You are such a smarty pants! (Of course we always knew this, but it has been all the more apparent over the last month or so.) You are learning new things every day. We find ourselves saying on multiple occasions each week, "When did she learn that?" "Did you know she could say that?" It is nothing short of a miracle to watch you figure the world out! Here's what we've been up to:
Eating and Sleeping:
Eating has become a challenge with you at times! As you get older, you are developing more and more of an opinion. You know what you like, and you know what you don't like! Although you have gotten better at not feeding the dog, you are not always great with eating the food yourself!
Even some of our trusty stand-bys - grilled cheese, eggs, even some fruits - are sometimes rejected! I take comfort in what Dr. Khan has told us - now that your growth has leveled off, your appetite and eating will vary a lot. We have definitely seen that. You do, however, sometimes more willingly eat off of mama's plate/fork. Silly girl!
You have struggled with a cold, teething, and just recently an ear infection, which I know affect your appetite as well.
We look forward to the day where you understand "take two bites of meat/veggie, and then you can have _____." Some day. :-)
You have been VERY sleepy recently as you've been fighting off the cold. Other than being up in some pain here and there (poor Sweet Pea!), your sleep continues to be great! You were recently moved to the "big room" at daycare for your naps, so you are napping with all the other kids. I can't believe you are so big that you are doing this, but Magna says it's going great!
Likes and Dislikes:
Likes:
- Animal Sounds! We have several different animal books and toys, which you love. You are getting really good with knowing which sound goes with which animal. So far you know: dog, cat, cow, pig, horse, sheep, duck, and frog. You don't always get them right, but you are getting better and better. So smart!
- "Honking" noses. We have a book called "Shake a Leg" that has different commands like "Shake a Leg" "Pat your head" "Waggle your fingers." Your favorite? Honk your nose! You also like to honk everyone else's nose while you're at it. You are starting to know what action to do, just by looking at the pictures!
- Ellen DeGeneres! It's no secret that Mama loves Ellen. We have started to watch little bits of her show together. Now you recognize the theme music for her show, and you recognize her face - "Ellen! Ellen!"
- Brushing your teeth. It used to be a battle to try to brush your teeth, but something changed, and now you really like it!
- Reading! You love being read to, you love reading to yourself, you love love love books.
- As always...Luther! Although now you almost exclusively call him by his nickname "Beastie." Too cute!You like helping give him water with the milk jug under the sink.
- Water. As in drinking it. You are such a milk girl. You know where the milk is. You'll pull at the refrigerator and say "milk, milk" (which sounds like of like "book"). You get very frustrated when we try to give you water.
- Getting hair in your mouth. With Luther around, there is lots of dog hair...everywhere. When you get it in your mouth you get this disgusted look on your face and say, "uck!" (Yuck)
You probably haven't gained too much weight or height since your appointment last month. We've got your 18-month appointment scheduled for early in February, so we'll see where you are in.
Some of your 18 month clothes are definitely getting too small. You have started the move into 24 month clothes- and some even 2T! At the other end, you do still have some 12 month clothes that fit - sizes are so funny.
I think we've bought our last pack of size 3 diapers...we're just moving you into size 4 for all the time.
A similar transition is happening with shoes...you tend to be in between size 4 and size 5. Mama hit the total shoe jackpot for you and found a nice pair of Keen shoes in size 5 for $10 at Once Upon a Child! They are so cute!
You have been popping teeth like crazy. We've been losing track of all of the new ones coming in. You got your bottom right molar and top left tooth (just to your left of center) this past month.Several more look to be on the way. It's harder to tell which ones are coming in, since they are further back in your mouth.
Talking:
Animal sounds are all the rage now! You are getting very good! Baaa, Mooo, Oink, Quack, Meow... it's like a regular old barn yard around here! New words are a daily occurrence - you pick them up without us even teaching you. A new personal favorite of mine is "hush!" You exaggerate it so much - hilarious. You continue to be very, very talkative - even if we don't always understand what you are saying!
Other Happenings:
We celebrated your 2nd Christmas! That hardly seems possible. We mixed things up a bit this year and went out for dinner just the three of us on Christmas Eve. We went to Ruby Tuesday's - a favorite of me and Daddy's. You did great. It was nice to have a fun, little celebration. After dinner we went to Grandma and Grandpa's where you took a little snooze. We braved it and took you to worship at 9:00. You did pretty well, all things considered. You looked very cute in your little Norwegian sweater dress. Christmas Day we were at Grandma and Grandpa's, and then Great Uncle and Aunt Steve and Cindy's house. A celebration with Grammy and Grampy and company, and then the whole Weaver/Rawitzer/Soash group in the days following rounded out the holiday.
Speaking of Christmas, we got a membership to the Children's Museum from Grandma and Grandpa for Christmas. On New Years Day, we took our first visit as a family (with Tom, Jackie, and Gavin). You had a wonderful time - so did Mama and Daddy!
You got some trucks for Christmas, and they've quickly become a favorite. You love pushing them around....sometimes with the occasional "vrooom." :-)
You have also gotten into your "shape sorter." You're getting really good at it- it's fun to watch you puzzle through it and learn!
As I said earlier, you just got diagnosed with your first ear infection. You had been fighting off a cold (and had been teething) for over a week, and then got an ear infection. Poor girl! You are on antibiotics now, so hopefully it's on its way out!
It's been an awesome month as always. We are so thankful for you.
Love you, Linnea Beth,
Mama and Daddy
