Summary - Logan's 2nd Year

Last year I wrote a post titled Timeline-First Year With Son. Although it requires a lot of work, I want to do it each year. So, I re-read my blog posts through Logan's second year (he turned two on April 18) and have summarized them here:Month 12-13 (April 18-May 18):

Logan had a blast at his first birthday party. He's always liked "action" so he wasn't shy or scared or overwhelmed by the twenty-seven of us. He had his first cake (which was his first sugar) and although he wasn't very messy/didn't eat very much, he definitely enjoyed it!

By 13 months old he was feeding himself 100% of the time with spoons and forks. He continued to be a fantastic eater (sometimes too good - ever since birth he's preferred eating every two hrs)! He'd begun to wean himself from baby food at 11.5 months old, but since I still had a lot in the cabinets, he still ate it occasionally for the next few months. He'd started eating adult food regularly at 11.5 months and real milk a week after turning 12 months old. Introducing "new stuff" has never been hard for this guy!

That is, except for sippy cups. A week after he turned one-year-old, we put his bottles away but he lost 3 lbs in one week because he wasn't getting enough nutrition-wise from sippy cups (which we'd first given him at 6 months old), so we tried straw cups and he immediately gained his weight back. I soon learned straw cups are "better" anyway and so we've continued to use them, even though ever since 13 months old he can use the sippy cups equally well.

I was worried that "the terrible twos" were going to occur a year early, since he began throwing temper tantrums - and they occurred several times a day. He also had some clingy moments which had not been usual in the past. Thankfully, he settled back down in May (although the temper tantrums became their worst in June - his 14th month ended up being the hardest of his entire life - but it was darkest before the dawn because from July on he became easier than ever!)

We were worried that Logan was going to need another procedure for his brachial cleft fistula after his surgery in February, because the incision became infected in March/April. However, by May it had healed and there have been no problems since. By six months post-surgery the scar was hardly noticeable.

Another scare was when his lips, hands, and feet began turning purple. We took him to the pediatrician and learned that he is sensitive to the cold. This is still the case (but it is not serious) so we often dress him a little warmer than we normally would.

He continued to be the Energizer Bunny that he'd been since he started crawling at seven months old. There was no walking/moving slow - he ran everywhere and jumped, climbed, and was constantly wanting new and exciting adventures. So, he thrived at his babysitter's house two mornings (or 8 hrs per week) where he'd started going at 11.5 months old.

His preferred schedule was bedtime at 8 pm, wake up at 6:30 am, nap from 12:30-3:30. Aside from a half an hour later bedtime, wake up time, and nap time, his schedule stayed the same all year. He began waving & going upstairs on his own when he wanted to take a nap, or pointing to his crib - even trying to get in by himself. We'd never done a routine for bed because he'd always loved to sleep, so we were glad that didn't change.

He weighed 23 lbs (50th percentile) and was 30.5 inches tall (75th percentile).

Month 13-14 (May 18-June 18):

The end of May Logan was bit for the first time by our dog Bella. I was more upset by it than he was, and was worried what that meant for the future of our 5-member family.

Logan began crying during bath-time so we had to change his baths to showers (i.e. not submerging him in water) until he was 17 months old; since then he has enjoyed bath-time again.

Logan's grandparents gave him a second carseat, so we moved his back-facing carseat to Joe's car and used the new front-facing carseat in my car.

In early June Logan and I both developed a viral infection that may have been fifth's disease. However, instead of the typical lace-like rash, mine showed up as itchy bumps on my skin while Logan developed eczema. Having never previously had any allergies or skin sensitivities, we were worried that Logan's eczema was going to be serious since we weren't able to get it to go away on his back for 6 weeks - until his doctor gave us a sample of prescription cream. Thankfully, it went away immediately and only recurred once (after a virus around Thanksgiving; we've since used Aveeno lotion on him every day and feel that has kept his skin in top shape).

All four of Logan's molars came in during the same week, and an additional two that same month! (Giving him a total of 13 teeth.) He acted out by misbehaving and whining non-stop so we did time-out for the first time (and I had to leave the house for the first and only time - Joe was home - because I yelled at him which thankfully I hardly ever do and wanted to remain calm and like the adult!) Time-out wasn't successful so I was glad that he improved & I didn't need to do it again until he was 21 months old (and could understand it by then).

On a brighter note, on June 17 - the day before his 14th month birthday - he began talking regularly! His favorite first three words were "uh-oh," "oh shoot," and "dad." He also went swimming for the first time and began walking up and down the steps all by himself!

