Reese-isms @ 17.5 months

Well I certainly have let blogging go by the wayside. We are just having so much fun with our sassy little girl! I am exhausted during naptime and just want to sit still for a few minutes! But I really want to remember this really fun time right now. Each stage she goes through, I just can't imagine that life could get any better. And then she gets a little older and even more fun!!! Here is what Reese is up to at 17.5 months...

Stats: 24 lbs, size 4 diaper, size 5 shoe, a few 12 month clothes still fit, but mostly 18 month stuff

All 4 molars started showed their ugly faces in June and then finished in July. So basically she got her molars all summer long in the middle of our summer vacations. Poor sweet child. Teething is never good to her. Her lower laterals came in next. The first was August 9 and the 2nd took it's time! Whatever pair of teeth that is coming in, usually come in one right after another. The 2nd lower lateral came in about a month later in early September. So she has 12 teeth, and we are just waiting on the 4 "I" teeth which I heard are the worst! We have ordered an amber teething necklace to try! Reese got sick with every round of teething except one. This summer of teething brought hand, foot, and mouth (for the 3rd time!), strep throat, and a NASTY stomach virus.

Favorite foods: scrambled eggs with cheese, pancakes, yogurt, applesauce (the squeezable kind), powdered doughnuts, cheese, easy mac, chicken nuggets, bananas, nectarines, the gerber mac&cheese with chicken and veggies, ritz cheese crackers, and goldfish.

Big news this summer is she no longer takes a bottle before bed!!!! At about 16 months she got a horrible stomach virus. She puked her ENTIRE bottle during the night and then tried to lay in it. I am SO glad we heard her throwing up. The poor thing. So we opted out of giving her a bottle the next night and prayed and crossed our fingers and she slept great! We never looked back and she has been bottle free ever since. I packed them up so we wouldn't be tempted to give her one, and so she wouldn't see one!

When I ask her if she wants a snack, she says "Nack!" and then "bow" and goes to her cabinet and gets a bowl out for me to put her snack in.

She still sleeps 7-7 like a dream!!!! 1 nap on days that she is at school. Some days at home she takes 1 nap and some days it is 2. Just kinda depends on what is going on that day!

Talking up a storm!!! New words the past few months have been snack (na), water (awawa), juice (ju), paper (paypa), bowl (bo), bow (said with a very Texas drawl), Mack (Ma), Nash (Na), shoes (shis), hot (ot), cracker (cracka), cheese (chee), uh oh (uh oooooo), thank you (day dooooo), please (baysh), outside (ishe), and Reese (eeshe). Sometimes she will just babble for a loong time! It is so cute. It's like we are having a conversation back and forth but I have no clue what she is saying!

She says thank you without any cuing from me.

She is signing alot now too... more, please, water, all done, milk, and again.

She makes kitty, doggie, monkey, and cow sounds.

She knows were her eyes, ears, nose, mouth, tongue, belly button, and feet are.

When she coughs she thumps herself on the chest a couple times.

She does not like to sit down in the bathtub and likes to test us to see how many times she can stand up before she has to get out.

She LOVES to throw her trash away. She also loves to remove trash from the trashcan so I have had to use the handy dandy locking mechanism a time or two (this really makes her mad!)

When she is tired she will lay down on her tummy in the living room and put her head on any object that is nearby. She will also push herself around backwards on her tummy when she is tired.

She is starting to abuse her sweet friendship with Jack. If he comes over and lays by something that she wants or is playing with she will hit him! She is getting possesive! Poor Jack just takes it, but one time he did swipe her back when she would not leave him alone! Lilly still takes off running whenever he sees her coming his way.

She is such a good laundry helper. She will randomly go and empty her drawers of clean clothes and just dump them in the laundry room. She also likes to stuff the clean clothes in random drawers when I am putting her clothes away. My OCD self is trying to be ok with finding a jammie in the play clothes drawer!

