This post is a crazy one for me to write. Something about 18 months old is a big deal for me. He's such a big boy now and he changes more every single day. I see so much sweetness in him. He is full of adventure and rarely afraid of something. I can't wait to see how he continues to change and learn in the months ahead. He is definitely our biggest adventure, and I can't imagine our life without him. It has been eighteen months of blessings with this boy, and I pray that he continues to grow and loves the Lord with his whole heart one day.

I think this post is a perfect spot to end the monthly posts for Solomon... a year and a half of details kept in this special space, that is a lot. Of course his cute little face won't disappear, he is my favorite person to photograph and talk about, after all!

• grew a lot!!! All of his pants that fit last month are now too short. He just looks more like a little boy every day.
• slept a total of 5 hours for the first time!!!! Incredible! We also started some gentle sleep training on March 1st. I kept putting it off for several reasons but finally tackled the tast after his last molar came in. I could tell he was ready for it, and I was ready to night wean and not nurse him all night long, which was still very common. After a week he was sleeping through the night several times but there are still hard nights when he wants to be held a lot. Even then he isn't trying to nurse, so we just cuddle a lot, on those harder nights. 
• since the night weaning, he has been nursing a LOT MORE during the day, but I don't mind that one bit! 
• he loves his trainset so much. He puts it together constantly and says choo-choo while moving the train around. It's really cute! 
• talking a lot and saying cute things like "let's go" & also learning shapes with his toys and repeating them. 
• loves brushing his teeth, even more than bathtime now. He begs to get out of the tub and use his toothbrush and also begs anytime we walk by his bathroom. 

sweetest boy alive, momma loves you so much!!! 

Solomon // seventeen months.

There are a lot of things I love about having a baby, but seeing them in adorable PJs, are pretty high on that list. My mom says I have a problem... I can't help it. Pajamas are my favorite! These Burts Bees Pajamas are a favorite, for sure. The red was so perfect for Valentines Day, also!!

chowing down on some broccoli bites I made this morning!

His big grin KILLS me, he is such a happy boy!

and as usual, the details I never want to forget......

• climbing on the couch on his own now. He loves it. Up, turn around, slide down, back up again... over and over.
• Moved into his big boy bed, since he refused sleeping in his crib for over a week. He loves it and is so cute when he wakes up after a nap, he just looks around and smiles. Even sat and played on his bed for 45 minutes after a nap while I was folding clothes, so I let him, Ha!!
• Says baby (even points out other babies when we are out and it kills me!), meows when asked what a kitty says & moo when asked what a cow says. He really points and talks all day now. Repeating everything I say.
• Baths are the best thing ever. It's so crazy how much he loves them.... I don't have anything to compare it to since he's our first but I think it's pretty extreme. No matter what time of day or night, when we come home and pull in the garage he screams "BA!!" and once he's in the house he makes a mad dash for the stairs screaming it over and over. It's almost impossible to distract him so he usually has a bath every night. 
• Naptime is super easy lately and he falls asleep usually less than 10 minutes, then sleeps for 2-3 hours. Nighttime is still a struggle, takes a while for him to fall asleep and still wakes up frequently. Going to start the night weaning process soon so he can hopefully sleep better without waking up to nurse so often. 
• Gives kisses on cheeks when asked, they are always really long and sweet!! 
• Lost about 2 pounds because of a very sick month. First he had Hand Foot and Mouth, then about two weeks later, he got a case of Roseola virus. Thankfully he is all better now and eating really well again. Praying he stays healthy with no more viruses or bugs!

Solomon // sixteen months.

I'm behind on this 16 month post because of the nasty Hand Foot & Mouth disease that took over our house. I'm so happy that things are back to normal and Solomon is feeling better. It really came out of nowhere. These pictures above were actually taken on the day it all started... He was a happy boy all day, took a great nap, and then around dinner time he had a temp of 103. I'm so thankful that his case wasn't as bad as some, we really only had one bad night, and after a couple of days everything was back to normal. Very thankful for that. Solomon's personality is continuing to make me laugh and also test my patience daily. It's crazy how much he makes me smile every day.

