this and that

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Since we're no longer doing monthly milestones, it occurred to me that I needed to do an update on all the amazing stuff you've been up to lately. A little of this and a little of that. At 15 months old, you are a walking miracle!

aliens - You still love ceiling fans, although you understand that they go "round and round" (as you spin your hand in circles), and you know that they have something to do with light & sign the word for light. This is listed under the topic "aliens" because of my theory that aliens seek to take over the world by hypnotizing babies via the ceiling fan. It's a long story. You can read about it here.

antics - You crack me up. I could dedicated a whole post to your antics. When you discovered that during bathtime, the cup equals water on your head, you literally took the cup hostage. Now there are two cups in the tub and we are forever alternating between the two as you grab the one I just poured over your head. You also do this sort of dancing-walking "doopty-doo" thing when you walk. It's like a skip? You raise one leg, lift your arms, and bounce and walk. Hysterical. Also, sometimes when I am talking to someone else, you start screaming BLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAH! I know, right? How dare I talk to someone else!

Aunt Herbie - You adore your Aunt Herbie. I love how you try to sign her name with a big, goofy grin on your face. She is one of the few people you willingly give kisses to.

babbling - Some words that you say out loud are: ball, bunny, book, hat, hot, diaper, bath, and I know I'm forgetting some others. Everything sounds like "ba, bu, bo, ha, du" but don't worry, I know the difference, sweetie. And you know over 30 signs. New ones are shoes, bunny, bath. I really have been lazy teaching you the signs, as you are an eager student, ready to learn more. But alas...mom has dishes to do, dammit! I promise, more to come, baby girl. Then there's still the babbling, squealing, and a language I have no clue about. Complete with consonants, vowels, and various pitches, resulting in an obvious conversation with your stuffed animals.

babies - You love babies! Well, at first. Then you quickly lose interest. I read that this is normal for your age & that toddlers don't really play together, but alongside each other. You do love signing "baby" when we sing "The Wheels on the Bus" and other times when the topic of baby comes up.

bath - Oh, bath time is the highlight of the day! Such a sweet way to end a busy day! We have a ritual before and after bathtime. First, I ask if you are ready for a bath. Then you haul butt to the bathroom & peer into the tub, signing "water" over & over again. But first we have to find jammies, towel, diaper, and lotion. You run around helping locate these items. Very excited & squealing, of course, knowing that Bath Time is fast approaching. During bathtime, you splash, go BAMBAMBAM! on the wall, and endlessly pour water on your tummy. Recently, when I give you a wash cloth and ask you to wash your toes, tummy, legs, bottom, etc., you will wash the respective body parts with the cloth. And then you clap for yourself for doing so! After bathtime, we brush teeth (fun!), lotion up, put diaper & jammies on, and then search for Bunnyandblanket. Bunnyandblanket means cuddle time, which means night-night time. After cuddle time, I put you in bed and you raise your chubby toes for a kiss good night. You grab your bunny and smile while getting all cozy to drift off into baby dreamland.

beach - Port Aransas post coming soon. But you love the beach! I wonder just how far you will walk before you finally decide that you are tired. I am estimating that perhaps the entire Gulf of Mexico. You love running along the water's edge & it was last weekend that you discovered the moon for the first time at the beach. Oh, boy, you haven't stopped talking about it since! MOOOOO, MOOOO! as you point to the sky, waving your hands.

big brother - Andrew, your big brother. He's a busy guy, but you love when he comes to visit. He's so silly with you, chases you around until you scream, and another one who you readily kiss. Every night at bath time, you point to his baby picture in the bathroom. Where's baby Andrew & mama? And you smile, pointing to the picture.

books - you lovelovelove books! Your recent favorite is Good Night Moon and we spend a lot of time devoted to searching out the red balloon, books, bunny, kitty, bed, blanket, stars, chair, mouse, etc. in each of the pictures. Sometimes you will come and find me with a book in your hand if you want me to read to you. Other times, you will go search for a book if I ask you to find one for us.

breastfeeding - Although we're eating regular table food three times a day, with snacks in between, you nurse before bedtime, when you wake up, and a couple of times a day, especially when you need snuggle time. It continues to be a special time for us both. Nursing is the perfect remedy for bumped heads, immunization shots, boo-boo's, or anytime you need comfort.

