Seriously!? Sixteen Months!!

Dear growing baby girl,

I may as well be honest and get one thing out on the table to begin. It is 9:30 p.m. on November 27th and I just realized that today is your 16 month birthday. Shame on me, shame on me! But don't feel too offended because we have been very busy lately. Some very exciting events are on the horizon and I for one am ecstatic for YOU!! Why? Because I'm ready for you to finally be settled into a real home. You have been a trooper through the chaos that this past year has brought and someday you can say that you moved four times in one year. You have much more grace that I could ever dream of having. Your little self exudes nothing but love and understanding. And I love you so much for that. Once again I'm ready to write you a love letter......

How do you know when Hallie really, really likes something??? This is an easy question. When she chooses it over eating.....

I don't think I've ever laughed at something you have done as hard as I did the other night. Here's the story....

We got home pretty late for a Friday evening. We barrelled in the door with pizza box in hand and you on my hip. A hungry baby I might mention. I thought you were hungry for food but apparently you were just craving some books. I quickly cut up the piece of pizza I'd promised you on the way home and placed it in front of you. Instead of scarfing it down you squirmed and begged to get down. I let you down but was still very puzzled about why you didn't want to eat. You ran straight to your room, picked out and a book and brought it to me. I entertained you with a couple of books but knew that you needed to eat something before bed or you'd be starving in the middle of the night. I figured we'd try the pizza thing one more time. When you continued to stick your nose up at it I decided to offer a "nana." You squealed and squirmed with approval. Score!! If it's a banana you wants, a banana you gets. I began to put small pieces of your favorite food on your tray. This is what had me giggling so much....you proceeded to carefully piece by piece push your yucky pizza over to the corner of your tray so that your banana wouldn't touch it. Seriously?!?! Where do you learn this stuff!?

"You can go ahead and feed that stuff to the dogs now...whatever you do just get it off my tray"

Soon even the banana was not enough to stifle your real craving.....you had some reading on your mind! After a quick change into your jammies and a fresh cup of milk and the usual search for your binky we were finally ready for snuggle/book time. So many choices that you selected for me to choose from.....

"Here, I'll make it easy on you. Read this one about colors for the forty millionth time. K?"

It's funny that you are back on such a strong reading kick because I was just about to mention your recent disinterest in reading. I would've spoken too soon because you are back to the bookworm you've always been. And when you aren't reading you are finding your way to the car and standing by the back passenger door where your DVD player is. Seriously, how do you know this!?!? You are like my little baby genius that leaves me in amazement each and everyday.

Your feet are growing almost as fast as your brain. Your chubby little tootsies seem to outgrow shoes like it's their job. Size 4 and 5 shoes are even too snug for you sometimes. I'm still on a search for the perfect pair of boots for your boxy feet. I lovingly refer to them as dinosaur feet. You love to wear your tennis shoes but you are not so hot on your cutesy church shoes. Those are usually removed before we can drive the half mile to church. I can always count on you to be my helper when it comes to clothing your feet with socks and shoes. In fact, you insist on attempting to put one sock on until giving up and handing it to me. Your clothes range from size 6-12 months to 12-24 months. Jackets tend to last a lot longer because you have short arms. Pants of course are tricky because of your short squatty stature. Shirts are even trickier because the sleeves are too long yet fit your belly just fine. But trust me baby girl, you have plenty to wear despite the size issues. Your dad seems to think that we both have way too many clothes for our own good. I call it a good selection. Every girl needs that. ;)

You are willing to lend a helping hand in any situation. You love to deliver objects to people when asked (and sometimes voluntarily), you are now a pro at throwing trash away in the waste basket, you love to retrieve diapers and lotion for our nightime routine, and you give hair brushing your best shot each morning. Independence is slowly creeping up on us and I don't think I'm quite yet ready to that. Your ability to learn new things never stops amazing me. You mimic out actions and our words. You want to do the same things we do. This both scares me and excites me. Not that your dad and I go around doing and saying things that we don't want you to see, but it's becoming much more apparent that we need to be aware that you are taking in everything, and I mean everything , around you. Here are just a few of the funny things you have started to do that put smiles on our faces:

*you can dance on command
*you mock noises that we make
*you love to have your dad tap your chin over and over to make a silly noise
*you wait by the pantry door to get a "cracka"
*you greet random strangers with a "hi" and "bye bye"
*you love to sit on your dad's chest and "ride the horsey"
*you love to slide by yourself
*you peek out at us through the plastic windows in your blowup princess castle
*you randomly snuggle your head in our neck when you get tired
*you feed your undesired dinner items to your doggy friends and laugh while doing this
*you bang your bottle against your crib in the morning and burst out in random laughter

Discipline has proven to be a very tricky subject this past month. Here's an example of why: you were playing on your mini slide one afternoon and decided to try out a different ( and more daring ) method of going down. You carefully teetered at the top of the slide debating about walking down it until your dad asked you to sit down. It must've startled you because you turned around and shot him a mean look which was followed by your signature monster-sized pouty lip and those poor alligator tears. I for one cannot handle the sadness of this face. Enough said. We are working on this though. :( To be more specific I'm working on saying no and meaning it. You are a good listener and respond well to the word "no" unless it is something you are dead set on doing....like walking down the slide. I guess you must've had your heart set on falling on your head because I think that's what would've happened. Just be that sweet girl I know you are and then we won't have to see that pouty lip anymore. ;)

Sleep is about the most consistent thing in your life. We can count on a good twelve hours and sometimes longer. You surprised me with a 9:00 a.m. wakeup time this past month. I could live like that every once in awhile sweet girl! You might sleep hard but that doesn't mean it's easy to get you to actually go to sleep. Although there have been several occasions when we've found you pulling on your cribs slats demanding to go to bed, it is not the norm. The norm is for you to cry for a good fifteen minutes while you bang on your crib with your cup and somehow manage to move your crib a foot away from the wall. There are those magical nights when you are so worn out that you literally pass out in my arms. We get a big laugh out of these nights while I carrying you in my arms and you let your body go limp as we near your crib. I get your message girl! ;)

Your mouth is more often moving that not. Mostly at home though. I guess you could say that your dad and I get the best of you. You tend to hide under your shell when out in public. You have started to show a bit of stranger danger behavior. But sometimes you even clam up around familiar people. You immediately place your hand in your mouth when you are uncomfortable. When you are in the mood for talking there are many new and sometimes very unexpected words flowing out of your tiny mouth. Here are just a few new words (some you say regularly and others we've only heard one time):

*diaper (cutest word ever! sounds like "die puh" with an emphasis on the end of the word)
*shoe (sounds like "chew")
*sock
*milk (you have only said it once and it sounded like "mill"
*binky (I'm not even sure I could spell out how it sounds but you are very consistent with what you call it)
*juice (sounds like "jew")
*hello (sounds like "hi-o")
*bye bye (this is always accompanied by a cute little wave)
*night (sounds like "nigh" and clearly lets us know you are ready for bed)

I am not sure if you really love crackers or if it's just one of the only foods you can request. Either way, you are OBSESSED with saying "cracka"....

"Cracka! Cracka!"

I always know when you aren't feeling in tip top shape. When you are having a crummy kinda day you can be found standing at the counter trying to reach for your medicine. Your bottom teeth have been slowly making their arrival over the past couple weeks which has resulted in some pretty uncomfortable evenings. You have the whole medicine and teething gel thing figured out for sure....

Trying to get a dose of medicine

It's no secret that car time used to be something I literally dreaded. If I knew we had a trip coming up I would be nervous for days leading up to it because I knew how trying it would be for you and I to make it to our destination with our sanity intact. But I have some wonderful news. Things have taken a 180 and you no longer make so much as a peep in the car. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!! As a reward for your excellent car behavior we have been rapidly expanding your DVD collection. Your favorite at the moment seems to be Baby Brain which I need to find more of. You are enthralled by what it has to offer....and I'm just plain thrilled!!!!

Your famous DVD trance

You are now able to run on flat surfaces and sometimes down ramps. Some would call it more of a prance instead of a run but whatever it is, it's pretty stinkin' cute! Your little hands pulled up by your side doing the t-rex and your little legs high steppin' it....oh I can't get enough! Falls are pretty uncommon these days and you are able to go up and down small steps without holding onto anything now. I'm suddenly feeling like your physical therapist instead of your mom describing your movement patterns. Lol!

I am forever and always in love with you. This big LOVE only grows deeper and deeper every day. I still struggle with understanding how it's possible for my heart to literally expand when I hold you in my arms and smother you with hugs and kisses. With that being said, I only have one request for you my love......

Can you please stop being so smart? I'm afraid by next month you might have outsmarted your dad and I!

Love,

Mama