• saying night night instead of bye bye now before bed! His blowing kisses are getting really good, too! 
• can identify a kitty and duck now, still working on the sounds they make.
• started timeout and he understands what we mean when we warn him that he will be in timeout if he does something wrong. 80% of the time he decides to behave and not test us. 
• loves praying before eating and before bed, he even reminds us by clasping his hands together and smiling at us. The sweetest thing!!! Also says amen when we are done.
• spent a lot of time with cousins at Christmas and the New year without any problems. I'm so thankful that his attitude and sharing is better now. I was worried he was going to be a bit of a bully for a couple of months!
• thanks to the Amazon commercial with the hippo song, Solomon is obsessed. Anytime we turn it on he stops whatever he is doing to dance and clap... I die every time. It has also stopped several car meltdowns. 
• he loves jumping off of things with both feet. Peter jokes and says that he's going to be on that ninja warrior show one day. He jumps off of a box in the living room that's two feet tall and lands on his feet almost every time. Such a monkey!!

our christmas photos.

My mom was kind enough to take some photos for us in our back yard for our Christmas card! We have taken the photos in are back hard for the past three years and I love seeing how they have evolved. Peter & I, then our first family of three photos and now we are chasing after a toddler trying to get one great shot. It's fun to look back at all of them and I really love how this year turned out!

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas, full of hugs and some kisses, too!

Solomon // fifteen months.

Yesterday was the big 15 months for Solomon. It really does seem like a big month for him, Every single day is full of new words, new activities and new cute little faces! It is so much fun to spend my day with him, and I have never been so thankful for the chance to stay at home with him. Here are some of the little things I wanted to remember about month fifteen. 

• Starting to say HOT and reaches out his hand to touch, but doesn't touch it.... mainly this happens when my cup of coffee in the morning. 
• Squeals when he is excited and happy, his eyes get big and he looks so cute!!!
• Has learned to say water (wa-wa & my, which is mA'an, Arabic for water), grape (wape), orange (oooah), apple (apa), tree (teeee) thanks to the Christmas tree,
• Starting to listen so much better and minding easier as long as he doesn't have a tantrum! If only we can get him to understand that he can't throw everything! Food, water cup, books, toys.... seriously everything! 
• Loves going to bed now, one night he even went to the light switch in his room and pointed up at it saying byebye!! If only he would enjoy sleeping all night just as much! The most we've gotten lately was 10-2:30, and Peter thinks in my sleepy state I was confused and it was really 12:30? Who knows??? 
• Had his first stomach bug but thankfully it was all diaper related and not throwing up. 
• Has his molars coming in, the top left tooth has come through a bit and the top right is very swollen. He has been very fussy and nursing around the clock because of it!
• Really loves music!!! We've noticed that his mood is so much happier when we have music playing, he will even eat more at the table if we turn some on. Also loving to dance and clap to music. 

keys are also a favorite thing, he squeals "keeeeeey" and then usually says byebye!

crazy hair, all the time... 

& that dimple, that is going to cause us so much trouble, I'm sure!

Solomon // fourteen months.

Solomon turned 14 months old on the 14th, so I'm a little late again... but like last time, better late than never! He has changed so much during the last month! I see so much toddler coming out in him, and the baby disappearing before my eyes, which kind of breaks my heart. At the same time, he is becoming more fun every day. I love watching his big personality grow!!

• Running around like a true toddler!
• Hates the sun in his eyes while in the car, he screams and yells like someone is pinching him.
• Officially enjoying his weekly visits to the nursery at church for my bible study and on Sunday while we worship! I can't tell you how happy this makes me after many months of leaving him while he's crying. He always stopped after I was out of sight (I would stay and peek in at him) but now he goes into the class with no tears and is always happy when we pick him up. 
• Talking so much!!! It's crazy how his babbling is starting to change to words. He has started to say cheese, please (those two are a bit confusing sometimes since they sound so similar), this, Gigi, uh oh and he's even saying several little things randomly like, "Here you go" when he gives you something. Its all mummbly but it is so obvious that's what he's saying, it's so cute!
• He can also point at many body parts now: hair, eyes, ears, nose (he sniffs), tongue (sticks it out), mouth (opens it big and wide), lips (pokes them out like a kiss), belly, hands (he claps them) and his feet!
• Unfortunately, he has started biting or trying to bite when he's mad. If I'm correcting him with my hand he will open his mouth and go for a bite. He also gets mad at his toys and bites them... we are working on it and trying to figure out the best way to discipline at this tricky age. Any recommendations are welcome!!

the curls, everyone loves them!