Monthly Moments with Little Sweetie: January 19

And here we are, our big, independent 15 month old girl.

Happy 15 month birthday, baby girl!

Did so great at her well check! Barely cried during her vaccinations, but I nearly did when brother told her what a great job she did and that she was "brave and strong."

Big girl wanting to go jog with brother at Run Club.

It's crazy to think about. Big brother didn't start walking on his own til right after 15 months, and wasn't really getting good until 16 months. Life was still pretty easy. With Little Sweetie walking right before her first birthday, she has used the last three months to perfect her speed and agility and life is, most definitely, not easy. She's everywhere and into everything! Normally, she's following you around, begging to play, just as you are trying to get ready for the day.

Hi Momma! I found a comb and some water and am ready to do my hair! Oh, you wanted to do your hair? That's silly. Just do mine and get yourself a hat.

She's full of adventure this month and loves to play, whether by herself, learning to share with a playmate, having fun with her favorite brother while he was home on break from school

Peek...a...BOO!

I see you!

Miss Adventure on the playground!

Hi, Baby L! Let's play!

The three amigos on a dinner date!

Wake up and play with me, big brother!

Sibling time!

The biggest adventure this month, though, has been that Little Sweetie got to start going to her own My Gym class! She was a little unsure at first (and her hesitancy in big groups reminded me how on our own we've been since big brother started school and we stopped going to boot camp. She's not used to being around big groups of people anymore. Being a part of this class will really be good for her.) but soon warmed up and started getting more brave.

First, she was just a fan of the fact that there were balls to play with!

Getting braver and checking stuff out...

Not so sure about this separation time business (kept running to find me), but she finally settled in an played independently for a few minutes.

An after My Gym treat of her favorite: hot dogs at James Coney Island!

Height and Weight

Did well getting her stats at her 15 month well check today. She's definitely grown and has reached 31.25 inches (75%), but she's lost some weight and is at 20 pounds, 9.6 ounces (41%). That definitely caught us off guard, but our doctor said it is probably due to her activity level. With all her walking and climbing and chasing brother, she is just burning so many calories! As long as she is still eating well (which she is...definitely eats her fill and then some!), there is nothing to worry about. Oh and her head circumference is 19.25 inches (99%), no surprise there!

Keep eating, little girl! We've got to put (and keep!) some meat on those bones!

Personality

Sadly, baby girl has been pretty grumpy lately. Her cheeks were a bit puffy and her gums were hard, so we think those molars are still slooooowwwwwlllyyy working their way up. Unfortunately, they just won't cut and it makes bedtime, and sometimes even day time, very rough.

Just not happy.

Also, as I mentioned earlier, her hesitancy in big groups is something new for this normally very happy and sociable baby. I've so rarely seen her shy in any way other than just playful shy. I'm very glad we started My Gym and hope to see her gain confidence in herself. We've been lucky too to have had two playdates with our friends, the D family. It's been great for her (and for brother!) to have some individuated play time with other kiddos. She's really enjoyed it (we all have)!

Developmental Milestones

Climbing is our new "thing" (thankfully she seems to be practicing it mostly at My Gym and hasn't given Momma any heart attacks at home from climbing on tables or anything...yet) and I love watching her gross motor skills grow. I'm probably a little over observant of her development right now since this is where we started seeing some minor delays in brother (walking late, not jumping), so anything that shows her progressing makes me smile. It's so different to have a walking/running baby at 15 months! She likes to play with her "babies" by holding them, feeding them, and putting them to bed. She's also really getting into zipping and unzipping things.

As for talking, she is still babbling pretty constantly and is very insistent about making us understand things, even if she doesn't have the words for them. I think we might get another overzealous talker like Momma!

We've also been talking about moving her from the high chair to the booster chair and brought down the booster to try out. Now, however, she thinks she just has her own living room chair and just likes to sit on it like a throne! Which is kind of funny, because I also just caught her trying to be a baby in the baby bouncer again. It's quite the theme of her life right now, going back and forth between big girl and baby. On my end, I'll just keep her my baby for as long as I can.

I'm a big girl, I'll just sit here in this big girl booster chair and...wait, there's a bouncer available? Nevermind, I'm a baby.

Fun Tidbits

She's just the sunshine of our family and, even though those terrible teeth like to try to ruin our days, they can't stop the smiles and cuddles that make everything worthwhile!