Month 14-15 (June 18-July 18):

Logan slept through his second 4th of July fireworks just like he had the first year, but we took him to his first parade which he enjoyed.

July was a blast. He'd always been an exceptionally happy, easy-going kid, but during month 15 he "mellowed" out. Meaning, unlike during months seven through fourteen when his energy was almost too much for me - from month fifteen on he has moved at my kind of pace. :p He's always had a very sweet, gentle, calm/relaxed personality and that became his dominant trait - he truly wants & tries to be a good kid! Helping me around the house, listening to what I say, being sensitive toward others (he's a huge observer), showing appreciation, a love of life, a sense of humor, much affection, being organized/clean, entertaining himself and being independent/self-sufficient -- all of these things have since been his natural behavior every day which makes him my ideal side kick as a stay at home mom :-)

His babysitter said that he'd always been (and continued to be the rest of the year) the easiest child she'd ever had!

Logan began saying more words on his own and all words on demand, although we could tell he was never going to be a chatty Cathy - we recognized that (including being interested in electrical objects), he has a personality like his father who is quiet.

It became apparent how much he was picking up/absorbing and learning. He seemed to understand how everything worked and so many things that we never taught him. It was so exciting to discover the world through our child's eyes.

He had been a vegetarian from birth until 10.5 months old, then had finally enjoyed meat for a month before stopping again. But, in July he began eating meat regularly, although it's still his least fav food group.

He weighed 24 lbs (50th percentile) and was 31.5 inches tall (75th percentile).

Month 15-16 (July 18-August 18):

There were many funny moments like knocking on the door when Joe was in the bathroom and saying, "Hello???? Dad????" Or seeing a light on in a room and peeking his head in as he said, "Helloooo?"

We took down our two big baby gates that had been up since Logan was 9 months old. I also began sitting in the front passenger seat on long car rides (rather in the back with him as I always had before) because Logan didn't need me to entertain him/take care of him the entire time as he always had before. Car rides had been easy from birth to seven months but then had been exhausting for me until he was around thirteen months old. But, it would still be almost another year before I'd be ready to go on a 20 min + car ride with Logan by myself!

I had to unplug our land-line phones because he kept taking them off the hook and pressing buttons. (He called Joe by himself on the cell phone for the first time at 18 months old.) But it was another super fun month where Logan melted my heart every day :-)

Month 16-17 (August 18-September 18):

We took Logan to The Amazing Pizza Machine for the first time which we all enjoyed!

He began putting his hands up when looking for something which we continued to think was adorable all year.

We bought Logan a toddler toilet because he'd been showing signs for the past month that he was ready to start potty-training. (He did start off flawlessly for a month-and-a-half before getting bored and not resuming until 22 months old, then stopped again after a couple of weeks and didn't show an interest again until after the age of two.)

Unfortunately, Bella bit Logan for the second time - this time was worse than in May because it was on his head. We found the name & number of a dog expert to have come to our house, as our only other option was to give Bella away. Fortunately, things improved without the dog expert, and Bella & Logan have since been as much of best buds as Logan and Cosmo.

On two different mornings we discovered blood in Logan's crib. This was scary as it was a large amount on his sheets. We never found out the cause for sure (since there was no blood or scratches/cuts/scabs on him), but we think he scratched his ear twice. Thankfully it hasn't happened since.

Month 17-18 (September 18-October 18):

In September Logan threw his first temper tantrum in public (at a restaurant) and also became picky about food. Until then he'd eaten anything and everything. Suddenly he began refusing even his favorite items and only wanting junkfood. Worse, he'd throw a temper tantrum because he wanted a specific meal and then when I'd give it to him he'd throw another temper tantrum - and throw the food on the floor! I was relieved that the temper tantrums stopped again in November and he was pretty easy the rest of his second year. Even though some days he's still picky (and would always prefer junkfood to anything else), we have learned how to work together so we're both happy every day.

We bought him an indoor playhouse with a slide that he LOVES.

He impressed us by showing us that he can count. Not only by saying "one, two, three" when doing things like going down his slide - but noticing when he had one less of something up to the amount of ten!

He also began hiding.

I began washing his face in the mornings.

One day we had to take Logan to his pediatrician's office because he had bumps all over him - this was the second non-well-visit of his entire first two years. (We were glad he only had 9 virus' during his second year or 12 total of his entire two years of life - most all were colds, only one ear infection at almost 9 months old.) The doctor said the bumps on his skin were just a cold, and sure enough, it went away the next day.

