16 Month Wrap-Up

Wow, our little baby girl is now 16 months old. And we’ve loved every minute of it! This is a great stage- so interactive, independent, and wild! Here’s what’s going on with Helen Grace…

• Last weekend, John and I had a very surreal moment. We were sitting in a booth at Lenny’s, and HG was sitting there calming eating a kids’ sandwich like a big girl and drinking out of a real cup and straw. Weren’t we just starting baby food? The independent eater got here quickly…thank goodness. ;)
• She would rather sit on my hip and help me push the grocery cart than sit in it. That seems to always be a battle these days. We went to Kroger this morning at 7:30 because I had lost all patience for cartoons and thought it would wear her out for her morning nap, and since we were the only people there, she ran around like crazy and had a blast pushing the cart all be herself- loved it! (Video coming in next post)
• Our doctor didn’t recommend using  a blanket in her bed until she was over a year old, and with the summer heat, she hasn’t really needed one anyway. In preparation for the winter weather, I’ve started letting her cuddle with a blanket while she falls asleep but not letting her have it overnight yet. She seems to really like it so far.
• She has picked up a few new words… “Moo” and a version of “Go.” Also, when my parents kept her one night this weekend, she heard my dad sneeze downstairs while my mom was trying to put her to sleep, and she sat up and said, “Choo!” In general though, she jibber jabbers constantly in her own language. Would love to know what she’s saying!
• She is slowly figuring out how to nod yes. She can obviously shake her head no, but it’s taken her a while to get the yes nod down. She does it very slowly, like she’s thinking about the movement.
• She is now addicted to Barney and squeals when she sees it come on in the car. She will pay attention to cartoons at home, but she is not transfixed like she is in the car. We have to be careful about when we play videos in the car because if she is sleepy, she will never close her eyes while a video is playing. She must have gotten her tv addiction from her mama.
• We had a much better experience in the nursery at church for our Bible study this week. She walked right in, clutching her baby doll of course, and didn’t cry a bit when I left. I bee-lined it for the nursery as soon as we finished our prayer, but a few moms from other classes had already beaten me there. All the babies were crying again, but as soon as she saw me, she ran to me and quickly stopped. No red splotches or runny nose or lingering clinginess. In fact, we met Aunt Whitney for lunch afterward, and all she wanted to do was sit in her lap and go where she went. I think she is adapting well to not being with me. :) I got a really good summary from the nursery staff about how she acted too, so that made me feel better.
• As soon as I think she’s done with two naps, she starts taking two again. I can’t figure it out. This weekend, she has taken two naps each day in her bed for 1-2 hours at a time- and it didn’t take us driving around! We’ll take that as long as she’ll give it!
• She pretty much eats whatever we eat and uses a fork and spoon very well. She’s mastered the straw too, which has made it difficult to enjoy any drink or milkshake on our own.
• She is such a lovey dovey child and loves to blow and give kisses. While she still loves our “baby sandwich” hugs, she is now climbing up on the couch when John and I are sitting next to each other, putting an arm around each of our necks, and hugging us together.
• She loves to try to diaper her baby doll. Most of our clean diapers are typically strewn across the floor, as a result of her trying to put them on all her babies. She’s still perfecting her technique. (Video in next post)

Trying to find just the right spot for the puzzle piece in the fridge After dinner with Spif and Granddaddy, HG and GD went outside to play while Mama and Spif finished eating. Banging on the window was much more fun than sitting in the booth. YoLo date with Callum Awww First game of checkers thanks to Cracker Barrel I tried to show her how to do it, but she would rather just stack them and move them around. Playing on the couch with Mama on Saturday morning Entertaining herself while Mama gets dressed Walking with Daddy Entranced by “Olivia” Playing with Grandma and Geggy at Daddy’s soccer gameAwwww