Leah 16 Months Old

We are enjoying being back home from all of our recent travel. It's nice to get back to some sort of schedule. :-)

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.

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!

Leah 15 Months Old

We were out in Utah for a month visiting family, so I am a little behind on putting out Leah's monthly post.

Leah currently weighs 22 1/2 pounds and is 32 1/2 inches tall. She is wearing 12-18 month clothes, size 4-5 shoes, and size 3 diapers. (This picture was taken after some tears as evidenced by the watery eyes, but this was the best of the bunch.)

Prior to our trip to Utah, Leah had two big firsts - first funnel cake and first pony tails! We went to our local carnival as a family, but Leah was just an inch shy of the height requirement to ride the rides. She won a little pink dolphin at a ducky game where she selected the duck on her own. We then shared a funnel cake that she devoured! What is there not to love about sweet, chewy, warm dough heavily dusted with powdered sugar!?

Leah's hair has continued to grow, so I decided to try to put in some pony tails. She was REALLY squirmy, but I distracted her with a bag full of rubber hair bands to play with. The end result wasn't too bad!

The plane trip out to Utah was a little more challenging than past trips. We used the backpack carrier to get through ticketing and security which freed up both of mommy's arms. After we got to the gate, I kept track of Leah at the airport with a leash book bag. At the gate, we were lucky enough to be able to greet 45 World War II vets that were coming into DC to see the memorial. Leah found her way to where all of the wheelchairs were parked with 90+ year old vets and started pushing them around. The vets and their helpers thought it was great and snapped lots of pictures. Mommy was too busy making sure that she didn't push any vets too hard to take any pictures!

Aunt Kierstan picked us up from the airport and we stopped at a Chick Filet to eat. Leah and her cousin Eva had a blast playing in the play place.

Our first stop during our trip in Utah was at Great Grandma and Grandpa R's house in Provo. While we were there, Leah started climbing. It started with just the chairs around the table and then onto the couch. She even attempted to climb the window shutters! She also was able to work all the doors except those going to the outside because of the design of the door handles at their house. While in Provo, we also got to visit BYU where mommy went to school and where Great Grandma R is a service missionary at the Family History Library! It was a great trip and Leah got some cool cougar gear!

We also got to hang out a bunch with Great Grandpa R. We went on two mile walks with him every morning. Leah liked to "help" grandpa with his yard work, but I think she enjoyed eating Oreos on the back deck with him more!

Great Grandpa R also filled up a baby pool for Leah to play in, but she was less than appreciative and didn't like the cool water (even though we let it warm up in the sun for several hours beforehand).

Leah also discovered the location of her belly button while we were staying with Great Grandma and Grandpa R. Whenever you ask her where her belly button is, she gets a big grin and lifts up her shirt to find it. It's a little more challenging in a dress, but she doesn't give up.

We had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa R and can't wait to visit again at Christmastime!

Next on our vacation agenda was a trip up north to Grandma and Grandpa S's house! While there, Leah FINALLY started going down the stairs on her own. She's been going UP stairs for quite some time and she was going down on her belly, but she was too scared to START going down starting from the top of the stairs. Now that she can go up and down stairs as she pleases, it is more difficult to keep track of her! She has also started to try to WALK up and down the stairs instead of just crawling. 

Leah still loves going on walks. While we were up north with Grandma and Grandpa S, we took morning walks with Max, their dog. Leah is very content being pushed in her stroller and sometimes starts her morning nap during our walks. She also liked holding Max's leash!

In play time, Leah continues to love the outdoors. While we were at Grandma and Grandpa S's, Leah and I swam in the pool just about every day. She LOVES the pool. Each time we got in the pool, she got a little more comfortable. She now puts her face in the water, blows bubbles in the water, and jumps in from the side of the pool. Leah loves the pool so much, she actually pulled a post off of the fence trying to get in!

