Happy 1 1/2 Laurel! This post is a little delayed because we have been dealing with a very sick little girl for the past week or so. It started as a cold and moved to her chest with a terrible cough. I took her to the Dr. on Friday and they were concerned about it turning into Pnemonia so they did a breathing treatment and we have been doing them for every 4 hours since. THEN yesterday, she spiked a fever so we called the Dr., they sent us to urgent care and they discovered that she has an ear infection that she didn't have on Friday. Today we are laying low and hoping she'll feel better tomorrow!
Anyway, I cannot believe that she is 1 1/2! She still seems like such a baby but amazes me every day with what she can do, say, and understand. This stage is one of my favorites but comes with it's challenges. Her little personality is really developing and in that, she has really started showing some defiance. I mean really, look at this face:
... I have a feeling she'll still be giving me that look when she is 16. Our most challenging times of day are meals. She really doesn't like to eat. The only foods that are 100% safe bets are yogurt, mac and cheese, and watermelon. She'll almost always eat snacky food (goldfish, crackers, pretzels, and the most healthy, jelly beans are a fave) but that is about it. Fruits, veggies and everything else are totally hit and miss. This is VERY frustrating for me. The most frustrating part is that she throws everything on the floor. This is when we have started using time outs. She doesn't really throw temper tantrums yet but is super dramatic whenever Micah is rough with her. She can be standing a foot away from him and if I am not looking, she will grab her head and say "OWWW!" and start crying just to try to get him in trouble. Another source of frustration on her part is when she can't communicate to me what she is wanting.
She is such a little chatter-box. She loves to "sing" and jibber jabber all day. Here are all the words that I could thing of that she is saying (they don't all sound exactly like the word but you can understand what she is saying):
hi
bye bye
night night
mommy
daddy
riley
mimi
bubba
nat nat
ya ya (audrey)
mi-cah (she still ususally just calls him bubby though)
bow
cheese
bite
uh-oh
more
thank you
please
water (wa-wa)
bath
book
baby
car
yea
no
BA! (still what she calls her paci)
eye
bubble
milk
me
all-duh
mine
yay
wow
woah
beep beep
boo
up
out
off
ohhh wow! (her most common phrase)
spider (itsy bitsy spider)
We are working on animal sounds but she is very uninterested. She'll do dog, duck, bird, and sheep when she is in the mood to cooperate but that isn't all that often.
She loves to give and get hugs and kisses and also loves pointing out her and anyone else's body parts. Belly button is her favorite which is awesome when she finds mine in public. She understands so much and is great at following commands. She is such a little mama- taking care of her babies, rocking them, kissing them, pretending to cook while I am cooking and even cleaning up after her big brother. Yes, after he finishes a snack, she always picks up his bowl/plate/whatever and runs to toss it in the sink. She is definitely my little shadow and thus my little helper. Micah has always been a little more independent and likes to play in his room or the playroom but Laurel always wants to be right by my side.
Sometimes, she'll follow around her brother which always leads to trouble. She has become quite the climber and tries to do whatever he is doing. They are finally starting to play together which is really cute. She also loves to play an instrument while he is playing another and they love to dance and sing together.
She still rarely sits still. She has a very very short attention span so is always moving from one things to the next. Right now as I type, I had turned on the Little Mermaid for her because is is obvious she is feeling awful and she sat and watched for maybe 5 minutes and is now climbing into the kitchen chairs, then out and under the table, then she runs over to me and lays her head in my lap, runs to the back door and says byebye and then starts over. She is a mess.
Other than when she is sick, she is still such a great little sleeper. She goes to sleep around 8 and wakes up anywhere between 7:30 and 8:30. She was never really getting a morning nap (because we are out and about so much keeping Micah busy) so we officially dropped it a couple of months ago. Now, they both go down for naps around 12:30 and most days she sleeps until 4:30 and sometimes even 5. She is a crazy marathon napper.
Favorites: babies, bunny (a lovie that was a shower gift that she never showed any interest in until the last couple of months and now she has to have it at all tiems), blankie, big brother, and riley
Disliks: still diaper changes, sitting still, eating, time out, being told no, and going to bed at night
She had her 18 month check up last week and passed with flying colors! Here are her stats:
Height: 34 inches (98%)
Weight: 26 lbs, 2 ounces (89%)
My littles keep my on my toes and wear me out but I feel so blessed to get to spend every day chasing them around. They are just growing up so fast!
*All of the photos in this post are courtesy of Natalie Blazei Photography. Book your family's Christmas Card session NOW before she fills up!
