Today you are sixteen months old. I really need to have a notepad in each room of the house so that when I see you do something new I can write it down immediately. It drives me nuts that I am sitting here trying to think of all the new things you have done in the past month and can only recall a few. I remember several times this month thinking, "I need to remember that."
You are constantly discovering something new, pulling a new face, saying a new word. It's crazy because I only work one day a week and the rest of the time I am home with you, but it still feels like there isn't enough time for everything that needs to be done and enough time to spend paying attention to you. I often wonder what it's going to be like when there is more than you pittering and pattering around our home. Will I still be able to find time to write your monthly message? Will I take as many pictures of you? And what about time where it is just me and you together laughing or reading or playing... these times we share together are so special and I cherrish every second I get with you.
I've been pondering what it will be like when we have more children a lot this past month. Being far away from my own mother and missing the visual/physical contact with her, and being jealous of my siblings and those who get to be around her. Yes, she and I have a connection that can't be broken by distance, but there is a difference in being able to give someone a big hug and just wishing you could. My mother is an amazing woman and all of her children love her very much. She has always done a good job letting each of her kids know she loves them. My point is, I will miss our one-on-one time Madeline (No, at this time I am not expecting another baby).
New and noteworthy things this month...You are an extremely picky eater. I've read this is normal for your age, but I am fearful that you watch your dad so closely that you are learning to be picky. I could just be paranoid. The other day I got upset with your dad because he wouldn't eat a radish in front of you. I know he doesn't like radishes, but I pushed the matter and caused a scene. I didn't mean to cause a scene. Oh well. You still refuse most vegetables - everything but raw beans with the pods... you will munch on those a little sometimes. You still love chicken. When you are hungry you usually come up to me and say, "num num?"
You still love ice, but we have realized that you like to crunch it with your teeth, which is bad, so we no longer give you ice unless it is really slushy. Even then, we don't really offer it to you anymore. We are trying to wean you from ice.
You are still breastfeeding a few times a day. You really love it and the bigger and older and more verbal you get, the more hilarious the experience has become. When you want to nurse you say "boom boom" and your lips vibrate together. If I don't respond to you requests you come after me and try to pull my shirt down. This is not good in public.
Something different you have been doing for several months now, that I hadn't mentioned before, is the position you breastfeed in. Your favorite position is to wrap your arms and legs around me. Sort of like a baby panda bear or a baby monkey or something. In this position you can turn your head side to side and stay attached. There are times you try to stand up, you roll around, you bend your legs all over like crazy... all while still attached. It can be a little frightening at times.
You also like to play with my face. You put your fingers in my mouth (you have always done this) and you poke my nose and eyes and pull at my ears. Also new this month, you like to stick your feet in my face because you find it hilarious when I say "ewww".I plan to wean you soon. The truth is, I think it is going to be harder for ME to wean you than it will be for you to be weaned. After reading what I just wrote about you and all the things you do to me while you nurse you might be thinking, "this woman is insane!" , but trust me, it's not that bad. You are so adorable. Anyway, like I said before, 18 months is the stopping point and that time is rapidly approaching.
You have become somewhat of a Mommy's girl lately. You always want me. Even if Dad is home, you usually want me. It's understandable because I am always with you, but sometimes it's ridiculous. Sometimes I can't leave the room or make dinner without you sitting on my feet or hugging on my leg moaning for me to pick you up or go on a walk around the house with you.
You are also having some anxiety when it comes to strangers. The other day I took you to the hospital where I work to attend a baby shower they were having for a friend of mine and one of the ladies I work with came up to you in the hallway to say hi and you suddenly had the saddest face I have ever seen on a child. Tears began streaming down your face, so I picked you up and you clung tightly to my neck and wouldn't look up for like 5 minutes. It was sort of shocking because I have never seen you act that severely shy.You are very affectionate, constantly offering kisses and hugs to me and your dad - we LOVE it. Sometimes when I am giving your dad hugs and kisses you slide in between us and we usually end up having a great big group hug of laughter.
