16 Months

October 8 marked 16 months of Charlie. It's very hard to believe that my little baby is almost a year and a half old.



Our little Chuckles continues to be the absolute joy of our life. His tantrums have diminished (for now), and he is just so happy happy happy all the time. He loves to run around and explore the world, but he still has his super cuddly moments.



Charlie reminds me so much of Roy, because he's just mellow, adaptive, and accepting. And yet he has this side to him that is just so excitable and hilarious and fun. (Not that Roy isn't these things, but you know what I mean.) And he's got so many words now; I hear a new one every day (it seems) and I am just so proud of him. Not only that, but he's picked up on things that he used to not notice, like one of us getting ready to leave the house. It's amazing, just amazing, to watch him learn and grow.



And in true Parents of the Year fashion, we bought one of these as a just-in-case item.



I can hear the collective gasp now as all of you wonder just what kind of lazy mother I must be. Well, let me tell you something. I did not understand leashes/harnesses for children until very recently. I don't think I ever said I would never use them, but I just didn't get why they were necessary. And let's face it, leashes are primarily used for animals.

Charlie is a great (and easy) kid, but he loves to explore and that is not something I want to deny him. We went to two very crowded events this last month where we had to either put him in the stroller or wear him in the Ergo, neither of which were preferable to him. At one of the events there was a moment where he got away from us and Roy had to literally dive after him. At the other event I don't think he enjoyed himself nearly as much as he could have if he had had a little space to roam. So we decided to get the leash. And I hate the way it looks, mainly because I know what other people think of parents who use these, but I will say that it is more important to me for Charlie to have some freedom while keeping him safe at the same time. So I think I'm going to have to get used to the side-eye I will be sure to get from others.

We have yet to use the leash, and I'm not sure how often we will pull it out, but with Burt Reynolds on the way, I think this could end up being a very helpful item. And honestly, it's kind of cute. But we've already started saving up for all the therapy Charlie is sure to need.

And that concludes my lame 16-month report on Charlie. I am so tired these days. I have officially crossed over to being a Haggard Pregnant Woman. I can't believe that this is our last month as a family of three and that my once-squishy little newborn is going to be a big brother.

But what a big brother he'll be.