Wednesday, June 15, 2011

The Toddler Bus

So, remember that time when I was all, "15 months is AWE to the SOME!" And, "Millie is the coolest kid in town!" Yeah, about that. I'm pretty sure she's been reading my blog (genius!) and wanted to prove me wrong or something because HOLY HELL this past week has been ROUGH. And yes, the CAPS are necessary. All of them.

The tantrums? They've multiplied. The shrieking? It's out of control. The rambunctiousness? The recklessness? The wildness? Yes, yes, and YES. We've got it all. She knows what she wants and she wants it RIGHT NOW. And when she doesn't get it right away she is not at all shy about sharing her, um, extreme displeasure with the world. Or the Whole Foods shoppers. Or the innocent bystanders at the park. Or on the street. Or the kids and moms at playgroup. Or, IDK, ANYONE. (Yes, that includes you.)

As I've read and heard, 15-18 months can be tough. (I can now verify that it indeed IS tough. So far.) They have so many emotions and feelings and desires and want to communicate them but they don't yet have the ability to do so. I guess I would be pissed too. I mean, I get peeved when the boy doesn't respond to my question within 2.2 seconds. I get it. (Kinda.) But whoa man, I feel like I've been hit by a bus. And actually, I kind of have. In the form of a 15-month-old rowdy ball of energy and opinions. I guess this wasn't the week to quit drinking.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Additional Stuff to Brag About


After I posted yesterday I was like, OH! And she does this cool thing. And that's pretty awesome too. So I figured it best to write it down when the writing's being written. Or something.

Other Stuff That Makes Millie Cool:
  • She helps me get her out of the car seat (usually by switching the snack trap/toy/sippy from one hand to the other) while taking off (or putting on) the straps. Remarkably this is a huge help.
  • When I say, "arms up" she does as asked and therefore makes getting her dressed/undressed easier.
  • She cleans the floor/table/fireplace/etc with a towel/cloth/coaster/etc. Clearly she's seen me doing that a time or two (MILLION).
  • She waits by the door for Daddy to come home and then runs to hug him. I DIE of cute.
  • She drags around reusable bags and loads them with random stuff.
  • She waves hello and goodbye and blows kisses.
  • If she sees me across the room, she excitedly points at me. And then I point back at her. And it's fun.
  • She's handled the one-nap-transition like a champ (KNOCKS ON WOOD).
  • She likes to play by herself.
  • She hides things under seat cushions. (Hmmm...brag-worthy?)
  • She likes to sit on small perches.
  • She's climbing stairs like a big girl. And sometimes even by herself. WHAT.
  • She fills up buckets with water. (That's some sort of skill, right?)
Annnnnnnnnnnnnd I think that's it. (For now.)

Monday, June 6, 2011

15 months


I honestly cannot believe that Amelia is 15 months old. It's just so, IDK... OLD. She's a real kid. Well, a toddler. But still. She's a tiny person with her very own likes, dislikes, desires, and dreams. And those dreams are big, I can already tell.

She does so much fun stuff these days and is honest to goodness fun to be around. I mean, I like hanging out with her. For serious! She's my little pal.

Some of the cool stuff she does:
  • Signs: more, please, all done, thank you, eat, banana, claps, points to get down, etc.
  • Talks: Mama, Dada, snack, cheese, teeth, hot, etc. (Lots of other chit-chatting going on as well but your guess is as good as mine)
  • Points: to her nose, mouth, teeth, eyes, ears, toes, belly button, and then those spots on others (she is obsessed with noses for some reason--so watch out!)
  • Nods her head (it's adorb-to-the-max)
  • Sleeps: 7-7 (give or take) and we're in the midst of transitioning to one nap (1-3pm)
  • Accessorizes: This is has been going on for months, but the girl likes her accessories and will make anything a purse, bracelet, or necklace
  • Eats: Since we just finished our nursing routine when she turned 15 months (TEAR), she's been drinking more milk (we're trying to transition to raw) and eating more foods. She's still what I would call a light eater, but she eats and she eats a variety. Her favorites: banana (holding the whole dang thing herself), smoothies, cheese, edamame, yogurt, blueberries, strawberries, grapes, popsicles (although she gets brain freeze and cries), frozen veggies (green beans are her fave), fresh corn, avocado (she will eat a half at lunch), oatmeal, cheerios, and couscous. I'm starting to research new recipes for her to try as she seems to get "sick" of having the same things over and over.
  • Animal sounds: To Millie, most animals say, "ooo, oooh." But lions and bears growl. And birds do a higher pitched "oooh, oooh."
  • Outside: The girl loves being outside. A lot. As soon as she wakes up in the morning (or from her nap), she finds her shoes (pink crocs are her favorite ones at the moment) and brings them to me (while loudly doing her grunt thing "EHH! EHH!"). And then she brings me my own shoes. (Thank God summer is finally here!) When I ask if she wants to go to the park, she nods her head emphatically and runs to the door. She loves to watch the kids at the park and get in the mix. She's even started going down the slide all by herself--HEAD FIRST. She likes adventuring, that's for sure. She tears around the park yelling her head off. Sometimes she falls down. But she rarely cries. She's a tough cookie, my Bunny McGee.
  • Kissing: The girl is a serious kissing fanatic. I LOVE IT. The kisses are closed-mouth (thankfully) and smack-dab on the lips. And her hugs! Her hugs are as tight as tight can be.
  • Friends: She's got a few mini bests and gets extremely excited when she sees them. She points and smiles and likes to get right up in their faces (personal space much?) And then she does this crouch head-tilt thing. It's the cutest. I love that she loves to be with people. It makes play dates and the gym daycare even more enjoyable for both of us.
  • Toys: Balls are becoming a big hit around here. As is any type of pull-toy. If it has a string/cord/whathaveyou, she'll be pulling it behind her. She spent a lot of time pushing Lola's baby doll around in a stroller, so I'm thinking she might need one of her own.
  • Books: She is really getting into books lately (woohoo!) and loves to be read to. She'll grab some books from the bin and then back into your lap. Darlingness. Speaking of, she loves to walk backwards. Also, the sidestep. Guess she needed a challenge? Who knows.
  • Other stuff she loves: playing with daddy, riding the elevator and pressing the alarm button, talking on the phone, smelling flowers (real or just images), pointing at birds, planes, and other sky noises, taking pictures with her toy camera (while saying "chheeeeeeese"), bubbles, coloring (slash eating crayons), singing, dancing, patting backs, exploring, playing with tea bags, opening and closing containers, guzzling water, carrying around her snack trap, being chased, jumping on the couch, reading books in her crib, slapping her crib, being naked, doing the itsy-bitsy-spider (and even some of the hand motions) and oh so much more.
  • Fits: Lest you think we live in some perfect toddler bubble, we don't. The fits, they've begun. I usually just let her get it out of her system and move on. It's mostly frustrating because I don't always know what she wants/needs. And sometimes even when I do, I don't just want to give in...and this is just the beginning. Oh, and there is a LOT of crying when something is taken away. AlotAlot. It isn't pretty. BUT! It's normal. So we got that going fo us. WHEW!

She is such a trip. I can't imagine my life without her. She makes me laugh every single day. I am so very thankful for my sweet, charming, silly, affectionate, head-strong 15 month old buddy.