18 Months Already?!?

I took this sheep picture on her actual monthly milestone.

She was surprisingly agreeable! 

Today, we had her 18 month well baby check up. We've spent the week with "naps are for chumps" attitude so guess who fell asleep on the 10 minute drive to the doctor? Yep.

So I sat in the car while the Dada checked us in. 

When she woke up, we headed in and found the Dada filling out our paperwork. As we're waiting, he asks "how do you spell discernible?" 
Me - what on earth are you filling out?!
My Beloved - don't worry about it! How do you spell it?
Me - *incredulous look*
My Beloved - fine, I'll look it up on my phone.

Turns out he was filling out the 'are there any concerns with your child's development' and he answered "she does not have any discernible words." (Side note - apparently his phone lied to him about the spelling and he spelled it with  'able' and is now very put out and embarrassed.)

We go to a teaching facility so we get to see a resident before we see the doctor. Today, we saw Dr. Carey who is so super precious, he doesn't look much older than his patients and he seems to like Alice. 

Alice has started to not enjoy sitting at restaurants so in an attempt to distract her, I've put together a 'busy bottle' for her. It's an old water bottle with a few puffs and some pipe cleaners in it. I dump them out and she puts them back in and then screws the top on. And (for now) it works! So that kept her busy while we talked to the doctor. 

I'm pretty sure the little puffs triggered our discussion on choking hazards. Oopsie.

She is doing great in regards to her growth. She is up to 21.8 pounds and is 30.5 inches tall! Such a big girl!

The doctors don't seem to have any concerns AND she didn't need any shots! HOLLA!

Tonight, we got to have dinner with the Nana and she played with her bottle again.

I hope it keeps working.....

Until next time....

The 'O' Word

Some words are now banned at our house.

Outside.
Go.
Bye bye.

Unless you are about to do any of these things immediately with our girl - DO NOT SAY THEM. It will be a dark, dark day if you mention outside and then have to tell her you're not really going. DARK DAY. And you'll end up outside anyway. So just don't.

If the weather is nice, we walk up and down our street. 

Sometimes she holds our hand and walks on her own. She likes to walk because she can pick up treasures.

Some days she rides in her tricycle. We got adventurous last week and took the dog with us. It was exhausting. We survived though!

When we're at the Nana's - she can explore! Our backyard is home to a dog so I can't let her run around by herself but at Nana's - it's FREEDOM! 

In this picture, she is attempting to pick up an ant. Yep. God is laughing. 

She is in a big ball phase right now so it was also a chance to play ball with Mamaw.

I left her with Mamaw the other day while we were helping with a shower and came home to this...

There is dirt under her nails, in her pockets, around her mouth and she was covered in tangerine juice. But at least her bow was still in her hair! 

Again. God is laughing.

God gave us a strong willed, dramatic child who LOVES all things outside. And He's REALLY enjoying it. ;)

She also does not understand the word "freezing" and completely rejects this as an excuse for not going out.

Yeesh.

While walking with the Dada the other day I snapped a picture. I have one just like it with me and my dad. I got a little emotional. 

On one of our walks I asked my Beloved if a walk counts as exercise if you don't get your heart-rate up. He said no. That's just stupid! Just going outside should count! Seriously. ;)

Until next time....

C is for....

CRISPY!! This is what happens when you have to change a diaper while you're frying bacon. Luckily I like my bacon a little extra crunchy. Okay, mostly burnt. ;)

I have a few 'c' words to describe our Little Bitty!

Curious, cunning, committed, cute (of course!)

This week she's committed to emptying the recycling bins. 

Here's the deal, see the dog bowl? Yeah, her goal is to find a way to play in it. She gets a spanking when we catch her in it and that works....for a while. We can't move it anywhere without blocking the dog from getting to it so this is something Alice needs to adjust to. And she KNOWS she's not supposed to touch it! She'll stand by it and look at it longingly and then at us, totally weighing her options. She usually decides it's not worth it.

But that's not true. She's just figuring a way around it, looking for the loophole. Cunning.

Enter the recycling.

Now she pulls out something from the plastics bin - these items are usually super light and kind of big - and drops it in the dogs water bowl. "Oopsie! Now I must get it!"

Oiy vey.

I've blocked off the bins enough today that her focus had to move on.....to this.

"Ma! Look what I found!"

Yeesh. 

It was relocated as soon as she was down for her nap. 

One last 'c' word - covered.

She seems to like her face covered when she sleeps. She'll have a mask like her Momma before she's 3. ;)

Until next time.....

Her New 'Phone'

Little Bitty LOVES phones.

If you want her attention - pull out a phone. She's all yours.

My Beloved has an old iPod Touch he no longer uses and we thought it might be something she could play with.

I spent some time downloading apps for her and ordered a case.

There's no getting it back now. 

Here they are checking the weather on our big 'snow day'.

