucked him in with a little board book and he read until he fell asleep. I love that about Bean! I hope he keeps this love of books and that as he gets older we can start reading more together.
One thing that is totally new and surprised me and Chris’s mom until neither of us could hardly say a word was Bean’s ability to work puzzles. He got several new puzzles for Christmas from both me and Jackie. One night over vacation we were all sitting in Jackie’s living room together and Bean pulled out one of his puzzles and without any help from anyone, he put every single piece into the correct spot on the first try. We tried not to squeal and call too much attention to it so we didn’t distract him, but it was really hard not to shout out, “MY BOY’S A GENIUS!” He pulled out a second puzzle and did the same exact thing – every piece in the right place on the first try. And this time I couldn’t help myself and I actually did shout out, “MY BOY’S A GENIUS!”
Another thing that surprises me is how much he is learning at school these days. I hear him singing bits of the alphabet perfectly clearly. I see him counting to five (though his favorite is, “One, two, three, GO!” and, for some unknown reason, “Two, five, GO!”). He can identify just about any animal, including dolphins, whales, and turtles that he learned on our trip to Sea World over Thanksgiving break. He knows every single body part from his head down to his toes and can even sing, “Head, shoulders, knees, and toes” now. Though most of these little bits of knowledge are sporadic and he remembers them mostly because of songs he likes to sing, I still love that his little mind is soaking up all that knowledge during the day. It makes me feel even better about our decision to put him in daycare.
I find that I say this just about every month, but 18 months really has been my favorite so far. Chris and I love that we are able to communicate so much more with him and that he seems to be growing and learning and developing at such a fast pace, while still keeping that easy going attitude that we love about him. But my favorite part of 18 months? Bean learned to say, “I love you, Mama” and “I love you, Dada.” And that is, hands down, the greatest thing I’ve ever heard.
25 Comments
Lisa
Bean gets to go to the coolest places! *jealous*
Ashley
It’s so cool how you’ve fostered his independence but at the same time showed him it’s okay to ask for help. That is awesome! 🙂
andrea
‘I love you’ certainly are some of the sweetest words to come out of their mouths and you never get tired of hearing it, either. Boys do love planes, we took our kids on the SS Yorktown in Charleston last year on a vacation and AJ was enthralled, Ryan loved it too even though she was only about 5 months old. I love the pics of Bean walking all by himself, our son does that too, it’s so cute. Happy New Year!
Nate's Mom
It warms my heart to watch Nate’s little pal grow grow grow! I love that he asks for help — we can’t wait for Nate to do that! 🙂
Lee Ann
Happy New Year! And what a great post! Thank you for sharing Bean and his milestones with us. Now I wish I had a nephew!
Crystal
So cute! My little guy is just two months behind Bean and I love reading what Bean is doing now because generally I see it happening the next month. Also my husband’s name is Chris (not that weird) but him Mom’s name is Jackie also. (weird)
Tressa
Melt my heart, Bean saying I love you Mama and Dada!!! He is growing up so fast! Still a cutie and a doll at 19 months!
Cindy In Owensboro, KY
I am going to be moving to the Mobile, AL area soon and had seen that Airplane Museum on things to do in the general area, my stepson has been there and loved it, I can’t wait to go too. I love the pics of Bean where he is walking by himself– he is getting so big!
Kat @ Living Like the Kings
I love that you guys are raising this independent little man. That’s incredible. As for the I Love you part….melts my heart!
Jen
What a fun place to explore! My daughter is 2 1/2 and she is never quiet. If she isn’t talking she is singing. If she isn’t singing, she is humming. It’s pretty cute. She even talks in her sleep! Be ready for more communication to come! My favorite part is when they start to make up their own songs! More fun to come!
Lindsay (YoungMarriedMom)
This kid just keeps getting cuter! Thanks for sharing in so much detail about how he’s growing and developing. As a new mom, I find it’s super important but sometimes tough to take a step back and really evaluate how the little one is growing. It can all seem like a blur. Bean is so lucky to have parents who pay such close attention to him and are so devoted to letting him be the little man he needs to be. Also, I think Bean asks for help more easily than I do. . . . I should take a hint from him!
Mindee@ourfrontdoor
He has QUITE the vocabulary. I think you’re right – he’s a genius.
Suzanne B
Bean is dangerous to me. I read your posts and I’m ready to have 54 kids immediately.
Lori @ I Can Grow People
If we lived closer, Bean and P-Bo would be best friends right now! Porter is Mr. Chattypants these days–singing songs, talking while he plays by himself–and he LOVES books. His daily note from daycare said he fell asleep at naptime reading a book!
Sarah H.
Great post! I love hearing all about Bean 🙂 It does seem like you have a very smart and well adjusted boy on your hands!! Must be the great parenting and all that love you give him 🙂
Sara R.
How cool! I can really see in my 15 month old some major frustration over not being able to communicate (other than a few words), which has been kind of a constant trend before reaching a major milestone I think. Thanks for sharing – that seems like a really neat place!
Kristen
Can we get some new Bean videos, please? That kid cracks me up and I loved watching him whack things with his golf clubs. I can only imagine him now being so active and vocal!
Jenn
Too cute! I love this age. My 19mth old sounds very similar with her communication etc. I think the increased ability to communicate has helped cut down on the tantrums and whining too – cos she can just say what she wants. Have you found that too?
Also – I have to say you should give yourself more credit – Even if beanie didn’t go to daycare I still think he would be just as good with his vocab and counting etc. My 19mth old knows numbers/letters/body parts too, and has just been bumming round home with me for all her life!
Casper
That is wonderful! Sounds like you guys are doing a great job as parents! I like the asking him if he needs help and waiting for him to respond. Makes total sense, I will have to remember that one!
Gemma
I think that Bean looks just like Chris’s mum in the first photo.
The Crazy One
Bean just gets cuter and cuter all the time!!! I don’t have kids yet but I love the idea of helping him just enough to not take his independence away. That’s very insightful of you!
Emily
I’ve been there!! 🙂 Bean looks absolutely adorable and definitely looks like he’s growing into a Little Man!
Ariel
I’ve been reading your blog for about a year now (I found you through the webbies last year) and have loved reading and seeing Bean’s development. This has become interesting on a different level recently as my best friend is expecting her first baby in April and it seems like everywhere I go I hear stories of how humans develop and learn. Since she’s my first close friend to have a baby I haven’t had the opportunity to watch this first hand yet, thank you for sharing!
Michelle
I love your posts about and how much he’s grown and learned each month. You are Chris really are great parents!
Lily P
Love it!! My family used to drive to Destin just about every summer when I was little and we ALWAYS stopped at the Naval Museum in Pensacola and the USS Alabama in Mobile. Those are some of my fondest memories – I can’t wait to take my children there one day (live a bit far away now)!!