Logan went to Vala's Pumpkin Patch for the first time which was one of the most fun places ever!

His attention span increased a lot, which meant he began getting frustrated for the first time, but soon stopped getting "too worked up" about things and gained patience (although when it comes to food, patience is still a challenge!)

He began brushing his own teeth (I did it without toothpaste starting at 10 months old and then he took over at 18 months until 23 months old - then I did it again because that's when we started using non-flouride toothpaste).

By then it was very obvious that he is right-handed.

The best moment happened on October 13 - five days before his 18th month birthday - he began calling me "mommy!" (He'd started babbling "mama" at 7 months and mimicking it at 16 months but this was the first time he started saying "mama" on his own regularly when he saw me or trying to get my attention/addressing me, while hugging me, etc.)

Month 18-19 (October 18-November 18):

Logan began talking in sentences (his first was "I want that," lol.) He had always shown empathy (far earlier than I thought was even possible) but now began to involve himself in others' emotions (for example, one day when I was looking for my keys he got more upset than I did because I couldn't find them).

Logan started standing up for himself - like making it obvious that he does not like to be laughed at (unless he's being funny on purpose).

I gave him his first bath by myself!

He began staring at others - for the rest of his year would walk up to people and stand in front of them, haha!

He started eating in booster seats at restaurants instead of high chairs.

As a baby/toddler who never cared for pacifiers, blankets, or stuffed animals - Logan found his first comfort item: balls. He slept with them for the next three months! (But it would still be a few more months before he began using a blanket - without throwing it out of his crib - to keep warm.)

We started having to hold Logan down to cut his fingernails, but thankfully that only lasted a month and we were able to go back to doing it with his permission :p

Cosmo bit a little girl down the street and so we called the dog expert whose number we had gotten in August after Bella bit Logan. However, the night before she planned to come over to our house, we took Cosmo to the vet because he'd had a lump on his chest for a couple of months. Sadly, it turned out to be stage 2 cancer so we canceled the appointment with the dog expert. He had surgery in November and did well the rest of Logan's second year. We wondered if the rare biting incident had to do with the cancer because there haven't been any situations like that since.

Logan went trick-or-treating for the first time on Halloween! He loved his tiger costume and acted like a pro going door-to-door. It was just as much fun for Joe & me!!!

Logan began making animal sounds when he saw animals and played with animal toys, as well as car/truck sounds, and even guns (much to my shock)!

Logan was given peanut butter for the first time by his babysitter, even though his pediatrician and all parenting books (due to The American Academy Of Pediatrics' rule) say no peanut butter (or any nuts) until the age of three. Fortunately, he did fine (although many kids do fine the first time and develop the allergy later - by age three most kids don't develop allergies which is why peanut butter is still supposed to be held back until then). Something I haven't mentioned on this blog is that a few months later we realized that we'd been accidentally giving him crackers & bread with nuts. So we relaxed the "not til age 3 rule" and he had peanut butter a couple more times during his second year (cracker sandwiches) - but it's still not something we'll give him regularly until after age three.

Logan was 25 lbs (40th percentile) and 34.5 inches tall (90th percentile).

Month 19-20 (November 18-December 18):

Logan started putting things around his neck which was not cool. This stopped in February after we had a scare.

In better news, we had some nice days together going to the library which we'd been doing for a couple of months (including toddler story time).

Logan began going through our routines all by himself - like, before meals he'd find his bib and put it on, grab a bowl or plate from the cabinet, silverware, napkin, drink, and even his own food and put it in a bowl when I wasn't looking - as well as before we went somewhere he'd pick out his shirt, pants, socks, and shoes before I had the chance. He also could say what his toys say - right before they did!

He started using his imagination/playing make believe.

Logan had his first fever of his entire life on Thanksgiving. His record of not waking up in the middle of the night since his 9-month birthday came to an end. He woke up off & on until February, due to nightmares. (He'd had night terrors off & on since birth - that is the way his brain develops - which means screaming during sleep but not waking up. But, at this age, it changed to nightmares - which mean he did start waking up.)

Logan began hitting for the first time (Joe, me, and the dogs). Although it stopped during the month of December, it resumed again in January but stopped for good in February.

He began dipping his food in sauces (especially liking ketchup and eating an entire bowl of salsa).

He started showing some shyness for the first time.

