Leah currently weighs 22 1/2 pounds and is 33 inches tall. She is wearing size 3 diapers, size 12-18 month clothes, and size 4-5 shoes.
Leah continues to make strides in her communication. One thing that I have noticed the most in the last month is her ability to understand what is said to her. You can actually ask her to do things without getting blank stares! If I ask her to get her shoes so that we can go outside, she runs to find her shoes, brings them to me, and then sits in my lap waiting for me to put them on. She still tries a lot of words in whispers, but she hasn't really regularly started saying any new words since last month. She does have the "kitty sound" down pretty well though.
Leah's gross motor skills continue to be a little ahead of the game. She is running everywhere and climbing on everything. She can now walk UP the slide at the playground and climb the tricky "ladder-like" way to the top platform. I have to keep an eye on her to make sure that she doesn't climb up on the dinner table. It makes it especially easy when I forget to push in my chair.
Leah's favorite game right now involves putting things inside something and then taking them out again. This is somewhat helpful when moving the laundry over (except I have to close the dryer quickly or she'll take it all out again.) She also hands dishes to us while Daddy and I are emptying the dishwasher. She has learned how to use zippers, so now she can get into her snack bag in which she like to take all of the snacks and then return them. She also like to play this "game" in my Tupperware drawer. Unfortunately, there is a certain way that they need to be put for them to all fit back inside.
Leah continues to show progress in her fine motor development. She is able to stab food and get it into her mouth with somewhat good accuracy. She is showing more and more interest in feeding herself with silverware and she is starting to want to eat a little cleaner. She still has a far way to go though! When we got back from Utah, I decided to see how she would do with her shape sorter. She surprised me and was able to get the circle in pretty quickly. She doesn't quite have the matching down 100%, but she can put them in if I point to the correct place.
This month, Leah and I spent a little over a week in Ireland for Auntie Kate's wedding. (Daddy had to work. Boo!) The flight TO Ireland went really well. (Can't exactly say the same for the flight back... ) We did a lot of sightseeing while we were there and Leah was pretty content to just hang out in her backpack carrier and have Mommy carry her everywhere. The only time she didn't really like was the time in the car driving to different places. I think she prefers the right side of the road like Mommy and was quite possibly picking up some of the stress and fear that was radiating from me just about the whole time we were in the car. The time difference in Ireland was 5 hours ahead of EST, so Leah had a little difficulty in the mornings during the first part of the trip.
This month, Leah and I spent a little over a week in Ireland for Auntie Kate's wedding. (Daddy had to work. Boo!) The flight TO Ireland went really well. (Can't exactly say the same for the flight back... ) We did a lot of sightseeing while we were there and Leah was pretty content to just hang out in her backpack carrier and have Mommy carry her everywhere. The only time she didn't really like was the time in the car driving to different places. I think she prefers the right side of the road like Mommy and was quite possibly picking up some of the stress and fear that was radiating from me just about the whole time we were in the car. The time difference in Ireland was 5 hours ahead of EST, so Leah had a little difficulty in the mornings during the first part of the trip.
We got to Ireland at about 10am after a red-eye flight and spent the day settling into the rental house and going grocery shopping. The rental house (we shared with Grandma and Grandpa H. and Aunt Bekah and uncle Jon) was really nice and out in the country. Leah enjoyed running around the property and playing with the toys that the property manager provided.
Ireland's "Walmart equivalent" is called Tesco's... Except that the food is fresh (brown LOCAL eggs!) and they don't have food dyes and such in their foods. We started out there, but shopping was taking a while with all of the unfamiliar food and Leah had a bit of a freak out in the grocery store that involved her being dragged a few feet on her "Leah leash" in order to get her out the the way of a shopping cart that was moving down the aisle. Aunt Bekah was not too happy at Mommy for that... So anyway, I went ahead and took Leah to a playground that was luckily just across the street. Leah had a ton of fun at the playground and Mommy had a blast listening to the thick Irish accents of all the little kids!
