15 month checkup

Stats
Weight: 23 lbs, 6 oz (55%)
Height: 30.25" (55%)
Head: 18.5" (75%)

We had MG's 15 month checkup today. Last time we went she wasn't walking yet so it wasn't a big deal that I was there by myself. Let me just say, today was a whole new experience! Thankfully we were the only ones in the waiting room! MG lasted about 2 minutes on my lap! Then she chose herself a magazine and sprawled out on the floor. I was able to hold back my OCD, germaphobe self for a total of 45 seconds before I had to get her up out of the floor! We were at least on the well side! She was happy to sit next to me in a chair with her magazine the rest of the time.

She was thrilled that she got to strip down to her diaper once we got in a room! She was not so thrilled, however, when I sat her down on the scale. She was even less thrilled (or should we say hysterical) when I had to lay her down to get her measurement! I'm not sure how accurate the measurement was this month!

She was pretty impatient waiting for the dr. She really wanted to walk around. My OCD, germaphobe self just couldn't take it, though. Not to mention that she was barefoot! Nope, she got about 2 steps in before I couldn't do it! She loved the paper on the table, though. She ate several bites and tore it to shreds. It made some really nice noises! We sang some songs, I'm sure the people in the room next to us loved my beautiful singing voice! You can't beat free entertainment!

She was pretty good and got a good report. We're going to stop the bedtime bottles next week. She's ready, I'm sure. I don't think it will phase her at all. Her daddy and I, however, are having a little bit of anxiety about it! Her bottles kind of the last tie we have to her being a baby. She's not talking as much as the ped would like. But the speech therapist where I work said not to worry since she understands everything I say and she was 7 weeks premature. That makes a big difference. When it comes to speech, she said they go by developmental age. We are supposed to insist more that she says things before we give her what she wants. And we're supposed to focus more on the beginning sound than the whole word. She's supposed to know 200 words by age 2 - we've got a looooong way to go!

Her tubes looked great. She has 2 molars already in and is cutting the other 2 still. She has a little bit of a staph infection in her diaper area. I noticed it a week or so ago, but thought it was a heat rash. We've kept it dry and clean, though, which is what the ped said was best to do. She said it wasn't bad and all we need to do is wash it with antibacterial soap. So overall, a good checkup!

The shots were a nightmare! MG did not want to lay down. When there's a stranger around she wants to be held. So we ticked her off from the beginning when I had to lay her down! Then the nurse held her legs down and wanted me to hold her upper body down. With both of us holding her down, she still managed to squirm and buck all over the place! The nurse said "wow, she really gets red!". She was yelling and crying hysterically. It was awful! There were tears and snot everywhere! She usually always calms down once I pick her back up. Not this time! She was still crying when we checked out! She did get her first sucker and sticker, though!

Speaking of sucker, it made her 1 happy little girl! She ate it the entire way home! She laughed and smiled and had the best time. She was covered head to toe in sticky sucker by the time we made it home! I filled a pan with water and let her play in it to get her hands clean. She ended up soaking wet from head to toe! At one point she even leaned all the way over and stuck her head in the pot! She loves some water!

I'm glad to have this checkup over. I'm always happy for good news!

15 months

Molly Grace, you are 15 months old today! We sang "Happy Birthday" to you tonight and you loved it! You grinned and clapped! You love being the center of attention.

You are growing so much and so fast. I just can't believe it sometimes. I'm having trouble accepting that I'm the mommy of a toddler, not a baby! Even though you are MY baby! And you always will be!

You are such a fun kid! You have a great personality, you're so funny and you love to play. This sounds funny, but you're really good at playing. You know how to play. You're constantly busy doing something. You are very rarely still, even when you sleep! You have the cutest and most contagious laugh. Your whole face lights up when you're tickled about something.

You love to be chased and to chase back! We've made lots and lots of laps around the kitchen, dining room and living room lately. You and Bandit play chase a lot, too. It's usually (Ok, always) you chasing him, though. You guys are big buddies lately. If anyone says his name, you click your tongue and pat the floor trying to call him! You even tried to give him kisses! And we found you and Bandit playing in the toilet together last weekend - yuck!