One of her games plays songs so she gets to dance whenever she wants.

I've deleted some of the apps because she's far from using them. We mostly play with the ones that make music or you draw. 

But honestly her favorite thing is the photo gallery.

As long as she can scroll through pictures, she's a happy camper. She'll hit the wrong button and it will go to something else then she walks it over to me like "fix it, please." I get back to the pictures and off she goes. 

Such a big girl.

Until next time...

Chores + Toddler = Sadness

Attempting chores while the toddler is awake makes me question all the decisions I've ever made. Take "no drinking during the day" as an example. ;)

She shuffles around the broom as I sweep and if I hesitate long enough, she swoops in to pick up a clump of dog hair. So gross. It's like the best thing ever - the Momma has rounded up all the dirt in one place! So exciting!! I'll swat her hand and redirect her. 

This happens a few times.

Finally, she wonders off. I think I'm safe.

No.

She's gone to retrieve a toy only to "accidentally" drop it in the middle of my dirt pile. Then she looks at me triumphantly like "I obviously have to get it now".

We are so screwed. 

Until next time.....

If she had words.....

...this is what she would be saying.

"Awww, that's sweet Dada. Coming to sit by me."

"Okay, you can move now."

"For reals, there's not enough room for both us."

"OMG, Dada!! This is totally MY couch!"

He did eventually move. Her will is too strong.

Lord, help us.

The Bathroom Game

We have a gate on our bathroom door to keep Alice out. Bathrooms are dirty no matter how clean they are! So we put it up when she started crawling.

Now she thinks this must be the most magical room in the entire house. 

When I'm getting ready, she stands shaking the gate and yelling with indignation "HOW COULD YOU!!!!" 

And when that doesn't work - the game begins.

With eyes that clearly say "fine, this is all your doing", she hunts down something she knows she should not have. She grabs it, looks at me (who is now standing at the gate shaking my mascara wand at her saying "Alice! No ma'am!") and slowly puts it in her mouth. 

Oiy vey.

She does this with several items always hoping to find that one item that will flush me out of the magic room so she could FINALLY gain access. 

I swear, this child. 

Until next time....

Stacking

A few months ago, Alice received this set of wooden stacking blocks in her Citrus Lane box. She likes to play with them. The other day I caught her attempting to put them back on the stick. I showed her a few times and she's been doing it ever since. 

It makes us ridiculously proud.

She must be a GENIUS!!! 

And then she does this.

Silly baby. 

;)


The other night the Dada went in for a new Bath Time CD and forgot to latch the gate. The baby smelled freedom...

She's walking SO good! She toddles all over the house now. It makes me so proud and also a little sad. Where did our baby go?!

With a Sheep - Week 51

Their "I can't hear you!" faces.

Oiy vey.

Just one more week! Can you believe?! 

And check out her progress!!

She's walking all over the place! 

We're in trouble.

;)

Just a Year

January 1st, 2013

January 1st, 2014

It's amazing to me how much difference 365 days can make.

She crawls. She walks. She communicates. She plays. She feeds herself. She recognizes things. She has teeth. And hair!  

She looks less like a baby and more like a little girl.

In only 365 days.

Toddlin'

Here's some toddling to get you through the next week. 

She looks more like she's running.

Lord, help us.

Growing and growing

These past few days I swear she's gained at least 10 pounds. Carrying her now is so cumbersome. And I'm pretty sure she's grown a few inches as well.

When did she get so big?!

She is still not walking on her own but she will stand on her own for a little longer and she moves from object to object with no issue. It'll be soon! Heaven help us.

The RAP photo is 'overrated'. 

They shouldn't call it 'baby proofing'. They should call is 'Baby, challenge!!" This is our fireplace guard. In her mouth. We can't keep it on the fireplace for anything; she just pulls it off and looks at us like 'ok, try harder this time.' She's too smart. It's worrisome. 

This is our craft supplies for the KIR.

They are shoved in the closet with the Christmas decorations, letter jackets, extra filters, old laptops and all our printing items. It's probably a good thing Alice will be an only child, the idea of relocating these items gives me heartburn. Alice has the spillover in her closet - shhhhh, don't tell her. ;)

Until next time....

You Today

So the day started at 1am - the first time she woke up.

Then it continued at 6am when she woke up screaming. She got a bottle and sat with me until she fell back asleep. 

We had an early appointment this morning for her 1 year Well Baby. How do they know the mornings you have to get up early? Seriously. I told her the second time she got up that I was going to take her to get shots because she won't stay asleep. 

I might be a mean mom. 

As payback for such a mean comment, Karma got me back.

Take THAT, mean momma!!

She did really well at her appointment.

She weighs 19 lbs, 11 ozs and is on the 25% growth curve for babies her age. This is AWESOME considering those kids got an additional 2 months in the womb. She is doing so great! The doctors are impressed with how well she is doing. 

