Sweet 16!

Sixteen months old! Wow - this month really flew by. It could be because I have found a way to pack every weekend to the brim and most evenings have had some sort of something planned. We have really been busy and I don't see it slowing down until after Easter. Katie has been a busy girl this past month too. She has loved the extra time we're getting to spend outdoors as the warmer weather approaches.

 

This month we worked on letting her put herself to sleep. It wasn't as bad as I thought - we started out with almost 20 minutes of crying and by the 6th night, she didn't make a peep when I laid her in the crib after her bottle and stories. And she's been sleeping straight through the night which is quite a change from the 5-6 times a night she was waking up consistently. I feel like a new woman! After we got that down, we decided to try and drop the last bottle. It's not going quite as well, but we're trying. Plus, I don't think she feels very well right now, so that's not helping.

 

I know I mention something every month about her attitude, but it bears repeating. We are seeing a lot of this face (below) lately. I like to tell myself it's because she is cutting three teeth at the moment, but it's not. She can just really be a pill sometimes. She is very headstrong and wants whatever we don't want her to have. She is getting a little more difficult to distract when she has her mind set on something so we are having daily battles over little things. I am speed reading my way through a book about discipline so we can get to work!

 

Katie has 12 teeth (including the 3 coming in) - 4 top, 4 bottom, and 4 molars. Her favorite meal is breakfast - where she enjoys pancakes or oatmeal with a side of yogurt. She prefers drinking from a straw. Her favorite toy is any book that has pop up flaps! She wears size 6 shoes and is mainly 12-18 month clothes, except she can still wear some dresses from last summer (6-9 month sizes)! She really doesn't like riding in the car. She cries when I drop her off at church for sunday school or weekday, but seems to have a good time after she warms up a bit. She loves to draw with a pen or marker. She likes to walk Jack when we go outside. Every day is something new!

I am still overly concerned with the fact that she doesn't say many words - she knows tons of things and can point to about 4 animals by name, 8 body parts, and can pick out lots of toys by name. But she just doesn't talk much. I am trying to not worry and work on a few words with her and see how it goes. But a good friend reminded me that once she starts talking, she will never stop and to cherish these last few months of her not talking!

This past month had quite a few firsts - first bowling game, first big tumble (fell off the couch, bloody nose), first whack at a pinata, first sip of something carbonated (Sprite - we were desperate), first time petting a horse, first time sliding by herself, first time feeding geese, first real taste of peanut butter, first time playing with playdoh, first time writing with chalk. I love watching her experience all of these things for the first time! As tiring and exhausting and trying as she can be at times, Katie still lights up our life infinitely more! She is pure joy when she smiles and gives the best hugs in the world, albeit it's after she's whopped you upside the head! We love you Katie!