When we are not swimming, she loves to feed the chickens, pick stuff from the garden, or play on the swing set. There is only a "big girl" swing at Grandma and Grandpa S's, but that doesn't deter Leah. She still runs over to it wanting to be pushed and balances pretty well. Now that we're home, she runs to the big swings at the neighborhood playground and tries to climb on them instead of going over to the baby swings.

When we are inside, Leah likes to tear things out of drawers and cabinets and get into the dishwasher and refrigerator. She also has a special talent for finding and getting into things that she shouldn't (like fragile objects or collectibles.) She like pushing the keys on the piano and interrupts Aunt Lexi during her piano practices. She doesn't play with actual toys very often, but when she does it is usually something that she can push or something that makes noise. She has fun playing with Aunt Lexi and likes that she can reach the light switch to the playhouse in Lexi's room.

A couple Sundays ago, Grandma S was playing the organ for sacrament meeting. After the meeting was over, Leah got her first "lesson" on the organ. She loved pushing the keys and hearing the organ's music fill the whole chapel. Unfortunately, the next Sunday when we were visiting Aunt Kierstan's ward for Cousin Jacob's baby blessing, the only place Leah wanted to be was ON THE STAND with the organ. Mommy spent the first part of sacrament meeting continually grabbing her right before she got up the stairs to the pulpit. I'm hoping this doesn't become a problem!

We also spent a day visiting the aquarium in Draper while up north with Grandma and Grandpa S. Leah loved looking at the colorful fish in the many different aquariums, petting stingrays, and seeing the otters play.

As far as talking, she has started to experiment a little more with some new words. She repeats her daddy trying new words more often then mommy. She is now regularly saying (in addition to mama and dada) "bye, bye," "kittyCAT," (she whispers the first part), "da" (dog), "ha" (hot), "no," "yah," "bubbles," and most recently "uh oh!" for just about everything.

It's amazing to see Leah turn into a little person. She is starting to communicate more and interact with those around her. My Leah is growing up so fast. I love you, my little Weeby!

Leah 14 Months Old

Leah, right now at 14 months, you weigh 21.5 pounds and are 32 inches tall. You are growing and changing so quickly! You wear size 12-18 month clothes, size 4-5 shoes, and size 3 diapers.

This month you have started to experiment more with talking. You have started to use mama, dada, and bye bye more so with the purpose of communicating instead of just babbling. You also have started regularly saying the word "hot" or "ha" (you don't really have the T down) when I am trying to keep you away from the open hot oven or when your food is still hot. When you want to try out a new word, you whisper it. I didn't actually realize this until your daddy pointed it out saying that he used to do the same thing?! I had been thinking for a while that I was just imagining it because whenever I would try to get you to say a word; I would see your mouth move like you were saying the word, but I wouldn't hear anything and you wouldn't repeat yourself.  Now that I know what you're doing, it makes me feel less crazy. :)  You have tried forming several words - like kitty cat, water, and light - but you only try them once in a whisper voice. It's pretty neat to see you experiment with talking!

You have also started showing more understanding when I am talking/singing to you. I like to sing different songs to you while we are in the car or if I am pushing you in the swing at the playground. One song I like to sing is, "If You're Happy and You Know It..." I always sang by myself with no response from you hoping that you were soaking up something. Since I couldn't clap or stomp while driving, I would always click my tongue. One day I started singing the song and you immediately starting clicking your tongue! Now at the end of the month, you will clap your hands and click your tongue throughout the whole song. When I would sing, I would also point to my face with both fingers during the part, "...then your face will really show it..." Sometimes if I am lucky, I can catch you doing the same.

You have started following some simple directions as well. Like any toddler, you love to get into things, but I have discovered a new trick that has helped me quite a bit. You like to close things - doors, drawers, toilets, the dishwasher, etc. If I am in the kitchen and I hear you getting into something in the bathroom, I say, "Close the door!" in an encouraging voice. As soon as I hear the click, I say, "Good job!" and we both clap. You really love the celebrating. :) I can keep you out of the Tupperware drawer now and I'm positive we have saved a few rolls of toilet paper from being rolled into the toilet. One problem we have run into though is when daddy is loading the dishwasher, you close it in the middle of the job and start clapping with a huge smile on your face. Haha!

