18 months

Today, my son turned 18 months. I can't believe it's be a whole year and a half, and I can't believe it's been ONLY a year and a half. Having a child completely changes one's life, and sometimes it's hard to remember what life was like before, so even though time is flying by, it also feels like a lifetime since I became a mother.
My baby is no longer a baby. Kids technically become toddlers on their first birthday, but it wasn't until recently that I have really considered Connor to be one. Besides the usual physical changes and milestones, there have been other incidents lately that have really made me realize he is growing up. For example, on Friday night, he showed embarrassment for the first time. We were over at my mom's house for dinner, along with another couple, and Connor was trying to be a good boy and put his cup back up on the counter when he was done with it (he has a strong sense of order and doesn't like to just throw it on the floor), but he couldn't quite reach. Every time he lifted the cup in an attempt to set it up there, water would splash out onto his face. I finally said, "Grammy, Connor is trying to get his cup back on the counter and it keeps splashing him in the face". Once the cup was finally in place, thanks to Grammy's help, he turned around and his face was covered in drips of water. We all laughed, and Connor started crying and buried his head in his daddy's lap. He was embarrassed that we laughed at him! What a big boy.
He also has started to play innocent after doing something naughty. On Wednesday, again at Grammy's house, he was playing with the buttons on the stereo (which he knows not to do), when he accidentally turned the stereo off. When Grammy started to scold him, he meandered away, looking down, muttering to himself, as if to say "la de da, nothing to see here!" How do kids learn to do that??? What a big boy.
Today was another time when I realized just how far we've come. For the first 5 months or so of life, Connor had really bad reflux, which made sleeping and napping difficult. In fact, until about 13 months, he was the worst napper of all time. If I finally got him to sleep, I would run around like a crazy woman getting as much done as I could in 20 minutes, because that was about all the time I could count on him sleeping. Anything beyond a half hour was bonus time. A few months ago, Connor just decided for himself to go down to one nap, and it's a long one--2 to 3 hours usually. So, today while Connor was napping, I brought the monitor outside and potted my plants and weeded and mulched the garden. Last year at this time I would have been nervous about running out to get the mail while he was sleeping. I guess we've both come a long way.
The past 18 months have been a time of change (and stress!), but the most fulfilling 18 months of my life. I am so proud of my son, and I can't wait to watch him grow for the rest of my life. I am blessed.