Allison at 15 months

I think I am going to start updating every 3 months for a while, since there are no big changes between months these days.

Let's see,  she has 7 teeth, four on top and three on bottom.  Although tooth #8 is threathening to arrive soon.

Words: Mama, Mommy, Daddy, bye bye, hi, Bubba, go, uh-oh, Peek boo (Peek-a-boo), wheeee! (is that a word?), Buh duh (brother), tickle (her version is pretty garbled, and I have no idea how to even write it), and cookie.  She stills say "buddy" and now "money"  that reference unknown objects.  But we are pretty sure Buddy is Bugsy.  She also points to things she wants and says "meeee!"  Oh, and I think she refers to her favorite blankie, her sippy, and the now completely non-existent binky as "bee."

Speaking of binky, she will pop one in her mouth if she happens to find one, but we no longer offer it to her.  Ok, wait.  That is not true. There was one morning she woke up at 4 am, and instead of plucking her out of her crib and snuggling, this tired mommy copped out and gave it to her.  Worked like a charm, and she went right back asleep.  Bad mommy!

Food: she still loves everything.  She wants anything you are eating, and she will try anything.  Some things we have to break up into tiny pieces, and she can tackle them.  She has had nut products, dairy, and fish, and so far no signs of any allergies.  We haven't tried shellfish, so that is yet to be determined.  But so far so good!

She is still wearing some 12 month clothes, but some of the legs and arms are getting short, so we are slowly transitioning to 18 month clothes.  Size 3 diaper.  She can still wear size 4 shoes, but I am buying new Spring shoes in a size 5.

Her hair is getting long enough to put "pretties" in it.  However, once she realizes something it there, she yanks it out.  Then she brings it to me to put back in, so she can yank it out again.  Fun game for baby, not so much for mommy.  I am going to buy some loops to try to put her hair in a "Pebbles" pony on top of her head.  Those always annoyed me on babies, but now that I am a mommy to a little girl, I think they are sweet.  Funny how things change, huh?

She has an incredible memory!  We will ask her for an object, and she will remember right where she left it, go get it, and bring it to us.  It might be under the kitchen table, in a corner, or up in her room.  It doesn't matter, she remembers.  We asked he the other day where her blankie was, and she went to the closed door to the hallway that leads to the upstairs and started pointing to it.  We let her climb the stairs (while following closely behind her - don't worry!), and she went right to her room and picked up her blankie that was on the floor.  It may be normal for their little brains to have that great of a memory, but it still amazes us!

She loves to dance!  If she hears music, she will stop everything, clap her hands and start bouncing.

At her 15 month doctor's appointment, she weighed in at 19 pounds (5th percentile), she was 31.25 inches long (75th percentile), and her head circumference was 46.25 cm (50th percentile).  She has always been on the low end on her weight, and she has dropped in the percentiles in the last 6 months.  We discussed that, and since she became a lot more mobile in the time, it is an expected drop.  They think it will level off and start to go back up by her next appointment.  Since she eats everything, and a lot, we are not concerned.  But if for some reason she drops off the charts at the next appointment. we will discuss supplementing her diet at that time.  But I have decided to cut back on any juice we may give her, and offer her as much milk as possible.  Hopefully that will help fatten her up!

Next full update at 18 months!

Orange Belt!!

OK, so it was only 9 days ago that MJ earned his white belt at taekwondo.  Well, tonight he tested for his orange belt, and he passed with flying colors!  Way to go, Michael!  We are so proud of you!

Before testing, the Tiny Tigers warmed up, and the parents were able to help!

Front kicks

Knifehand strike

Punch

High Block

Spear hand strike

I took a break from taking pictures to watch the testing, although I did get it on video.  Too fun!  Here is our Tiny Tiger receiving his new belt, and of course not looking at Mommy. Oh well.

After all the belts were awarded, the instructors ask the parents to do the official "changing of the belts."  They didn't actually call it that, but it sounds good, right?

I really, really need to learn how to tie those darn things.  But it'll do for now.  We survived our first belt testing experience, and looking forward to many more!

White Belt!

Last night, MJ earned his white belt, plus two stripes!  He was so happy, and we were so proud of him!

Self Feeding

Allison has been showing a lot of interest in feeding herself, and not just by picking it up with her fingers.  She wants a spoon!  On occasion, I would let her play with a spoon, and I would watch her bring it to her mouth, as if there was something on it.  So she seemed to be ready to me!

Last night, the boys were at a birthday party, so I didn't have to cook dinner.  I ended up making myself a frozen Weight Watchers pizza, and warmed up a Gerber Graduates meal for Little Miss - turkey and rice w/green beans and carrots.  Since it was just the two of us, I didn't care if she made a mess, so I gave her a spoon, and let her have a shot!  She did great!

She fed herself about 4 spoonfuls before she decided it was more fun to fling it!  So she finger fed herself the rest of the veggies and I helped her with the rest of the turkey and rice.  But I think it was a great start!  Some did spill down the front of her bib, but hey, that is to be expected.  My little girl is one more step closer to independence.  It is so bittersweet!

Longing for Spring

Now that most of the snow has melted, we are spending more and more time outside.  We would prefer it to be a little bit warmer, but we are thankful for at least above freezing at this point!

Allison loved chasing after the tennis ball!

Got it!

Michael, as usual, kept running from me when he saw the camera pointed at him.  He hid behind a tree at one point.  So I just perched nearby and waited.

Yes, I am still here!

Got you again!

And he's making a run for it!

I really hope the weather keeps getting nicer, so we can spend even more time outside!

The Joy of Love, Day 28

Here we are.  The final day of Joy!  The final them is fitting:  the future.

Since our firstborn was a boy, having a girl was like having a first baby all over again.  Does that make sense?  I mean, she is so different in every way, and it is amazing to watch her grow into a little girl.  One of the things that really warms my heart, and gives me a peek into her future, is her love for baby dolls.  I tried very hard to get a nice picture of her, loving her dolls, but it didn't work out. No matter how many times I called her name, made funny noises, and or moved in front of her, I didn't get a good shot.  She would turn her body or look away, right as I hit the shutter button. 

Here are the ones I took specifically for this assignment

Failure!

So here is another photo, that shows you how much she loves her baby!  I see a future mommy!

(I used this photo in a previous Joy of Love post)