This new ability to communicate is also helping with the potty training that I started when you were about five months old. Potty training at this stage is more about mommy reading your signals, but now you understand that going on the potty is a good thing and you celebrate by clapping your hands. Now, all that needs to happen is the recognition that you actually need to go. 

You have learned to blow on your food when it is hot. This was modeled quite a bit by mommy and daddy during dinner time. One time, daddy was trying to joke around with you and started blowing on your strawberries and doing a fake laugh afterward to try to show you that it was silly to blow on them because they weren't hot. I don't think you got the joke because now you blow on your strawberries like they are hot.

Recently, you have started to make a lot of connections that we haven't specifically taught you... We were at our neighbor's fourth birthday party this last weekend. As soon as they lit the candle, you ran over and tried to blow it out. We had to hold you back to keep you from blowing out his candles. 

When I went to the fifth grade promotion of my fourth graders from last year, earlier this week, you picked up a random kid's juice box and just starting drinking it with the straw. I had never even given you a straw or even showed you how to use one. 

At church, you picked up the eraser for the chalkboard during Sunday School and started erasing. You have also picked up pens and pencils and tried to draw on paper. 

You have started messing with the knobs and handles on doors as well. The only door in our house that you are close to opening has a deadbolt on it (luckily) because it is to the outside. It's only a matter of time before you're tall enough and have the strength to do it.

All of these things, I hadn't even specifically showed you, but you picked these things up from being observant. It is one thing that strangers always comment on - how aware you are of the world around you. People always assume that you are much older than 14 months. Right now, most guess around 18 months to 2 years old. I think it is in part because you are tall for your age, but also because of how you interact with and observe everything around you. We went to Antietam one Saturday as a family (mostly for the Nutters Icecream nearby... But the history was nice too!) You loved playing with the canons and smiling at the tourists who thought you were pretty cute.

You continue to love to be outside! We go on walks a couple times a day through the neighborhood. You love to swing and even tried the swing for big kids this last month. 

You also have started to do this thing while you're swinging where you lean back and just stare up at the sky. I remember doing the same as a kid.

You are getting better at walking/crawling up the playground stairs and you always make a quick stop to spin the steering wheel at the top before going down the slide. Your favorite thing to do at the playground though is to play in the mulch. You like to pick up pieces of mulch and push them through the little round holes that make up the surface of the playground equipment. 

You have actually walked all the way to the playground on your own without my direction (except when crossing the street). It's pretty far away so I am amazed with your incredible natural sense of direction!

This month, I bought a sand box off a Facebook Yardsale group for $5 and you love it! Before I got the sand, we turned it into a little swimming pool, but you weren't too fond of it, so as soon as it dried out and I had the sand, we filled it up. 

You sit and play in your sand box for extended periods of time and I may love it even more than you do. I can't wait to take you to the beach this summer!

One evening, you were not in the mood to play independently while your daddy and I watched our single tv show for the evening. We only got about 15 minutes into it before we couldn't hear because of your wailing... So I decided we should go out for a walk. The second we were outside, you were perfectly fine. While we were out and about, it started raining. I decided to just stay out in the rain (instead of face whatever toddler had been having a meltdown earlier). It started as only a warm sprinkle, but then it POURED! We had so much fun!! A couple days later, we were going somewhere and it was pouring rain once again outside. Instead of staying in the garage, you ran out with your hands in the air screaming and smiling. Haha, too bad we had somewhere we needed to be!