As you get older, however, and as you understand more of the world around you, it is interesting to see how this relates to your understanding of nursing. Sometimes you bring me your teddy bear and shove him into my boobs, signing "milk." I think you are telling me that teddy bear is hungry. When I ask you who Iris is, you point to your heart. When I ask you who mama is, you sign milk. To you, I think milk and mama is synonymous. You've attempted to disrobe me in public. And once when I was taking a bath, you walked in, leaned over the tub and started trying to nurse.

When we sometimes lay in bed together, you tend to get wiggly & sometimes you will rotate completely around as you nurse, so that your feet are all smooshed up against my nose and forehead. Then you start giggling. I think you know exactly what you are doing! Even as I cuddle & nurse you, you'll often raise your chubby toes up to be kissed or try to attack my face with your feet. Always laughing. I plan to continue nursing for as long as you want. So far, you've shown no indication that you are wanting to wean. No hurry, sweetness.

breathtaking - You still take my breath away. Sometimes I look at you in the sunlight, or when you're really focusing on a project, and you simply glow with a beauty that is difficult for me describe. The camera never captures it perfectly. There is a sparkle in your dark eyes. Your cheeks are luminously rosy. Your lashes long and fluttery. Your lips pink and perfect. And then the sweetness of your heart pours through every movement, every smile, every gesture, illuminating the incredibly beautiful soul that you truly are. And it takes my breath away. Every time.

choo-choo train - one of your favorite toys: a choo-choo train that teaches you the alphabet, numbers, words, etc. It sings, lights up, makes all sorts of noises, and generally drives me crazy. But you love it.

dancing - Still love to dance. You clap, shake your head, and wiggle your bottom. Favorite places to dance? In the car. You fake snapping your fingers, clap, and shake your head from side to side, sometimes closing your eyes to make it look real intense-like. Cracks me up.

federal offenses - This topic goes back to this post I did when you were only six months old. You LOVE tags. This little quirk of yours has turned into a full blown Thing. It's not really an obsession, but rather it's just your Thing. That you do. That makes you quirky special. So, whenever it's snuggle time and we grab the Bunnyandblanket, we both know that we have to have bunny bottom-side-up so that you have easy access to the tag. While you nurse, you flick that thing over and over again with your fingers. Pulling and flicking. If you're not nursing you will alternately chew on it. All your stuffed animals are used to being cuddled upside down (since the tags are usually somewhere on the bottom), and all the tags are becoming worn and frazzled with continued handling. It's just a Thing you do. I think it's cute.

first shoes - You have three pairs of shoes. You love them. Probably because putting on shoes means we're heading out the door. Whoo! Hoo!

first tooth - Well, we are way past the first tooth business. You almost have a full set of teeth with a couple still waiting to make their appearance. Your molars are almost done, which has resulted in being able to eat courser meats, crunchier fruits, such as apples and carrots. So beautiful to see you smile with your sparkling white teeth. You do have a gap between your top two, just like your brother and your mama.

food - Ah, food! Well, we touch and go with this. You mostly are open to anything, depending on your mood. We'll try something for weeks as you poo-poo it, only to give it a thumbs-up suddenly one day. I'll fix a lovely dinner for you, only to have you turn your nose up at it. All normal, I am told. Lately, you've been trying to stand up in your high chair. You've been attempting to use a spoon while eating. And for some damn reason you've learned to do a raspberry with a mouth full of food & think it's absolutely hilarious as I am wiping down the walls. I have taught you to put your unwanted food in the little cupholder section of your food tray, instead of all over the floor. I am very pleased with that. Your favorite snacky food is cheese & gold fish crackers. You still love avocados and rice. New summer favorite: watermelon!

iris' first post - You continue to display a growing fascination with mama's computer. More Iris posts to come apparently.

kissy assaults - The way that you show your affection is usually by waving your foot in the air to have your toes kissed. I'm afraid you can blame me for that. Try not to do that at your first job interview, love. It's mostly a mommy thing. More and more, though, you are sweetly and generously giving kisses. They are spontaneous, unexpected, and unsolicited. Hint: the best way to get a kiss from Iris is to not ask for one. She gives them only at her own discretion.

