Naiya’s 18 Month Update
Naiya is officially 18-months (going on 18) today and I'm sitting here wondering where our baby went! When Naiya was first born, every parent I knew told me to savor every stage because it flies by so quickly.
Now, I'm the mama telling every pregnant mom I know the exact same thing because it really is impossible to imagine until you're in it. Our mini is truly non-stop these days and I'm excited to share the latest and greatest Naiya photos and updates with you below.
As you scroll through, keep in mind that almost all of Naiya's giant smiles were from listening to 'Baby Shark' (for a change) on my phone. What is it about that song?! The rest of her smiles were from me jumping around like a crazy mama trying to keep that smile going. Either way, her face is priceless!
Naiya's 18 Month Update
Naiya had her 18-month pediatrician appointment and she's officially in the 90th percentile for height (thanks to her 6'5 dad) and 75th percentile for weight. Clearly, this girl is going to be taller than me by age 8 (#shortmamaproblems).
We started out the month experiencing Naiya's first sleep regression since she was 6 months old--aka the worst! Phil and I feel like we were experiencing PTSD from when Naiya was an infant and literally wouldn't sleep at night for weeks at a time.
Thankfully, this time around, only the first night turned out to be an all-nighter and the regression only lasted a few days in total after that.
From there, it's almost like Naiya woke up in a brand new stage. She started talking more than ever (she especially loves screaming her name in the cutest little voice!). She also became even more opinionated and all of a sudden, she was walking around like a full-out toddler.
Our Nursing Journey
Something that completely surprised me is that I'm still nursing Naiya. When she was an infant, I struggled horribly nursing her--to the point where I bought cabbage leaves multiple times throughout the first three months in case I was finally ready to quit.
Sharing more about that here. It even took her three months to latch properly and I was pumping exclusively throughout that time.
Now, a year and a half in, I can't believe we're still going strong. My initial goal was to nurse until Naiya was one year old.
When we hit the year mark, I realized how much nursing helped to calm Naiya and put her to sleep at night. Needless to say, I didn't feel like either of us was ready to call it quits.
New Nursing Goals
I initially set a new goal of nursing for 18 months. And...now that this date has come and gone this week, I'm honestly not sure what my next goal is so we're taking it one day at a time. I'm pretty confident I'd like for us to be done over the next few weeks--and definitely well before Naiya is two.
We're currently down to only a morning and night feed per day and it feels so easy and doable. Naiya is not showing any signs of wanting to wean further yet. The only issue is that I always feel like I need to be home for Naiya straight after work and this ends up feeling a bit stressful because I still feel tethered to her and rarely miss bedtime. I don't mind this but Phil keeps urging me to take a break and I'm pretty sure he's right.
What Was Your Nursing Journey Like?
If you nursed your babies, how long did you go? How did you know when it was time to wean completely? I'm completely shocked with myself that I'm having so much trouble figuring out when to quit. I initially thought I'd be so excited to be done!
Photography: Forrest Leo