She loves to watch tv while she eats (I know bad!) but it seems to help her eat a good meal! She loves Barney, Sesame Street, Jack's Big Music Show, Wonder Pets, and strangely enough Fresh Beat Band (which is a really fun show!)

She is really into her babies right now. She puts her diapers on them, wraps them up, throws them on the ground to pat their backs, pushes them around in her baby stroller, and makes them go "nigh-nigh".

Starting to have opinions about her clothing. One day she threw a royal fit b/c the "shis" she wanted to wear did not fit! And one day she brought Andrew her swimsuit. So he thought she wanted to go swimming. He put her in it and took her outside to swim. Nope, she did not want to swim. She just wanted to wear her swimsuit!

Likes to throw her sidewalk chalk off the back patio and then go get it and throw it back on the patio. And so on and so on and so on...

Loves bubbles and is getting really good at blowing them!

VEEEEERY independent when it comes to being out and about. Not a fan of being strapped into the shopping cart at Kroger or Target. Lately I have been doing the grocery shopping on days that I work when I can just get in and get out after work. But when I do take her I have to be very prepared with lots of snacks, a finished grocery list, and a getaway plan. There can be no indecisiveness on these trips. And once she is out of the cart, don't you dare even think about putting her back in b/c you will hear that child screaming from the other side of the store! I have been "that mom" alot lately! We have been frequenting the cookie counter at Target lately!

Played in a bounce house for the first time and LOVED it.

We turned her around in her carseat in early September and she seems to be pretty indifferent about it. I thought she would just absolutely LOVE it, but honestly as long as her DVD player is going she could care less what direction she is facing.

Reese graduated from the older infants to the younger tods room at school during the summer. She now has stretch & grow and music with Mr David every week. She still only goes on the days that I work which is never more than 2-3 days/week. She is doing so good there!!! Never cries when daddy drops her off. I no longer have to pack lunch for her b/c she is eating all their food! This makes me so happy. She got a "happy gram" last week. Her new teachers are really sweet. They did tell us in the nicest way that she struggles with staying in her chair during meal times and wanders the room. This makes me laugh. Of course she wanders the room...she's 17 months! That's why I strap her down for meals at home!

Well that is all I can think of right now, but may add more later!

14 months!!!

My baby is 14 months! How is that possible? And why didn't I do a 13 month post? Oh well. Life has been busy just like our little 14 month old! You are ON THE GO! I don't think I've sat down at home with you awake in a looong time! You are sassy, spunky, funny, and goofy! You know when you have an audience, and your personality is really shining! We love you REESE!!!

weight: 22ish lbs

diaper: size 4

shoe: 4.5 wide

clothes: 12-18 month (goodness some 18-24 month stuff is starting to fit!)

teeth count: 6

favorites activities: throwing blankets around and laying on them, going through the tupperware cabinet and pantry and bringing me food items and sippy cups, putting clothes on your head and walking around like that, books (10 friendly fish, puppies, kittens, matching book), climbing the couch, water table, Baby Einstein movies, Sesame Street, Jack, bubbles,

dislikes: getting your diaper changed

You have started the fit throwing! Whether we take something away (like the bug spray you were eating) or pick you up to change your diaper, you kick and scream and act very dramatic. We try to ignore it or distract you and the fits don't seem to last very long. You like to throw yourself on the ground very dramatically when you see something you want and can't have it!

You are still taking 2 naps a day, but at school you only take 1 nap. The naps at home usually total 3-4 hrs. You sleep from 7-7. Even if you sometimes go to bed at 8 you are still up bright and early at 7 am! You now sleep with a soft green blankie made by your Great Aunt Carleen and your bunny lovie given to you by Nanny when you were born.

