18 Months

A picture for Uncle Kevin.  This onesie was a souvenir he brought back for Sierra.

 I told her we needed to wait until they were cooked.  Yeah right mom.

My little cookie maker

They really taste better when they are done.  Especially with frosting! 

Beautiful decorations 

She loves to stick stickers on her face (and on mine and daddies too) 

Sierra needs to be accessorized while watching cartoons 

Get down! 

Pretty in Pink 

Grandma is such a good example;) 

Pull-ups make pretty cool hats 

Sierra was so excited to play in the snow 

Her first attempt at making a snow angel.... 

You can see it can't you?  :) 

Yay snow! 

It tastes pretty good too. 

This picture makes me smile.  I hope it makes you smile too. 

I'm a little behind right now.  On absolutely everything.  I always post a month behind because I wait until the end of Sierra's "month" to post.  But I'm even farther behind right now because we started potty training.  It's pretty consuming!  I'm basically following Sierra's bare biscuits around every second with her little potty in tow.  Anyway, I'm trying to get caught up and will talk more about that experience in the 19 month post.

It's hard to believe that we have an 18 month old!  She certainly is learning to have 18 month old tantrums!  We had a rough end to the month.  Some new teeth are coming in or maybe we are just going through a tantrum phase.  Either way I'm feeling a little bit frazzled, frightened, and really worn out.  Every time we get a new tooth aliens abduct my sweet Sierra and she is replaced with a little monster.  It's funny because I've said that in the past and so many people just say that they cannot believe Sierra would ever be naughty.  Ha!  Recently my grandma and mother who both swear that Sierra is a perfect little angel got to see her "noddiness" first hand. 

The hard part is knowing how to handle tantrums.  If she starts throwing a fit I generally try to distract her and remove her from the situation that is frustrating her.  But that doesn't always work.  When it doesn't I've learned to walk into the other room or really not acknowledge that she is throwing a fit.  The more attention she gets, the longer her tantrum lasts.  If she is throwing a fit because she wants something then I tell her I won't talk about or give her what she is asking for until she calms down.  I say, "Sierra throwing a fit does not get us what we want."  She really does try hard to calm down.  There are also times that nothing works and I just have to let the "fit" runs it's course.  I guess we are at a point that she is realizing she doesn't get everything she wants in life.  Life sure is hard:)  We have made progress though. Jesse and I are learning right along with Sierra in so many ways. 

It's funny because I really enjoyed 15 to 17 months.  Sierra and I were really having fun and the days seemed to go by quickly.  I was starting to think maybe just maybe I would be ready for another child.  And that maybe just maybe I was getting this parenting thing all figured out.  Then came 18 months and I was humbled.  I'm reminded that children go through sooo many phases and once you think you've gotten into a comfortable routine, EVERYTHING will change! 

Despite some cranky days Sierra is still learning like crazy.  Her language skills continue to improve.  Her baby talk is slowly fading and is replaced by real words.  When she is pretending she now uses the words she knows instead of baby babble.  Yet another reminder that she is growing up.  There are still times that she tries to tell me something and I just don't understand what she is asking.  This really frustrates her.  Usually she can make a hand gesture or take me and show me something to further explain what she wants.  But sometimes I just don't get it.  And hello tantrum!  I'm sure it's frustrating to know what you want to say but not be able to get it out, or even worse think you are being clear but no one understands what you are asking. 

We had a well baby visit and two shots at the beginning of the month.  She has always been between the 3rd and 10th percentile but this time she has jumped to the 50 percentile in weight.  She gained 2.5 lbs and grew 2 inches in 3 months.  She is about the 98th percentile for her height.  I was dreading the shots (even though she has always handled them well).  She did very well and didn't do much more than whimper after the second shot.  The nurse gave her some stickers and all was forgotten.  She is currently 34 inches tall and weighs  24lbs 4.5oz.  Her acid reflux seems to have improved all of a sudden and we are hopeful that we will be able to take her off of her reflux medicine soon.  The specialist said that she should quit having reflux between 18 and 24 months (he hoped anyway) and here we are at 18 months and we really have seen quite an improvement.  The other digestive issues continue to be a struggle but we pray that those will go away too.  

