Harlem Lovebirds: Life with Gray: 18 Months

Grayson turns 2 years old in 4 short months so what better time than now to do his 18 months update?

I posted this on Instagram back in December - he looks like a big kid, right? ::tears::

December was when he turned 18 months and going back through the pictures for this post I realized what a big month it was for our family: we traveled to Dallas, Texas and New York City for Thanksmas and Christmas, respectively and we took advantage of so many fun activities here in Portsmouth, which I wrote about here (one of my favorite posts about our life in New Hampshire!).

Here are more details just on Gray's 18 months experience:

Toddler's Weight: 23 lbs, 1oz - still a lightweight lil guy!

Toddler's Height: 32.5" - his growth heigh-wise is outpacing his weight gain

What size of clothing does toddler wear? 18 months fits perfectly and he has a few 12 months clothing items which still especially because his waist is so slim

My sister Lauren captured the many faces of Gray

Any milestones toddler reached since last update:

Flying to Texas was his longest trip yet and he did really well!
He hit the 1 year mark of taking swimming lessons - he's so confident in the water

At the Stockyards in Ft. Worth, TX

Special outings toddler had since last update:

From our trip to Texas and NYC, it was a big travel month for Grayson and he took it in stride; it helped to have his big sister Nia by his side - he looks to her for queues and comfort

What are your thoughts since the past update? I'm so glad he's bulked up a little as to stop toppling over, but now that he's more agile he's climbing more than ever

Thankfully we no longer find him on the dining room table, and with the weather being pretty mild this winter we've been able to get out quite a bit to help him get some of the climbing out of his system (hooray for indoor play spaces!)

I've also made a big push to schedule regular play dates with other little boys. So often I was centering play dates around Nia and if her friends had younger siblings then Grayson got a "by-product" play date. Having deliberate play dates just for him and not under the shadow of his big sister is so important! He's learning how to play with other kids his age and I'm already thinking ahead to him starting preschool next fall

Reflect about the highlights since the last update:

Becoming more independent - he plays so well alone especially starting to play pretend
Adding a few more words to his vocabulary although I usually don't understand what he's saying most of the time

He enjoys playing at the library

Did any big changes occur?

More play dates on his own

Feeling confident when Nia's at school to try sleeping in her bed, playing with her "big kid" toys and exploring

A post-Kindergarten, holiday concert hug

What are toddler's favorites - toy, food, person, etc...

Nia is his best friend of course, and he calls Uka for everything - he's his go-to!
His favorite foods are very limited: milk, meatballs, French fries, crackers, strawberries and cashews; he'll also drink smoothies easily which is how we get him his veggies