To be honest, any hopes I had of assembling an amazingly detailed baby book went out the window the first month Chase was born, so these recaps are also my way of creating an online baby book of sorts. I hope you enjoy coming along for the ride!
The past three months have marked huge changes for Chase in terms of his ability to run, walk and explore! Chase didn’t walk until he was close to 16 months old, but once he discovered walking was much faster than crawling, he decided to take up running and hasn’t stopped moving since he mastered this new skill.
He is so incredibly energetic and life with our always-on-the-go toddler just keeps getting more and more fun!
Chase is a very friendly, outgoing and social little guy and will stop to wave at almost everyone and will often top off his greeting by blowing kisses and saying a loud “Hiii!” He’s very chatty and loves telling us all about what he sees in the world around him. Though many of his words are toddler versions of real words (“pleene” for “plane” and “aw-riiight” for “alright” etc.), he’s talking a lot and I just love to hear him chatter away in his sweet high-pitched voice. He babbles away all day, dances, sings (“row, row, row” over and over again for “Row Row Row Your Boat” is his current song of choice”), twirls and wants to get into anything and everything within his reach.
Chase is an absolute sponge these days and I’m continually shocked by how fast he picks up new skills and words. Ryan and I talk all the time about how much we love this stage! Chase is so interactive and playful and serves as the perfect daily reminder to take time to enjoy the little things in life because they really are the big things.
We get out of the house every single day for both my personal sanity (I am SO grateful for amazing mama friends!) and Chase’s desire to explore. He thrives when we’re out and about and loves spending his time at local parks, Gymboree, Discovery Place Kids and my gym’s childcare. Anywhere he can run around and just be a kid is the best!
Chase is 100 percent dad-obsessed and when Ryan gets home from work, Chase follows him around saying “Dah” and wants nothing more than to be scooped up into Ryan’s arms. “Mama” is his go-to for comfort but Dad reigns supreme for all things fun and playful.
Chase laughs the hardest when we chase him around the house and squeals with delight as he give us the biggest belly laughs that absolutely light our hearts on fire.
I know it sounds cheesy and I know I say it often, but there is no greater joy in my life than being Chase’s mother. The smiles and joy he brings into my life are infinite and the love I have in my heart for our little boy is like nothing I’ve ever known before. I hope Chase can feel every ounce of the love we have for him in our kisses, our silly games, our crazy noises, our bubbly baths, our dance parties, our fun play dates and our weekend family adventures.
Eat
Chase’s preference for play over food continues every single day but we can usually count on him to sit still long enough to eat at least something during mealtimes. It’s never easy to get Chase to eat and often takes encouragement, but we have a handful of standby foods that we can almost always count on him to enjoy, even if it is only sparingly.
Bananas (“nanas”), smoothies, yogurt, apples, Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies, Earth’s Best Organic Sunny Days Snack Bars and muffins are some of our go-tos. I think I’ve shared most of our favorite muffin recipes on the blog, but I make the following recipes for Chase on a very regular basis:
All of the above recipes are freezer-friendly, so I will often make a few batches at once and will then microwave a frozen muffin for 20 seconds or so to bring it back to life before serving it to Chase.
Chase also seems to really enjoy feeding himself lately which means mealtimes are quite messy! He’ll often end up covered in yogurt or chili if he’s in charge of using a spoon or a fork but he’s definitely getting better at using his utensils every day.
Sleep
Night time sleep is going well! I know that’s probably a given now that Chase is 19 months old, but since it took us more than a year to conquer a good night’s sleep you better believe it still feels worth mentioning here! Chase typically goes to bed between 7 and 7:30 p.m. and wakes up around 7 a.m. (This is a relatively new time for us and we had to work to push his bedtime back from 6-6:30 p.m. because he was waking up at 5:45 a.m. almost every day and was absolutely exhausted by 10:45 a.m.)
Now Chase typically naps between 12 and 12:30 p.m. and naps will usually last around two hours. There are always shorter naps and exceptions – like basically all of last week – so if I can get him to sleep for a solid two hours, that feels like a victory! Three hour naps are rare but will occasionally happen once a week or so and I want to run around high-fiving everyone when we get a three-hour stretch.
Likes
- Pointing at airplanes and saying “pleenes”
- Sadie (petting her, throwing balls for her, feeding her and chasing her)
- All dogs
- Cars (“Cah”)
- Trains
- Throwing and kicking balls
- Being outside
- Reading books and pointing at animals or any mode of transportation featured on the pages
- Parks
- Slides
- His friends (especially Claire, Ella and Lilly “Yee Yee”)
- Gymboree (especially Miss Elisabeth)
- When we chase him around the house
- When we hide and pop out at him
- Singing
- Dancing/Twirling
- Music (kids’ songs and music with a strong beat)
- Bubbles and bubble baths
Dislikes
- When we make him come inside (even if we’ve been outside for-ev-er)
- Staying inside (at home) for too long
- Getting dressed
- Diaper changes
- Anytime we try to make him eat something he doesn’t want to eat
- When we wash his hair (he loves baths but getting his hair washed is another story)
17 to 19 Month Favorites
TOYS
- LeapFrog On My Own Laptop (Chase loves this thing and it’s a lifesaver on longer car trips!)
