The past month has been hard on our family and we continue to process and learn about Big Brother's condition. We've been trying hard to keep things at home as normal as possible, but obviously Big Brother is getting a lot of attention right now. Thankfully, Little Sweetie has been going with the flow pretty well (and enjoys the fun stuff that we've been doing with Brother too!).
After one of Little Buddy's appointments downtown, we decided to go back to the Water Wall! Little Buddy hasn't been since he was about 6 weeks old and it holds special significance as it was one of the locations at which we took his maternity pictures. He loved it and Little Sweetie...well, Little Sweetie warmed up to it.
Wait, what's that big thing over there?
Giving this Water Wall business the once over...
Big Brother, however, wasn't shy about it at all!
She eventually warmed up to it and we all had a great time!
Thankfully, with all the things we've had to do for Big Brother, she's just happy to be around him (most of the time). They really love each other!
Best buds!
Mustang rides and smooches for Little Sister!
Planting some flowers!
Playing with the dog mannequin at Old Navy!
My two little loves!
But, while Big Brother is at school, Little Sweetie does get some time to do her own thing and discover her own interests. One of which was being Super Girl at My Gym! She's gotten so brave there...at the beginning of the year, she wouldn't even try this activity. Now's she's speeding around without a care!
It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Super Sweetie!
She's also finally starting to really like books. We would make sure to read to her each day, but she hasn't been as interested in books as Big Brother was at this age. She would just push to be set down and didn't want to look at the pictures. Now, though, she's begging for stories and is a great reading companion.
Snuggles and stories with Daddy!
Height and Weight
Prior to going in for her 18 month well check, Little Sweetie had been out of sorts. She'd been very grumpy and not sleeping well. So we took her in a few days before her well check to get her examined. Turns out, she had finally got her first real sickness: a doozy of a double ear infection due to allergy drainage (pollen is terrible down here) and a cough that was about to turn into bronchiolitis. We were able to get her on an antibiotic and breathing treatments and she was almost all better once we went back to her well check later that week.
Exhibit A: Grump Bucket
Exhibit B: So sleepy after being up most of the night.
She wasn't a fan of breathing treatments at first, but did get better at them. It helped if she was wearing Daddy's green monkey shirt for comfort!
Back at the doctor's office for her check up, but feeling much better (and insisted on bringing Daddy's shirt with her for luck!).
Little Sweetie's height and weight came in at 21 lbs, 5.1 oz and 32 in., respectively. However, while she had gained a bit since her 15 month check up, she was down from our measurements last month and she was still dropping in the weight percentiles as this one was on in the 31st percentile. Granted, her appetite had gone down a bit due to the double ear infection, but we still want to ensure that she is growing big and strong! Our doctor has gone from not being worried to not being worried, but keep an eye on her food intake. I think it stems from her still refusing to take whole milk (or any milk at all for that matter) and her being so active. So we are now starting her on a bit of a "chub up" mission.
Went for milkshakes and foot-long hot dogs after the well-check. We'll get those pounds on that tiny body yet!
More cake!
Personality
So fun and sociable! A little shy around new people or right after she wakes up from a nap, but loves to play with others...as long as Momma is close by. Separation time at her My Gym class hasn't been so easy lately. And she can get grumpy quickly too!
I love the difference between the "cheese!" face and the "um, no" face!
Developmental Milestones
She is really growing up too fast! Already she's working hard on learning how to put on (other people's) clothes. But seriously, she loves to try to get dressed and she's getting very proficient at it for an 18 month old. She's stringing more words together and definitely knows how to get her point across--unfortunately, her favorite word is "no" so her point and our directions don't always line up!
Stealing Momma's flipflop and Big Brother's undies!
Fun Tidbits
Little Sweetie will NOT give up her zippadee-zip sleep sack (or, as she calls it, her "stars", due to the print). It's getting hot in Texas, so I'd like her to sleep in a cooler outfit. No go. We might get her to sleep, but she won't stay asleep. And nothing is more precious than sleep when you have small children. So Little Sweetie, you've won this round. I'll just jack the air conditioner down and enjoy the quiet while you slumber. It's worth it. I just have to see if they make these in 10 year-old sizes.
Muhahaha...I've won again! My stars live on!
Good night,
LSM
Little Sweetie's Momma