You currently have five teeth that are mostly out. You are enjoying the benefits of having more chompers! You love to eat and are really pretty good about trying new foods. We occasionally do snacks of Cheerios, goldfish, and marshmallows, but I found that you don't eat your meals as well afterwards, so we have basically cut snacks out except for after dinner if you are feeling munchy. You have so many foods the you love right now. It makes me feel like I'm doing something right as a mom when I see you devour your brocolli or green beans before touching anything else on your plate. I'm glad that you're a better eater than me! 

You continue to lead a very scheduled life, but you can be flexible if needed. You get up every morning between 6:45 and 7:15am. We usually have a breakfast of scrambled eggs, some sort of fruit, and a handful of Cheerios. Then, we go on a morning walk and/or play outside until around 9:30-10am. After that you are ready for a nap. Your morning nap lasts about an hour and a half and then you're up and ready to eat lunch. We usually have leftovers from the night before or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with fruit and veggies sides for lunch. Since you have three sections in your divided plates, I find myself feeling like I need to have a different food in each space. We usually once again play outside until around 2ish and then you are down again for your afternoon nap until 4pm. We eat dinner a little after you wake up, watch a tv show and then we are out for a walk again in the neighborhood until 7pm when it's bath time. After bath and a little inside playtime with daddy, it's bedtime at around 8pm.

Your hair grew a lot this month! I've been dreaming of ponytails for quite some time and decided to try some out in the bathtub. You daddy came upstairs during all of this and exclaimed, "Astro Boy!" It's from your daddy's favorite comic Calvin and Hobbes. I think I see the resemblance!

I am still nursing you when you wake up, before your two naps, and at bedtime. You are still awake when I am done nursing you and put yourself to sleep about 80% of the time, so I'm not too concerned with the transitioning. I tried to start weaning you a couple months ago and ended up with mastitis, so I decided to consider that I sign that neither of us were ready. 

Now that whole schedule is basically kaput if we go anywhere for the day. We have morning church starting at 9am every Sunday and unlike the other sweet babies at church, you do not sleep a wink. When you are tired and we are away from home, you somehow become more energetic. It's actually pretty amazing how you can run around and show no signs of actually being tired. When we were at the fifth grade promotion for my fourth graders from last year, you were dancing around the gymnasium floor with about a dozen fifth graders surrounding you. That was at 1:30pm and you hadn't taken a single nap that day. I decided that it was time to go and you fought me getting into the stroller, but you had almost fallen asleep before we even made it out to the car! 

I know I am just the doting first time mom, but I am constantly amazed by how well you play with other kids. Many times at the playground, at a playgroup, or at a neighbor's house, another kid (always older) will grab a toy out of your hands. Instead of throwing a fit, you just walk away and get another toy. If you are playing with another kid, many times, you will turn and hand them what you are playing with in order to share with them. We still have problems with you getting excited and wacking other kids in the face, but if I say something about kissing it better, you put your hands down and snuggle up to the kid and give them a kiss which is basically at this point you just pressing your face against theirs. Here is a picture of you snuggling in the bounce house with Elise, your 4 year old neighbor friend!

You are also a pretty tough kid as far as falling and not crying. One time, we were at the playground and you totally smashed your face into the side of the slide when you accidentally tripped over your feet while running. Several of the moms that I was standing around with gasped and we all waited for the heavy pause before the inevitable scream when there's a bad injury. You just sat up, looked at me, and then stood up and continued on your way. You have scrapes and bruises on your legs and most of them barely stunned you. If you do cry after a fall, it's usually because it was a really bad one or you are just tired and ready for a nap/bedtime. I'm one lucky mama!

One neat thing that I have been noticing lately is your capacity to learn and REMEMBER things and people. A while back, your daddy taught you that you could get a balloon to float above the air vent if you put it in the right spot. You did it several times after he taught you until that balloon popped. A few days later, you found your big pink bouncy ball which was about the same size and you tried to have it fly above the air vent like the balloon. When it didn't work, you looked visibly confused and disappointed.

I can't believe how fast you're growing. You are such a fun and amazing little girl. We are going to have a blast together this summer!