Thatcher James- 18 months

Thatch at 18 months.

THIS LITTLE LOVE!!! I could never have imagined how much joy this baby would bring to our family. He is just pure sunshine. PURE SUNSHINE, I TELL YOU!

Thatcher is about 21 pounds (tenth percentile) and 31 inches long (fiftieth percentile). He’s a little guy but don’t let that fool you- he is quick and smart and into everything. And climbing! I’ve never had to baby proof so many areas of the house as I have with Thatcher. Thatch is wearing size 12 month clothes, size 4 diapers, size 4 moccs and shoes. He loves his freshly picked moccasins. I haven’t been able to get him to wear anything else yet- nothing with a hard sole.

He is pretty good with his sleep schedule. He will go several days of sleeping through the night, and then several days of not sleeping through the night. I swear he is just hungry- he is constantly moving when he is awake, can’t be bothered to sit much, and then his little tummy is growling at 2 am! My other kids had a big sippy of whole milk before bed but I can’t get Thatcher to drink very much. He does take solid naps, and I appreciate that greatly. He falls asleep a lot in the car on our way home from somewhere, and I can lift his sleepy little body into my arms and carry him to his crib- on Sundays I can even change his clothes and he stays asleep! He loves his sleep sack- he fiddles with the tag on the bottom while he is getting cozy and drifting off. And his lovey- this little giraffe thing we call Stuffy. (Isabelle named him.) He is obsessed with it.

When he WILL sit still long enough to eat- he loves all fruit! He loves toast made from Grandma’s bread. He loves pancakes, pb and j sandwiches, any kind of cracker, cheddar cheese, peas, cashews, annies mac, yogurt and his most sacred food- a pouch. You know those squeeze packages that are intended for babies? Yeah, he can suck one of those down in about two seconds flat. Also, he loves to dip anything in ketchup and then he just sucks the ketchup off and dips again. Hilarious to watch. He signs all done, more, please. He says mama, dada, DOG DOG DOG DOG DOG, and gaga for grandma. That one is pretty cute he gets all excited. OH I almost forgot- if he could exist one place the rest of his life it would be the bathtub. All you have to do is mention the word and he is sprinting toward the tub, tugging at his clothes totally ready to go.

Thatcher is old enough for nursery at church…. except its right during his nap time. We usually make it for a little bit and then we have to bail to come home, Jazz and I just take turns playing hookie. It isn’t ideal but he takes a 2-3 hour nap and it’s not like we can just skip that! He is soooo tired sometimes we don’t even make it through the first hour. (Church is at 11.)

He loves to be outside most of all- he can open all of our doors and sneaks into the garage when I forget to lock it and runs to his outside toys. When he runs his one arm swings extra hard and his fluffy hair flips backward in the wind and it is just my favorite. He also loves Iz and Linc- Izzie is such a good helper, she’s always right beside him ready to help out. Lincoln isn’t as constant but when he DOES want to play, he can make Thatcher belly laugh the most. He just wants to be where the big kids are- to do what they are doing. He loves to dance when the big kids put music on and his tiny baby moves are so cute.

He is also my most mom-attached baby. I’m not complaining, I think it’s yet another tender mercy after losing Max. It sure is nice to feel needed and loved! A lot of times when he gets tired he just tugs my legs until I pick him up to my hip- I’ve gotten very good at making dinner/moving laundry/correcting homework with one hand. He very much still feels like my baby, even though he is moving closer to his second birthday than his first. He is just so happy and that happiness is so contagious- he makes my days long and he makes me tired but mostly he makes me really thankful he is here in our family.