Roman turned 18 months old on September 12! Wow, time flies so fast I can't even blink! He is such an amazing child! He learns something new literally every day! We went to the doctor this week and here are his current stats:
Weight: 27 lbs 13 oz (60%)
Height: 33" (75%)
Head Circ: 19-1/4" (75%)
Doctor says that Roman is a big, healthy boy. We're still feeding him around 16 oz of whole milk a day and 3 full meals of what we're eating with 1-2 snacks in between. Some days I think Roman is such a great eater and then some days are very difficult!
18 months has brought on a lot of changes in Roman. Here a few...
We have had to already start disciplining Roman a lot! Our main problem is with him throwing food at meal time. Let's just say the Franks kitchen gets pretty messy! It's so hard to tell if he really knows that he shouldn't be throwing food, but I'm pretty much 99% sure that he knows it and does it for attention. We've had to put him in timeout a few times. Timeout is actually working a little bit. He knows that he has to stand there for 1 minute. It's just a really hard change for me to have to start disciplining already! I've been pushed to my limits already and he's only 18 month old! My strategy to date is to always remain calm and try to stay soft spoken, but firm. I'll keep you posted!
Roman loves mimicking mommy! He goes throughout the house yelling, "Matt"! Hmmm, wonder where he got that from?!
We love playing "How much does mommy/daddy love you?" And Roman responds with holding his arms up high in the sky while we say, "This much!" Love it! It's the small moments in life that are so precious!
When we were at the lake over Labor Day weekend Roman didn't sleep very good at all. One night, of almost 2 hours of trying, I just couldn't comfort him. I think he kept waking up scared. Every time I would get him calm and lay him in the pack n play, he would start crying again. Normally, I would let him cry for 5 minutes to figure it out, but Grandma Jones was "trying" to sleep in the next room, so for the first time EVER I let Roman sleep with me. I know, I'm a hard core parent. He wouldn't sleep next to me, he had to be laying on me and holding me. It was actually so adorable that I had to write this down so I wouldn't forget the moment. I just loved cuddling with my sweet boy!
Roman still has a little biting issue. He gives "love" bites to us and I think his friends. He gets excited and goes in for the bite. We're really trying to work on it! Ahh! Parenting is so challenging!
Anytime we're driving in the car I always try to work with Roman on colors and signs. He now knows that when you come to a red light you STOP. He holds his hand out and says, "top". So cute!! He also knows that the green light means "go". Anytime we try to leave the house we ask, "Roman, are you ready to go go?" Then we get the repeated "go go" until we're all buckled in the car seat. So cute!
Next to mommy and daddy, Roman's favorite word is 'ball'. He loves to play with balls and always talk about them! He says, "football" by holding his arm to his mouth and blowing out the 'foo' part. So silly!
Dada is Roman's hero! He loves him and talks about him all of the time! While mama is his comfort. He comes to mama for love and comfort and assurance. Isn't that how it's supposed to be?!
Bedtime is so fun because Matt usually give the bath, which is always fun for Roman. Then they play together and usually wrestle on the ground. Mama comes in and takes Roman to brush his teeth to get ready for bed. He loves to look in the mirror as we brush our teeth together. Next step, we stop to wave 'night nights' to daddy. It is so cute! He usually wants down from my arms and runs to give his daddy a big bear hug. I almost cry every time! I have mentioned how much this little boy melts my heart!?
Roman's favorite game and song is 'Ring around the Rosie'. I will ask, "Do you want to sing a song?" And he will reply, "Ashes Ashes". He usually turns in circles on his own and then yells, "down" while falling down. Adorable!
Roman has a friend at school! He has been going to school with Byron since he was 3 months old. Bryon went to Roman's old school too. This morning Byron saw Roman,waved at him, and said, "Ro Ro". Unbelievable! Miss Marni, Roman's teacher, said that Roman calls him "By By". Seriously, it doesn't get much cuter!
Roman knows and can point to the following body parts: mouth, teeth, tongue, head, hair, arms, hands, fingers, toes, feet, legs, belly button.
Roman can point to a lot of different animals and loves to tell you how a horse says, "nay" and a snake says "sssss". We're still working on barking like a dog and meowing like a cat.
Overall I feel like the most difficult part about this stage in Roman's life is that he understands so much now, but can't speak as much as he wants. It's got to be frustrating for him to want to express himself, but he can't. It is absolutely amazing at how much he is learning and retaining every day. Even though I can honestly say Roman has hit the "terrible two's", this stage is so exciting to see my little boy growing!
We love you THIS much Roman!!!!!!!!! (my arms are as wide as they can possibly be!)