Our second day in Ireland, we were busy sightseeing along the coast of Northern Ireland. We visited the ruins of a castle named Dunluce that was directly on the coast. The occupants decided to move once their kitchen with several of their servants plummeted into the ocean. The castle dated back to the 1600's and Leah liked climbing over the ruins and saying, "Wow!" It was actually pretty chilly and windy along the coast, but I had not packed a jacket for Leah (upon the suggestion of my dear sister Kate who said that it was "hot.") The cold didn't seem to bother Leah too much, but we wrapped her in her blanket whenever she was in the carrier.
The next place we went to was probably my favorite in Ireland, Giant's Causeway. This AMAZING rock formation was breathtaking. Leah was pretty content to stay in the carrier on the hike down to the rocks, but wanted to get out and explore once we got to the actual rocks. Auntie Kate and Grandma H. helped her navigate the tricky terrain. She also had some fun picking any flowers or other vegetation that she could find. We put her back in the backpack carrier for the hike back up to the visitor center and she quickly decided to get in her morning nap. She slept for about an hour and was the talk of all of the tourists walking by us.
We jumped in the car once again to head to our next destination, the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, that led to a neat little island on the coast. Leah seemed to have no issue at all with the heights or the wobbly nature of the bridge... Mommy did not feel the same way.
The next day, we toured the city of Belfast. Our first stop was the Titanic museum/exhibit. I can imagine it would be very interesting for an adult or child that could read, but Leah was more interested in running around and touching everything she could get her hands on. When she got tired, she still refused to get in the stroller, and decided that the best place to take a rest would be directly on the floor. (In case you forgot I was traveling with a toddler...)
The next place we toured was Belfast castle which towered over the whole city. We ate lunch at a nice restaurant in the basement of the castle, but Leah and I spent the majority of our time exploring the beautiful grounds. (People were in the restaurant sipping tea and eating little decorated biscuits... Definitely not a place for a one year old!) There were several cats "hidden" throughout the gardens. Leah liked finding them and giving them kisses. She also spent her time insisting that she walk up and down stairs the "big girl" way.
After the castle we did a bus tour and heard the story of the Peace Wall that still separates the Protestant and Catholic portions of the city of Belfast. Mommy found the history quite interesting, but Leah decided that this would be a good time to get her nap in for the day.
The next day we headed out to the Marble Arch Caves and waterfall. We got there about an hour before our tour started and disaster struck. Leah had a major diaper blowout and I didn't have a change of clothes! Luckily there was a family restroom with a sink, a changing table, and an air dryer where I spent about 20 minutes changing Leah and then cleaning and drying her pants (which were luckily a quick dry material). The shirt was a loss, so we ended up getting a new one at the gift shop that was a little big, but it worked! Everything was cleaned, dried, and ready to go just as our tour was headed out. Whew! The caves were amazing. We actually started the tour with an underground boat ride. Leah was great and just hung out in her backpack carrier enjoying the sites and eating the Fruit Loops that Grandpa H. fed to her throughout the tour.
After the underground cave tour, we hiked to a waterfall above the cave. Everything was green and beautiful! (Not quite like a Hawaii waterfall, but still a nice hike!)
The next few days were spent preparing for wedding festivities. Leah was to be the flower girl and walk hand-in-hand down the aisle with me. She wasn't really cooperative for the professional pictures beforehand unfortunately, but she did walk down the aisle without freaking out or me having to carry her. We were locked in a small room for a time while the guests took their seats. Leah wanted no part of that room and wanted to break out and see the harpist that she was hearing. We were the first out when the door opened. She walked nice and slowly down the aisle examining everything and everyone. It was really the best case scenario that I had played in my head. Unfortunately though, old castles are very echoey, so we did not get to stay through the whole ceremony.
After some more professional pictures which she was slightly better for, we headed over to the reception area. Everything was beautiful and the dinner was HUGE and delicious! Leah had a bit of a breakdown around 8pm or so and slept for about 45 minutes on my chest. She woke up a lot less grumpy and everyone danced around the dance floor including the beautiful bride Auntie Kate. We stayed until 11pm, so it was a LOOOONG day for Leah (7am-11pm)!
We had an absolute blast in Ireland and are so glad Kate and Steven were such excellent tour guides. Even if Leah doesn't remember the trip, I hope that she will enjoy the stories from it.
I love my Leah so much! I am enjoying her more and more each day as she grows and learns new things. I'm having more fun being a mom every day!
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