- Jungle Waterfall Bath Toys (Chase loves pouring endless amounts of water through this waterfall toy and thinks it is the coolest! A bath time must-have for us right now.)
- Little Tikes 4-in-1 Trike
- Trains
- Early Learner Flashcards
- Fisher-Price Little People Skyway Car Tower
- Little People Activity Airplane Ride-On (Despite being able to run and walk on his own, he still loves this thing. He hides treasures in the seat and loves running at top speed with it all over the house and outside.)
- Balls of all shapes and sizes
BOOKS
- My First Words (I bring this book everywhere. Love the small size – perfect for toting around in my diaper bag!)
- B is for Bear
- Where’s Spot?
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
- Goodnight Moon
- Grandma Wishes
- I Love You Just Like This
EAT/DRINK
- Lollacup
- Munchkin Snack Catcher Cups
- Munchkin White Hot Infant Safety Spoons
- Chicco 360 Hook On High Chair (This is the one we have permanently hooked onto our kitchen counter that we LOVE and use every single day.)
- Chicco Booster Seat (Great for travel and for hooking on a dining room chair.)
Past Updates
- 13-16 Months
- Twelve Months
- Eleven Months
- Ten Months
- Nine Months
- What I Wish I Knew Before My Baby Was Born
- Eight Months
- Seven Months
- Six Months
- Our First Sleep Training Experience
- Traveling With A Baby For The First Time
- Five Months
- Four Months
- Three Months
- Two Months
- And Then He Smiled
- Three Weeks
- The First 12 Days
- Q&A: All About Birth & Life With A New Baby
- Chase’s Birth Story: Part I, Part II
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Our son is just a few months younger and it is SO MUCH fun! It’s amazing watching them grow, learn, and explore. I need to get those flash cards, I saw you mention them recently!
It really is — I just love watching their personalities develop as they learn new skills, too!
Oh my gosh getting mine to come inside is SUCH a challenge, too! She loves it outside, and that was great last week in the 60s but now that it’s in the 30s, I’m not all about it, ha! Chase is growing up so fast and you can just see his excitement for life through these pictures!
Seriously! It’s always a battle! I am just hoping it means they will love the outdoors during their adult life, too! 🙂
That’s so nice you have so many mom friends and places to take Chase out everyday. I just love seeing all the pictures of him and watching him grow!
Awwww he’s such a cutie!!! They grow so fast!!! 🙁 And hey, him sleeping through the night is ABSOLUTELY worth mentioning!! My 4-year-old didn’t sleep through until age 3 1/2, and my now 3-year-old still wakes once from a nightmare (or, more frequently, her blanket falling off lol), and my 4-month old sleeps from 6:30pm-5am hahaha. She’s the best of them all!!
Hope you and Chase enjoy your day!!
-Sarah http://www.thefrugalmillionaireblog.com
i totally feel you in getting out of the house every single day! we take multiple trips to the grocery store per week just for this reason haha but we do both really love being outside, and thankfully, we’ve had great weather in st louis this “winter” 🙂
Love these life updates! It has been so fun watching this cute little guy grow up! But why do they have to grow up so darn fast!
Chase is such a sweet little boy – and you are doing such an amazing job with him. I hope that when I have kids I am as good of a mother as you are! Even though I don’t have kids yet, I love reading your recaps, because it makes me really, really excited to experience this for myself one day.
So fun! My guy is almost 16 months old and I can relate to a lot of what you recapped here. This is suuuch a fun stage although we are going through some challenges too, I think just normal developmental frustrations, but so fun! Thanks for sharing, I never was able to do a baby book for mine either! 🙁
Aw! Yes! There are definitely frustrations, too, mostly centered around Chase trying to figure out how to communicate certain things to us that he just doesn’t know how to say yet… and him wanting to stay outside for ALL THE DAYS. 🙂 I’m so glad you’re loving this stage with your daughter as well! <3
Chase is so adorable! You’re a great mother and are giving him a wonderful life filled with love. I have a 22 month old daughter and like you said above, they can “light your heart on fire”!
I can’t believe how big he’s gotten! I’ve been reading your blog for a few years now and your pregnancy journey was my favorite! I used to go back and read your weekly updates when I was pregnant with my girl.
I was worried for a bit my little girl hasn’t really shown interest to in walking (she’s 13 months) but reading how Chase does things at his own time and how he’s thriving now and running, makes me feel more at ease not to push my girl too much. I guess I should enjoy this calm time before I have to run around chasing her 🙂
I was there, too!! Chase walked for the first time a week or two before he turned 16 months. It was hard not to get concerned especially if you’re surrounded by other kids who have been walking for months who are a similar age! I think Googling walking for toddlers was actually the only time Google made me feel BETTER as a mom! 🙂 I read about a bunch of people who had kids who didn’t walk until 16-18 months who were all totally fine and that helped me chill out a bit!
Such a cutie pie but you already know that! 😉
All the pics are adorable but I can’t help but love the one of Chase and Ryan and how they hold their mouths the exact same way when they laugh. So cute!