You love to laugh. This past month you have started doing what we call your fake laugh.
If me or your dad are laughing at all you usually pipe in with your fake laugh. It is so cute! It is hard to describe in words. Your dad says you laugh as if you "attended the William Shatner school of acting." Here is an example: Captain Kirk.You like to sit IN and ON everything. Even if it is too small. The other day you got stuck in a pot. I heard a high-pitched scream coming from the kitchen and came running and found this...
You also like to climb. You are getting much taller. You can now put your leg over the side of the tub, You try to do this everytime you take a bath. When I say, "It's tubby time!" you go running into the bathroom and immediately thrust your leg over the side of it - with your clothes on. You can reach anything that is on the edge of the counter. You can open the top drawers now and reach into them.
Playtime is a very exciting time right now. You love to run. You are a very fast runner. Your run is more of a really fast march or stomp. You still love to dance and you get really excited sometimes when we turn some music on and start to play with your ball. You LOVE to play ball with your dad. You are very good at kicking and throwing the ball. Sometimes your dad will jump really high when he is shooting Nerf hoops or when he is getting a balloon down from the ceiling for you and you squeek and laugh like crazy. You love talking on the phone and stacking things.
You are doing very well with the "Your Baby Can Read" series.
We just started volume 2, which is the third video. You love watching these videos. You recognize a lot of the words when you see them on the video or when we show them to you when we do flashcards, but you still don't say a whole lot of them. "Dee" or "Deh" mean most everything for you.Some new words that you say on a pretty regular basis are: keys, giraffe (more like "raff"), cheek, drink, hat, and hot (those are just off the top of my head, there are a ton of words that you say). You also say, "I love you" or "I yu you". For a good week you were obsessed with keys. Instead of calling for me or your dad in the morning, you would call for keys.
You also like to do a lot of animal noises. You used to say "meow" and "ruff ruff" but as soon as you learned how to sound like a monkey it is the only sound you will make when asked about an animal. You do roar like a lion sometimes.You love to do the actions to "eentsy weentsy spider", "If you're happy and you know it," and "Head, shoulders, knees and toes". Actually when we sing "Head, shoulders, knees and toes" you just squat over and over and then stand up and touch your nose. You know a ton of your body parts. You can point to your eyes, ears, mouth, nose, cheeks, chin, hair, head, belly, belly button, knee, legs, foot, toes, hand, fingers and neck. We are quite proud of this and often ask you to perform when we are with friends or in public.
For Christmas we went up to Ballston Spa and spent a week with your Dad's side of the family. It was a really good experience for you I think. It was nice to be surrounded by family. It didn't take more than a couple days for you to warm up to everyone. You especially liked your cousin Amanda.
You had a lot of fun laying around with her and playing ball. I think it was the second night you were with her when you started to the long distance run into the arms hug. Before this moment you had only done that to me or your dad.
You had a really great time sitting in your grandma's cupboards and playing.
This past week you and me got a cold. We stayed in most of the week and took lots of naps and tried to get better as quickly as possible. There was a lot of nose suctioning and nose wiping - both of which you desperately hate - but I think we are now on the tail end up it. You still have a bit of a runny nose but no more fevers and ridiculous congestion.
You have a mouth full of teeth and you love to brush them. We have actually gone through three toothbrushes this month because if I don't watch you carefully you will clean the floor or the tub or the toilet with your toothbrush. That just grosses me out. So I watch you a little closer.Your hair is getting longer. I love it. I love the pigtails and pony tails and the way your hair flips up in a little curl in the back sometimes. SOOOO cute. I was actually able to put curlers in your hair this month when we took our family pictures for our Christmas card.
It is now 2010 and I look forward to all of the precious moments we will have with you this year. I am excited to see you grow and learn and become even more amazing - if that is even possible. You have made such a huge impact on our lives and we are so grateful for you. We love you so much Madeline.Love,
Momma
1 comment:
She is so cute!
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