Favorite foods: chicken nuggets, yogurt, pudding, applesauce, mandarin oranges, peaches, cheese, cottage cheese, egg salad, PB&J, gerber crunchies, yogurt covered raisins, banana, fruity cheerios

food dislikes: veggies, meat, oatmeal, anything new

new foods: pudding, egg salad, PB&J, popsicles, ketchup

You love whole milk, but just not out of anything except a bottle. I have tried all the different sippy cups that you will drink water out of, and the minute you figure out it's milk you make a disgusted face and throw it down. But if it's a bottle you drink it up! I'm trying not to worry to much about it. I know you will drop the bottle when you are ready. You would not be drinking a single drop of milk if I didn't give it to you in a bottom! For now you take about 6 oz when you wake up and then 6 oz again at bedtime. You LOVE ice water in your sippy cup! You know that the water comes from the fridge too!

You and Jack (Jaaa!) continue to have much love for each other! You know which toys he likes and will bring them to him and he will play! You get laughing so hard and chase him with his toy!

You LOVE figuring out how things work. You can busy yourself for a long time doing things such as putting lids on tupperware/sippy cups, taking tissues/crayons out of the box and putting them back in, and pulling marker tops on and off.

When you find a tissue or napkin you put it up to your nose and make a nose blowing sound! It's so cute!

You have named your paci "dat". Whenever you see "dat" and you can't reach it you will say "DAT! DAT! DAT! DAT!" until someone gets if for you! You really like "Dat!"

You know how to give high fives, clap your hands, stomp your feet, give kisses, and blow kisses on command.

You can most of the time point to your hair, nose, eyes, ear, and tongue! When in doubt you just point to your ear. You love pointing to mommy's eyes! I have to be careful to not lose an eye though!

You are FIERCELY independent. Sometimes you will not eat something just b/c I am trying to feed it to you. You would much rather have the control and feed it to yourself. Because of this you are getting very good at the spoon and fork! Of course alot of the food goes all over the place. I usually give you a spoon and then I will have my own spoon to feed you with. This works very well b/c you feel as though you're in control and I can sneak bites in here and there!

I'm thinking we have a strong-willed little girl on our hands!

You have a phenomenal v0cabulary! You can say mama, dada, night night (nigh nigh), duck (du), dog (dah), cat (ca), bird (bu), water (have said it, but usually sign it), more (ma), milk (mih), Mack (Ma), no (nono), bye bye, bath (ba), balloon (boooo), ball (bah), bubble (buhbuh), banana (nana), Nanny (nana), Papa, that (dat), Elmo (mamo), and bug (bu). You can correctly identify dogs, cats, ducks, Mack, us, and Elmo! You probably say Mama the most right now, and I will NEVER get tired of your sweet little voice saying my name!

When you see a dog you head straight for it yelling "Dah! Dah! Dah! Dah!"

You love to mimic us. If we are clapping, you clap. If we are saying a funny sound, you try to copy it. The other day you pooped in the bathtub (SOOO GROSS!) and I was saying "yucky yucky"! You started saying something like "Yuhee Yuhee" and I knew you were trying to repeat me!

You walk EVERYWHERE! And you are getting fast! You are good about falling and usually catch yourself. We haven't had many bumps or bruises yet! *knock on wood*

You have loved your new playroom and spend lots of time in there playing! Here you are "witnessing" to one of your Praise Baby DVDs!

You are really liking school! You no longer cry at drop off! When your daddy picks you up and usually throw whatever it is you are playing with and run to him! You have been making us lots of sweet art! You are also starting to eat more of there food. Hopefully I will not have to pack you backup food as much soon! You come home with lots of sweet artwork that melts my heart!

We have spent lots of time outside having picnics, playing at the water table, and playing in the baby pool!

You will say "Mmmmmm!" if you really like the food you are eating.

You love to help me wipe things. After I wipe your face and hands, you take the washcloth and clean your tray. You like to wipe down any possible surface!

You have figured out that if you throw all your paci's out of your bed at nap time, mommy has to come back in! I come in and find them all over! You usually only do this once and then keep them all in for the rest of nap time.

When you really like something you say "ooooooo!" and make this funny face!

You are a climber! Whether it's the couch, the ottomans, or the slide, you like to hike that little leg up!