I have doubts that I'm doing the best for her. I get constant reassurance from my Beloved, my momma, my in-laws, my mamaw; and yet still I doubt. And then the doctors tell us they're impressed with how well she's doing and that we're doing a great job. And I'm okay. For a little while. ;)

Alice got 6 shots and had blood drawn. I only cried a little this time. She does so good with shots. She gets upset while it's happening but calms down pretty fast afterwards. I think this has a lot to do with her start. I'm sure she got stuck in the NICU quite a bit. And then the guilt comes back. ;) But not really. The nurses always thank us for not being a challenge. This makes me sad. They're just doing their job and they're working really hard to keep our little ones healthy. There's no need to make their jobs any harder. I doubt they enjoy making a baby scream. 

We did manage to get a nap a little while ago despite what is going on down the street.

This is what the street in to our street looks like:

That's dirt, people!! DIRT. LOTS AND LOTS OF DIRT!! NO ROAD AT ALL!! We don't live in the country. My car is NOT cut out to drive in mud. And yet poor Judy is covered in it! If it keeps raining, things are going to get ugly. Very, very ugly. I'm SO READY for them to be done. But I don't see the light at the end of the tunnel. They do have the other side of the road to start. Yeesh.

Until next time....

Oh My

She's growing so fast.

I appreciate that she stops to pick up her purse.

;)

I got this!

She has discovered that simply plowing over things is quicker than going around. Only she's not so great at it yet. Which is HILARIOUS!

"Whatevs, I'll just go over it!"

I love how when she finally climbs the pillow mountain, she sits to see how far she's come. 

Such a silly girl. 

Until next time.....

Oiy vey

Alice might only be a week away from 1, but she already laughs when she hears the word NO. It's troublesome. The Nana got to witness it the other day. I've been telling her she does this but she thinks I'm exaggerating. 

Nu uh! 

We have a plug she can reach. It has plug covers in it but it doesn't matter - she is still drawn to it. I tell her "no Alice!" and you know what she does? She reaches for it FASTER and LAUGHS at me. If I take her hand and apply pressure while sternly telling her no - she laughs! If I pop her gently on the hand or leg (after repeatedly telling her no) - she laughs! And if I remove her from the plug while telling her no - she just swiftly returns to said plug to start the process all over again. And she's a little crawling ninja! I mean SUPER FAST!! 

She does the same thing with the dog bowl. Every time.

And I'll know she's heading toward something so I will say "Alice! No ma'am!" And you know what she does?

She giggles and hurry's up. 

Every time.

Already. 

When she has words, we're in trouble. 

Big, big trouble.

See - that's nothing but trouble right there. 

With a Sheep - Week 30

Another smile!! 

We've had another busy week! 

She's exploring the house on her own. She has two very tiny teeth on the bottom of her mouth. She jabbers ALL THE TIME. And she's trying to pull herself up....on everything....already. 

With her teething, we've had a few fussy days. And while she likes to explore and play, she eventually wants to crawl in to my lap. Not to sit still! Just to be there. 

And she's nothing but trouble!! I had to pause while typing this to stop this....

Right now she's in her play around the house clothes. My Beloved hates her leg warmers. He thinks they're less than lady like and not appropriate for babies. :) He will probably be less than thrilled I dressed her in this for her sheep picture. But I think they're cute! And they keep her knees from being all scratched up while she's crawling. She might need a few more pairs. ;)

She's 46 weeks today and still cute as a button.

She'll be one soon. I might not take it well. I scheduled a photo shoot for her 1st birthday. That makes me giddy!

Until next time....

View from Here

A Little Bitty teething on the ottoman. Fun times.

Today was a hard teething day. She wouldn't eat and needed to be in my lap at all times. It was a trying day.

I put her in her bed so she could take a nap. She laughed and jabbered and fussed. Then she got quiet! So I went to make sure she was asleep but instead I found this...

Yes. That is her standing in her bed. I might have said a word that doesn't need to be her first. 

She started crawling last week!! And now she's standing in her bed?! SLOW DOWN, LITTLE BITTY!!!!

So when the Dada got home, this was our view for the second time this week.

Poor Dada had to lower the bed one more notch.

Fun times.

Until next time...

In Motion

She is supposed to be napping....

Our girl is in constant motion! So last week I found a video monitor on Kids!Woot for a pretty good price! Now I can watch when she's in her room. Although I catch her looking at the camera and it's SUPER creepy!! The camera has a light on it so that attracts her eye - still, it's creepy. 

When we got home from Huntsville Sunday night, she was in no mood to go to bed. We went in to check on her and found her like this....

A very happy baby who is much too mobile. So at 11pm on Sunday night, Dada got to lower the mattress. ;)

She's going to be our little trouble maker. 

And we couldn't be more proud.

Until next time....