Do you guys still go to swimming lessons?
We don’t. I paused our membership for weekly lessons a while ago but hope to resume them again in a month or two so he’s used to the pool again before summer!
This is an absolute blast! I love reading Chase updates. 🙂 It’s amazing how quickly they grow up isn’t it.
In the updates my sister-in-law sends to our family (we live all across the nation) she includes “Most Random Tantrum” about her toddlers and I think it’s hilarious, too, ha! Oh little ones. 🙂
Happy 19-month birthday, Chase!
XO, Jessica
http://www.semisweettooth.com
He is so cute!! We have a 2 month old and it is amazing how fast it goes by! I am almost done with my maternity leave already and it feels like I just had her!
He is so adorable! I have an 18 month old daughter, so it is always fun to read about your little guy. One thing I noticed though, is that you didn’t talk about the trying parts of having a toddler. Most of it is wonderful, I agree, but my girl throws some mini tantrums already and gets frustrated when she can’t do something. Maybe you didn’t mention it because Chase doesn’t throw any fits yet? If so, you’re a lucky lady! Anyway, I love your post, but I just thought it would be nice to hear the crazy toddler stuff too. Thanks for writing 🙂
Hi Julie,
I love the updates! My husband and I are expecting our first baby (a boy) in just over a week! I discovered your blog after I found out I was expecting so it was fun to go through your pregnancy updates and birth story. Seeing you be Chase’s mom and all the joy and love makes me so excited to meet my little boy (and I’ll be honest – also nice to see you can survive the newborn stage as I do find it a bit intimidating!!) 🙂 I love seeing the updates and reading browsing your recipes! You also take beautiful photographs that make your blog a joy to look at. Thanks for sharing and I hope you have a wonderful day!
I love reading these :). I’m just working on my little guy’s five month update but I know the time will fly by and he’ll be running around before we know it!
He is so cute! x
Izzy | https://pinchofdelight.com
Does Chase like meatballs? Those are one of my go-tos for my 10 month old who is getting pickier by the day. How about breakfast muffins, like egg/sausage/cheese, or egg and veggies? I’ll have to keep some of your go-tos in mind, too. My little guy loves muffins!
I tried meatballs a month or two ago and unfortunately they were a bust but I should really try again! He’s always changing his mind! And I LOVE the idea of trying to get him to eat an egg muffin — I wonder if that would work and be a great way to sneak some veggies into his diet. Thank you for the suggestion1
Always love your updates. Does Chase still take a pacifier to sleep? Just curious!
He does! We still let him have his pacifier in the car and in the crib!
Any idea when you’ll try & wean him? Our 18mo old still uses one in her crib and I’m always thinking about when that will end.
I love these updates as a glimpse as to what’s to come for my son who’s two months younger than Chase. I’m also glad I’m not the only Mama out there who gave up on the baby book and went with blog updates as well!
Always fun to see an update – he sure is a cutie pie!! Love that pic of him laughing so hard while in Ryan’s arms. lol And every time you guys have one of those muffins, *I* want one of those muffins!
It’s a blessing to have a blog so you can save all your memories. You’re going to be so happy that you did this the older and older you get! Can you imagine if our own parents had blogs back in the day, and we could go back and read them?? What a treasure!!
Love the updates! My daughter is 13 months and that little tikes trike is a hit! But — does Chase steer and take you off course?! I feel like we are constantly struggling to go straight as she is steering it from the handle bars.
Have you thought about moving Chase to a booster seat at the table and sitting down and eating with him? My picky guy did a lot better when we did that. Now he’s almost 5 and back to only eating toast with the crust cut off, but we had a good run! 🙂
We used a version of this one with both our kids, and it was hilarious to see them hook their toes under the tray!
https://smile.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Healthy-Care-Booster-Green/dp/B004C43JJ4/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1488401859&sr=8-1&keywords=booster+seat+fisher+price
Sorry for replying to myself, but years ago, Emily from Daily Garnish talked about Re-Play plates divided plates, and they were- and are still- a big hit. Fun plates and bowls definitely help!
Congrats on moving his bedtime back so that he will sleep later in the mornings – any tips for the process? Our 16-month goes to bed around 7:30 but wakes up at 6 on the dot… I’d love to push it even a half hour later!
I feel for you! It’s not always a 7 a.m. wakeup over here, but it definitely got better when we moved both his bed AND naptimes back. What time does your little one nap? Chase now naps around 12:30 and goes to bed around 7:30. He seems to really need 12 hours of night time sleep so the later bed time made a big difference for us, though it sounds like that is part of your routine already. I wish I could be of more help!!
Chase is honestly the most smiley kid I’ve ever met and man can he nail a photo with that bright smile! He’s very lucky to have amazing parents and you’re an awesome mama!!!
Love these updates! I keep telling everyone that even though people tell you, “don’t blink,” (which is totally true), I think things just keep getting better and better! Our little one is a little over 2 and every stage so far has been my favorite. They just keep getting more and more fun!
Thank you for another update. Always fun to read as my daughter is only a few weeks younger.