We noticed he was at an age where he began playing with kids and not just around them!

He began calling his grandparents "grandpa" and "grandma." Best of all, he began saying "I love you" all on his own!!!

Month 20-21 (December 18-January 18):

Logan didn't want to eat in his high chair anymore so we threw the tray away and he just used the booster seat.

He started being able to open all doors.

He began being obsessive about making sure all lights were off in rooms that we're not in, doors closed, everything back in its place, etc. He enjoyed throwing away trash so much that we joked the rest of his second year that he has a future as a trash collector. (Especially since he loves watching the "trash truck" collect our trash in the morning and gets excited whenever he sees it driving around.) Also, still loved cleaning and helping me with the dishwasher.

Three more teeth came in - putting him at a total of 16 out of 20.

He was 26 lbs (50th percentile) and 35 inches tall (90th percentile).

Month 21-22 (January 18-February 18):

We took Logan to The Children's Museum for the first time.

Logan decided he was done with booster seats so he began using adult chairs at home and at restaurants.

He began to recognize consequences on his own and would tell us what was going to happen before it did. He became much more careful and stopped doing dangerous/risky things like he'd done in all of the months prior.

Month 22-23 (February 18-March 18):

Logan started watching cartoons (we'd allowed him to watch TV since five months old because he hadn't shown much of an interest until 22-23 months old).

He learned the color blue and could sometimes point to the correct colors when we'd say the names.

Logan began going to his babysitter's house 18 hrs a week rather than just 8 hrs as he had for the past 11 months. He didn't bat an eye at the change.

Started showing signs of bossiness for the first time (but nothing major). Continues to do great with sharing and playing with other kids.

The first of Logan's last molars came through (giving him a total of 17 out of 20 teeth - which is how he finished his second year).

From then on, ate sweets once a day (until then I'd been able to keep it at once a week, then twice a week, then three times a week, etc.)

His babysitter told me that out of her group of kids, Logan pays the best attention and catches on to everything quickly. Since we really hadn't had too many "terrible two" moments, she predicted we wouldn't during the actual "year two," either. She thinks he will be a top student in school and do well with "the ladies" since he tries to be so in tune with everyone's emotions (which she had never previously seen in a two year old boy)!

We didn't think Logan could love sports any more than he already did - but he became a fanatic - wanting to play, watch, have something near, or wear something sports-related at all times.

Enjoyed coloring with markers (had been coloring with crayons since 9.5 months old).

Received his first black eye when he fell off the couch and hit the chest that was in front of the couch :( (His worst injury so far.) That same week he put a golf ball in his mouth and couldn't get it out!

Month 23-24 (March 18-April 18):

We bought Logan his own kid table since some days he was falling off the adult chairs and getting hurt!

We also bought Logan a second carseat so that he doesn't have to ride facing backwards in Joe's car anymore (also that carseat only goes to 30 lbs and we knew Logan was above 27 lbs) - he began using it in May.

Logan began showing insecurity and fear for the first time but it went away after a couple of weeks. He also displayed an "attitude" for the first time but I was relieved when that ceased after a couple of weeks as well.

He started saying hi and bye to everyone & everything, and going up to children on his own to ask them if he could play with them.

We were able to start having conversations with him!

Logan was able to open the fence in our yard, unlock doors, open the garage door, and turn on our car!

Logan experienced his first Easter egg hunt and had a blast!

He had his first happy meal (from McDonald's).

Logan enjoyed his second birthday party just as much as his first! This time it was just family - and Elmo, which soon became his first comfort item since the balls last fall/winter. Many nights he slept with Elmo, insisted Elmo ride in the car (with his own seatbelt), and carried Elmo around everywhere.

Having turned two years old, "two" became his favorite number - pointing out whenever he saw two of anything.

These days, Logan's favorite activity is going to the park. He still loves the outdoors, dogs, and trucks (as stated last year) - and of course balls/sports. He likes rocks, riding his "car" (big wheel), and "choo choos" (like Thomas The Train). He's always called himself "baby" (rather than saying "Logan" or "me" or "I") and we wonder how long this is going to last. :p

Logan continues to have the same personality traits listed under July's summary - and brings us so much joy and happiness, it really is hard to pick a favorite time with him!!!! Both year one and year two were equally fabulous in different ways!

He finished his second year at 28 lbs (50th percentile) and 36 inches tall (90th percentile). According to the medical community's adult prediction, he will be 6'1". . .