You hair is still reddish in certain light, and it's getting curly as it grows! Love it!

You make the must funny expressions! You look as though you are constantly scoping things out!

If I start singing "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands", you clap your hands and stomp your feet accordingly.

You love taking baths especially in our big tub! If I say "Wanna take a bath?", you start hollering "Bah! Bah! Bah!" and run to the bathtub and try to hike your little leg over!

You had have mastered the art of straw drinking and had your first juice box!

You LOVE Sesame Street. You will drop whatever you are doing and come running when you hear "Suuuuunny Daaaays..." start up! You dance and clap! You especially love when Elmo comes on. There's just something about that little red monster! You say "Mamo" every time you see him or hear his voice! I will often put it on while you eat b/c you kind of zone out while watching it and eat a good meal!

We call the picture below your hotdog phone! We had a little cookout and you really wanted a hotdog bun. So I gave one to you and you ripped apart and promptly held it up to your ear and said "Hi!" You hold our phones, the remotes, and the video monitor up to your ear all the time, only usually you will hold them behind your head or on your forehead.

You LOVE bubbles! You like to do it yourself though since you are fiercely independent. You will dip the little wand in and then go "ooooooo!" as you shake it around! You squeal with delight when the occassional bubble comes out!

Little girl we are having a blast with you! You are such a fun and sweet little person! I love having you as my buddy/sidekick. We have so much fun together. You make me so happy, and I have so loved watching you learn and put things together the last few weeks. Thank you for being an absolute blessing in our lives. We look forward to experiencing a fun summer with you! We love you REESE ELIZABETH!

Day 4

Day 4(yesterday) reached an all time level of survival mode. Reese pretty much cried and laid on me all day long. My heart broke watching her hurt so badly! We spent lots of time cuddled on the couch watching sesame street. I secretly loved the cuddling but felt so bad for her! I think God knew I needed some social interaction b/c on a whim I went outside to take her on a walk in her pink car and there was my neighbor with her daughter right in front of my house! I didn't even care that my outfit consisted of maternity leggings and a ratty maternity t-shirt. My hair hadn't been washed in days and I was going for comfort people! We did a lap together and that 15 minutes of chit-chat refreshed me in a way I didn't know was possible! Thank goodness Reese took a good nap that afternoon! She actually ate some dinner for the first time in days last night. She had 3 helpings of spaghetti which made this mama so happy! She signed more each time she finished each serving! After dinner I was racking my brain for stuff to do so I stripped her down and put a cup of water next to her and she went to town! Of course the mamarazzi was in full effect.

Here she is signing "more" to me after dumping out her water.

So then I got a wild hair and gave her a sucker! She LOVED it!

Don't let the following picture fool you. She is not excited to see me. She is excited b/c she spotted the lense cap on the couch and was racing over to steal it from me. :)

Below is who we refer to as "onesie head". Lately whenever Reese finds an article of clothing on the ground, she likes to put it on her head and then walk around. Goofy girl!

Day 3

I can get all kinds of important stuff like blogging done now that first birthday preparations are behind us! Especially since I had to call in sick again! So Tuesday night Tooter (I actually call her this more than Reese now!) went downhill. She cried sooooo much! She also started coughing and her nose turned into a faucet! I am starting to notice a trend with my child. Every single time she gets teeth, she gets soooo sick!

1st round brought her hand, foot, and mouth disease and the croup. 2nd round brought her a horrible URI, double ear infection, pink eye, and a stomach virus. Now round 3 has brought her a left ear infection, viral throat infection, and cough. It's so weird! It's like teething makes her physically sick! So the next two teeth broke through finally on Wednesday.

So anyways, on Tuesday which was day 3 at home all day we were getting a little stir crazy. I decided to to a quick Target run for some more children's tylenol and a new toy! I have had my eye on this little shopping cart with groceries for awhile and decided this was the perfect time to get it for her. She needed something new in her life at this point. She loved it! Especially the eggs!

So thank you Circo shopping cart for helping us survive day 3!