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| Bubble fun with your Reefy. |
Dear Bug,
The summer has finally started, the weather has been phenomenal, and we are officially on the go! Between playdates, dog-walking, hiking with friends, and traveling, this summer is shaping up to be insanely busy! Forgive me for lumping two of your letters into one but I made an executive decision that outside play time trumps computer time. In fact, the only reason that I'm getting your letter done today is that it is raining cats and dogs and you, my little sleep-fighter, are finally napping. Yes, you - you still don't like to sleep! In fact, one of the biggest changes since my last letter is that we have embarked upon our night-weaning journey. You have fought it tooth and nail, and there have been nights when your Daddy and I haven't been sure it was our best decision. It has been hard. Really, really hard. Parenting, it turns out, can be hard.
You screamed.
You cried.
You hit.
You flung yourself around in your crib.
You signed "Please! More milk please!"
You signed it, over and over again.
You screamed.
You told your Daddy "No no no!"
And you screamed some more.
It took over a week of really terrible nights. And I mean really terrible, horrible nights. Fifteen minute intervals creeped into hours of screaming. I couldn't show my face or an ear-splitting tantrum would ensue. But if Daddy came in? Daddy was okay. Daddy could pat your tush or rub your belly and you would calm down. But if Momma tried to come in? All hell would break loose. Momma was a no-go.
Did I mention that it was hard?
But night by seemingly never ending night, there was a little less screaming, a little less crying, and a little less hitting. Tearful nights dawned, exhausting days waned, and you got through it. Then about the time we got you sleeping (mostly) through the night with no milk, we had to travel.
Oops.
Needless to say, we have had a bit of a regression. You've had good nights and bad nights. You've had even worse nights. We would get you down to one wake up, and then we were off somewhere else. First Missoula, then Phoenix, then home. Back to Missoula, back home. Then camping, then home. Then Laughlin, then home. But this week? This week we are committing to you, little Bug. Despite our attempts to keep your schedule the same no matter where we go, that routine hasn't been enough for you to sleep well. So we are going to forego the next trip planned and stay home to get you back in a groove. It may be too soon to be hopeful but lately we have seen a light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully being home for a few weeks instead of days will be the trick. You are one stubborn little miss, that's for sure.
Funny enough, looking back, I didn't think you had changed that much in the past two months but reading my notes, I realize you have learned so much in sixty days! You are talking a lot - you seem to learn a new word every day, although you are still very shy about speaking in front of anyone but Momma and Daddy. You are copying everything we do - when we went camping, you saw Papa sweeping the travel trailer deck and then later that morning, we caught you picking up the broom and sweeping just like him! You were so proud of yourself. You love to find birds - whenever we read a book with birds, or are outside, you point them out and say and sign "Bird!" You are also super duper silly - you love to hide behind your hands or the couch, then pop out and say "Boo!" You are trying very hard to jump - during our camping trip, you saw Atticus jumping and now you are obsessed with trying. You bend down into a deep squat, then throw your hands up and say "JUMP!" You are so close! You get all the way up on your tippy toes and almost make it off the ground.
Speaking of tippy toes, you love to walk around on them. Backward, forward, spinning in circles, you love your tippy toes. You also love to kick your soccer ball, dance to all types of music, and climb. Oh boy do you love to climb. You're a little monkey! Your favorite thing to do is climb up the ottoman to stand and dance, giving your Momma a heart attack. Thankfully you are adept at getting off the ottoman safely, either by sitting down and scooting off, or by waiting to jump into my arms. I am dreading the day you figure out that you can jump off by yourself!
You have figured out how to do simple puzzles, and with direction can pick out shapes or animals and put away the correct puzzle piece. You stack four blocks without assistance. You are a total love bug and spontaneously hug and kiss not only your parents, but also your puppies, dollies, and stuffed animals. You know the sounds for a dog, cat, owl, cow, sheep, duck, monkey (complete with arm motions!), gorilla, pig, elephant, bear, lion, tiger, bird, and snake (you hop for frogs and rabbits.) You can point out your head, hair, ears, eyes, nose, tongue, lips, teeth, hands, fingers, toes, feet, knees, arms, legs, neck, knees, and belly button. You can point out our noses, ears, hair, necks, and belly buttons, and love to lift my shirt to show me whenever you have the opportunity, appropriate timing or not. Ha!
