About at month before Jaden’s 1st birthday, I shared some of my thoughts about Jaden’s transition to toddlerhood and how I was preparing myself for things like a new class at daycare, walking, and weaning. Well, Jaden is now almost 14 months old and a lot has changed since that last post. It amazes me how quickly Jaden continues to learn, grow, and develop each day. Below I share some of Jaden’s recent developments.

1. The transition to the toddler room at daycare went extremely well. Jaden fit right in with the other kids. We didn’t encounter any major issues with him adjusting to the toddler room schedule. There were a few weeks of him being a little more tired as he adjusted to one nap a day, but overall the transition was pretty easy. I think he really enjoys his teachers and being with other kids his age.

2. Jaden is becoming such an independent human being. He loves exploring and trying to do things on his own. I love how persistent he is as he learns something new.

3. Jaden’s vocabulary is expanding. In the last couple of months he has learned several new words, both verbal and in sign language. He can say around 15 words and knows about 5 signs. It’s been fun engaging in “conversation” with him.

4. Jaden is still nursing, but we are down to just one session a day (most days). I have been following his lead and not actively trying to wean. I have found that the “don’t offer, don’t refuse” method has worked for us. It has allowed us to work towards weaning at Jaden’s pace.

5. I can’t exactly pinpoint when it happened, but our baby boy is finally sleeping through the night. It was sometime after his dad returned from his week long business trip so it’s probably been at least 3 weeks of him consistently sleeping through the night. We try to put Jaden down for bed between 6:30 and 7:30 pm and he will sleep until about 6:00 am. If he wakes up in the middle of the night he’s been putting himself back to sleep without needing to nurse.

5. Lastly (and most exciting), Jaden is walking! For the past few months, he has been walking all around the house with his push toys or holding our hands. When we got back from our Vegas vacation he all of sudden started taking steps on his own. Over the course of a few weeks, with lots of practice, Jaden started taking more and more steps. One day last week we were practicing with him and he took the most steps he had ever taken. And then he kept going! Now he’s walking all over the place and he’s enjoying his new found freedom!

Watching Jaden grow and develop is such a blessing. I love how his personality is taking shape and I look forward to the next milestones!