making messes - Ugh. I have totally given up on trying to keep tidy and clean. My carpet is a mess, my furniture is a mess, my walls are a mess. A clean house isn't important, right? Right?

milestones - Hmmm...well, I'll try to go through the list of some fun and important things you've been up to lately. I know I will forget some the minute I hit the "publish" button, but hopefully I'll get most of it. I think the most delightful milestone you've hit is that you can now follow simple directions. A simple, "bring mama a diaper" will send you off in search of the holy grail. Eventually you'll come back with a diaper. Most recent, however, is when you actually sign "diaper" when you have a poo. I'm praying this is an indication of  uneventful potty training.

You are mastering walking up and down steps and will still clap for yourself when you do it successfully.

All the books say that you are becoming a social creature, and this is probably the biggest understatement. You adore attention. A trip to the grocery store means stopping and talking to complete strangers because you wave, smile, and talk to people as we walk by. You wave and say "bye-bye" to the grocery store clerk as we leave, and since we now have an official H.E.B. fan club, all the employees wave goodbye to you while we walk out the door. You are obviously very please with the attention. You are forever watching people and gauging their response to you. Look at meeeee! You will sing, shout, and clap your hands to get people to Lookatmeeeee!

Also, research scientists have nothing on you - you will examine behavior, things, people, EVERYTHING, in perfect detail, and repeat it with perfect accuracy. You forget nothing. You've watched me shake your detangler bottle, and it is the only container you will shake vigorously. You've watched me put lotion on your body, and now you apply it to yourself in the same circular motions that mama does. Once, you even brought me a pad while I was on the potty, because you'd seen me grab one weeks before. Literally, nothing escapes your attention.

You sleep through the night with an occasional interruption. You take 1 to 2 naps a day, depending on how busy you've been. Bedtime is still around 8:00 p.m. And no matter how late you stay up, wake-up time is ALWAYS 7:15 a.m. So, no rock-star partying for mom.

Emotionally, you are intense. When happy, you are passionately happy. When distressed, you are passionately distressed. Often you will simply collapse on the floor in sheer frustration as the tears stream down your face. So far, the best approach I have for this is The Happiest Baby on the Block. The method teaches to validate your own protests with the same intensity, provide appropriate distraction, set boundaries. So far, this has been the best way to calm your tears. Overall, though, I would say you are a very happy baby, quick to smiles and giggles. Cautious, but determined. Confident and definitely an extrovert.

nursery - You have a beautiful room, filled with toys and books and stuffed lovies, but you prefer to only play in there when mama's with you. Often, you will bring your toys in whatever room I am in and play. And every once in a while, I will catch you playing in your room all by yourself quite contently.

separation anxiety - All the books tell me that this is a sign of healthy attachment. They also tell me that you will overcome this phase & then it will get worse again by such-n-such month, blah, blah, blah. Well, you started this separation anxiety roughly around six months and, although it has gotten better, you still won't let me out of your sight for long. Going to the bathroom in private is a thing of the past. If I shut the door, you will absolutely throw a fit. Though I am told that if I leave and someone else is there to comfort you, you almost always calm down within 10 minutes or so. It is sort of sweet, and I know one day I will look back with bittersweetness at the memories of you following me around like a puppy all over the house. But for now, I am dreaming of you finding just a wee bit of independence.

water - With summer well underway, you've come to adore water. We've gone to the sprinkler park a dozen or so times, which has transformed you into tolerating getting your face wet. And sometimes you'll undertake this challenge with great enthusiasm. Once in the tub, you leaned over upside-down to put your head on the floor of the tub. You came up gasping, hair soaking, and with a big grin. You've accidentally gone completely under the water a couple of times, and while you seem shocked and gaspy, it never deters you. One mother observed this and commented to me "She's so brave!" You really are.

I think that's it for now, I am absolutely positive that I am forgetting a whole bussload of stuff. But for now, there's a dirty diaper, a sinkful of dishes, and an untidy bathroom with my name on it!

Love you bunches, pumpkin!

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