It's really is hard to believe that 18 months have gone by.  In some ways it seems like a lifetime ago that we could sleep in on weekends, eat warm meals, go to the bathroom in private, not plan life around naps and food, and be spontaneous.  BUT, it seems like just a few seconds ago that I was holding my new baby girl in my arms for the first time.  Sometimes it seems impossible that in this short of a time I have a child that now walks, talks, and eats on her own.  My tiny baby that mastered the art of sucking her toes now looks for the "fuzzies" in between them.  My infant that grabbed onto a rattle for this first time now uses her hands and fingers with ease to build with blocks and put pennies into her piggy bank.  My tiny child who was just learning to roll over can now walk, run, and jump (though she barely makes it off the floor).  And my sweet cooing Sierra can now tell me that she loves me.  All of this and so much more happened in 18 months time!  I'm so glad that I haven't missed any of it.

17 Months

Taking the Home Depot shopping cart for a little spin.

The Packers are going to the Super Bowl!

Yum!

Unfortunately this love is not reciprocated

This is what happens while I take a 5 minute shower.  3 minutes in shower,

2 minutes to dry and dress, and this is what Sierra is capable of in that time. 

She's quite talented!

Watching some "Sera" videos on the computer

A play date with Beatrice.  Here cousin, have a bite.

A visit with Grandma

All bundled up!

Sharing baby's bed...

 Mr Potato Head!

 New Christmas toys make a very busy girl

 Lots and lots of days for puddle stomping this month.  Where 

oh where is Summer? 

Here are some current Sierra stats: 

• weight: between 22 and 23 lbs (between 3 and 10th percentile)
• height: 34 inches (98th percentile)
• knows the colors white, blue, green, yellow, pink, orange, and red(this one still gives her some trouble)
• knows the shapes star, heart, circle, and square
• counts to 10
• now says mommy and daddy instead of dada and mama
• current favorite animal: crocodile
• favorite foods include noodles ("nules"), yogurt, lentil soup, cheese, and berries of any kind

Sierra's language skills continue to improve as she now puts 3 and 4 words together (i see you, where are you kitty, come here crocodile ("dada"), baby is crying (then she proceeds to fake cry), etc.  She is also learning to pluralize words and use words in different tenses.  It's amazing to watch her little brain work.  My baby that used to not notice if a book was upside down will now always turn it the right way.  She always uses the pointed side of the crayon to draw with and has much more control of her art.  She can draw small circles and she tends to put "eyes" on anything she draws. 

Music continues to be a part of most of our day.  She sings along so well to the songs she knows which always gives me goose bumps.  Hearing her soft sweet voice could never get old.  And she also runs around the house singing at the top of her lungs at times (usually songs that are completely in baby talk and I am unaware of what she is singing about) and waving her hands about like she is composing an orchestra.  We sing a lot of Wheels on the Bus.  It generally goes something like this: The (Sierra chimes in dog!) Dog on the bus goes woof woof woof....... The (Sierra chimes in Nose!) The Nose on the bus goes sniff sniff sniff...... The (Papa!) Grandpa on the bus says I love you, I love you, all through the town.  Generally this goes on for long stretches of time.  We've sang about cheese, diapers, blanky, cars, you name it.   She also will decide the need for a song at random moments.  We will be playing and she picks up a toy points to it, looks at me, and says Sing!  So I do.  This is a song I made up about her beloved Crocodile...

Sierra loves the crocodiles because they are so green

Sierra loves the crocodiles because they dance and sing

Sierra loves the crocodiles and draws them all day long

Sierra loves the crocodiles and makes me sing this song

Crocodile you make her smile

Won't you come and play a while

Yes she will be a songwriter I'm sure:) 

A big thing happened this month.  We weaned Sierra from Binky!  We were down to binky only at naptime and occasionally bright and early in the am when she'd wake up before the dawn.  She was weaned from nightime binky around 12 months but it helped transition her from maniac crazy playtime to naptime in about 1 minute flat.  I won't lie.  I miss that plastic downer.  We had some rough naptimes and are still transitioning,  but she has handled it quite well.  I have to be much more creative with ways to calm her down before putting her in her crib and some days are better than others. 

Her current schedule is:

6am wake up (some days earlier)

8am breakfast

10am snack

12pm lunch

2pm-4pm nap (these times vary a little from day to day) snack after nap

6pm dinner

8:30pm bed

These are all really times that she has set herself and we are accommodating and make sure that we are home for her nap and bedtime every day (some days she falls asleep on the way home from town for her nap).  We are also very careful to always feed her at the same time.  This is important for all of our sake:)  Hungry child=yikes.  I am the same way if I'm hungry.  At least so I've been told.  We are consistent and she thrives on that.  I think most babies do if given the chance.  It's hard to understand the importance of this consistency if you don't have a child and can offend some.  We miss birthday or other types of parties that are around naptime, don't stay out late or generally go out after dinner at all, and don't travel far from home.  But our life is different now.  It's not about parties or trips.  Do we miss these things?  Of coarse!  But Sierra is our number one priority and we do all we can to help her learn and grow with confidence.