You are also a major helper - you know where shoes go, and will put them away if we ask (you also retrieve them when we are getting ready to go somewhere.) When we do laundry or unload the dishwasher, you like to "help" with the chores. You follow Daddy into the laundry room and say "laundry" while moving one item at a time from the washer to the dryer. Whenever I bake, you drag out an apron for each of us and insist that we wear them while I'm in the kitchen. You have your apron and your whisk, and you sit on the floor and mix up some imaginary cookies while I cook. And God forbid I try to take off my apron - you are quite insistent upon us wearing aprons in the kitchen! Of course! That's what they are there for! Where you learned that, I do not know, but it's adorable. Simply adorable.
I could go on and on about all the fun stuff you are doing these days, but I'll end with my two favorite things: I can ask you how old you are, and you smile really big and say "One!" with your pointer finger sticking up! Any time you hear the number one, you show me "one!" with a big grin. You love to hear me count or say the ABCs, and sometimes I can get a two out of you ("Tuh!"), and you love the number ten - when we count, every time we get to nine, you always beat me to ten and say "Teh!"
But my favorite? My favorite is that you are still obsessed with sharing. I keep waiting for the day that you no longer want to share, but for now I will relish in your unabashed love of giving. We were in the airport last month and there was a little girl a few months older than you that was very upset. She was crying and you kept looking at her, then looking at me concerned, signing "I don't know." We ended up in line in front of them to board the plane. You were in my arms and looking at this sad little girl, and you leaned over and handed her your puppy! Your favorite stuffed puppy! The one who looks just like your Reefy. You handed him right over like "Here! He makes me happy, maybe he will make you happy too." I melted. You are such a sweet, sweet girl. (Don't worry, we got him back.)
Oh Bug. Bug, bug, bug. You are the sweetest thing. I don't know how I got so lucky to have such a stubborn yet easy-going baby, but I'm grateful you're mine. You are a feisty, shy, loving, brilliant, hilarious, and conscientious little girl. I am loving the little person you are becoming.
Until next month (with a potty training update)...
All my love,
Momma
Fifteen & Sixteen month stats (as of appointment 5/29)...
Weight: 24 pounds, 3 ounces (85-90%)
Height: 31.5 inches (90-95%)
Head Circumference: 19 inches (95-100%)
Clothing Size: 18 month sleepers, 18-24 month "big kid" jammies, 18/24 month shirts, 12 month pants, some 18 month pants if they're tight fitting, 12 month dresses, size 6 shoe.
New Nicknames: Sweetness
Favorites: Playing games, reading - always the reading!, puzzles, being outside.
Words: Too many to count, simple sentences.
Signs: daddy, more, milk, thirsty, yes, up, dog, all done, music, please, thank you, wash hands, hot, sleepy, bird, food, eat, moose, elephant, want, help me, down, I don't know, diaper, drink, outside, potty
Fifteen & Sixteen month milestones...
4/25: started our night weaning journey
4/27: said Lola and home
5/1: signed "drink"
5/8: signed "diaper"
5/11: says night night, signed "down"
5/13: cut upper left canine
5/20ish: cut upper right canine5/23: said and signed "want"
5/24: signed "help me"
5/27: said down, lily, nana (grandma) and papa (grandpa) in context
5/27: said "my puppy"
5/28: tells the dogs to lay down when I do
5/28: said doggie
5/29: said doctor
5/29: We can ask how old you are, and you say "one!" and put up your pointer finger!
6/14: started bringing a diaper and wipes to us when you need a change
6/18: started some soft potty-training
6/18: signed "potty"
6/20: peed in the potty!
Can open the doors in the house.
Has figured out simple puzzles, knows almost all of the sounds for her animal puzzle.
Stacks four blocks.
Is obsessed with sharing!
Climbs down the stairs the correct way (butt scoot.)
Points out tons of body parts on herself and others.
Climbing everything, loves to climb up on top of things and stand, especially the ottoman.
Trying really hard to jump!
Hides behind her hands or pieces of furniture, then pops out and says "boo!"
Is copying everything we do.
Definitely testing rules and boundaries.