16 Months

These pictures are not in order but I do not have the time or patience to fix them today.
So here's the out of order nov/dec lineup...

Playing with Uncle Kevin on Thanksgiving

  Helping Grandma Lee decorate her tree

 Being a GOOF while I try to get some good Christmas pictures

 Pretty excited about the Christmas tree

 This one is more her size.  The socks are a little big though:)

 More silly faces while I'm trying to get a good Christmas card photo

 Dum ditty dum ditty dum dum dum

 Watching football with dad

 Helping put one of her Christmas presents together

Her brand new kitchen!

 Coloring on her art table

 Fun with Grandpa

 Christmas day with GG

 MORE presents!

 Play dough with Aunt Helen

Boo!

 Sierra's first batch of sugar cookies

 Singing with Grandpa at a church dinner

 Checking out the booster seat with cousin Beatrice

 Reading in her Christmas best

 A pink four wheeler?  Apparently every girls gotta have one.
That's what daddy says anyway.

 No silly face this time

 A family Thanksgiving picture

What a fun Christmas season we had!  I may have went a tad bit overboard with presents this year.  I started in October and used up some points/surveymoney/account credits etc.  By December I had quiet a stack of gifts.  The thing is, Sierra is starting to play with fun stuff!  Coloring books, stickers, chalk boards, and play dough are all things I still secretly enjoy.  So as I would find 75 percent off bargains, I couldn't help but buy them to play with, I mean for Sierra to play with:) 

That being said, we want to raise a child that is thankful and considerate and does not feel entitled.  We want her to love to share and give and strive to make the world a better place.  It's hard in this age that we live in.  People tend to be selfish and very inconsiderate of others.  But it all starts with us parents.  If you see a rude parent in a grocery store, their child is not far behind them with the same exact lack of common courtesy.  Come on!  It is NOT hard to say excuse me, or thank you.  Those are the small things that we are starting with already.  The pleases, and thank yous.  But there is so much more.  So Jesse and I are trying to better ourselves too.  Maybe not getting so mad when someone cuts us off in the car, making sure be friendly to the checkers in the store, and not making a rude comment about someone that is dressed differently.  Those are all things that Sierra will learn to do, if she sees us doing or not doing them. 

One of our New Years Resolutions is go give more in 2011.  It's so easy to say, well we barely squeak by on our bills, so it would be irresponsible to give our money to others.  Or I don't have the time to volunteer.  Those things may be true but there are ALWAYS ways to give.  We've decided that starting in January, I will begin collecting items to donate to a family next Christmas.  I am a master shopper people:)  I get stuff free for us ALL the time.  So why not use that talent of mine to help others too.  So when I come across a great sale, or am able to score things for free, I'll be saving them up for a family that needs them more than ours.  I hope I don't appear to be on a soap box here.  But if having a child doesn't make you want to change for the better, actually hope to change the WORLD for the better, then nothing will. 

On to the reason for our inward thinking:  our dear Sierra.  She's becoming more and more of a little person every day.  The helpless baby that she once was has disappeared.  She still needs us of coarse, but she is learning how to be independent which breaks my heart and brings me joy at the same time.  She can count to 10, knows lots of colors and shapes, sings most of the ABC's, and learns many new words every day.  This stage of development is truly amazing (I know I say that every month).  She just needs to hear or see something once, and she's learned it.  It's incredible!  Her learning something will never get old to me.  Each new thing makes me just as excited and proud as the last.    She's starting to put small sentences together and is learning to pluralize words.  Before you are a parent you think you are going to have to teach every single thing a child knows to them.  You don't realize that just holding a conversation is a lesson in itself.  And your child will learn so many things just from watching you do your day to day tasks.  I don't really "teach"  Sierra on a day to day basis.  I talk to her, and listen.  I read to her, and listen to hear exciting stories.  We play chase and explore the world.  And at the end of the day it is astounding all of the things she has learned.  I think I'm at a stage in life in which I'm learning every day too.  Learning about myself and the world as well.  To me it's greater wisdom than I ever learned in the classroom.  But we'll save that topic for another day.  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a blessed New Year.