You love to play in water. Bathtime is your favorite part of the day, I think! You play so hard in there. You're really crazy about your Little People dollhouse this week. You like to ring the doorbell on it! You love books - which makes me so happy! You will sit and look at your books or one of my big books for several minutes. Sometimes you even 'read' to us.

You are very loving - as long as it's your idea! Lately you've been coming up behind us and hugging our backs! If we're holding you, you will pat our shoulder or back. You love to give kisses! You really mean business with your kisses, too. You don't give quick smacks, you're all about the open-mouthed, movie star kiss! Sometimes you forget and bite, though. That hurts!

You "talk" a lot, but it's your own language. You growl a lot, too! You even have a little boy in your class at school growling like you! You do say a couple words, but not often and only when you want to! It's never when we ask you to! You say, dada, mama (rarely!), nah-nah, and ball. You understand a lot of things we say. You will go get a diaper for us and throw your wet one away. You know when we say Bye-Bye and will usually start blowing kisses or running to the door! You know Sophie's name and will run to the door to see her. You understand No, you just don't listen to it usually! In the mornings as soon as I say "milk" you take off running for the microwave! You're a smart little cookie!

You walk and run all over the place now. You love your independence. I love when you want us to go somewhere and you come take our hands and lead us! You're definitely a little girl who knows what she wants! You've hit a shy phase, though. When we're around people you don't know you cling to us and won't say a word. But when you're somewhere familiar, you're all over the place!

You wear size 3 shoes, size 4 diapers and size 12 month clothes. You're a petite little cutie with the prettiest blue eyes and lots of brown hair! Everywhere we go we get told how beautiful and sweet you are! We never get tired of hearing it, even though we already knew that!

We love you, Baby Girl!

"Mama"

I finally got a "mama" out of my sweet girl today! But, of course, it was on her terms! I was looking through the mail and she wanted my attention so I got 2 pitiful "maaaamaaaa"s! So of course I dropped everything, scooped her up and did whatever she wanted for the rest of the night!

Molars Suck!

I couldn't find MG's toothbrush tonight (she's obsessed with it and carries it off whenever she can get her hands on it!) so I used my finger and a washcloth and I now know why she's been such a bear! She cut all 4 molars at once! Poor baby! I knew her bottom 2 were coming in, I felt them starting to poke through a couple days ago. But tonight I could feel all 4 of them poking through. My mom always says when she gets to Heaven one of the first things she's going to ask God is why it has to hurt babies so bad to cut teeth! I'm curious to know that, too!

Lazy (lazy) Sunday!

We spent the last official day of Spring Break (and Jamey's day off - finally!) being really lazy! We had a little visitor get in bed with us at 2am and that certain little girl was not interested in sleeping! She laughed and wiggled and sang for a good 3 hours! She did sleep in until 8:30 this morning, though! It was really nice having Jamey home - we miss him when he's working so much! But the thing I love the most about him is what an amazing Dad he is. He takes every advantage of the time he is home and takes such good care of MG! I'm so glad MG and I were blessed with such an amazing man! We had a nice breakfast together at the table. It's always so funny to us because we bought the table when we moved in our house almost 5 years ago. We never sat at it a single time until MG started eating in her highchair! Now we eat every single dinner at the table and our meals on the weekends. It's our family time and I love it!

We ran to Walmart to get some groceries this morning so we could spend the rest of the day doing nothing! And that's exactly what we did! We ate lunch, napped, played, ate supper, played, and now it's bedtime!

We had a pizza picnic on the living room floor for supper tonight. MG tore some pizza up! And she ate more than her share of breadsticks! She definitely got my love for carbs! We got her giant coloring book and crayons out after dinner because she was M-A-D that we couldn't go outside! She had a really good time! The poor girl doesn't understand why we spent everyday outside the first part of the week and now we're stuck inside because it's rainy and cold! She kept coming up and grabbing our hands and taking us to the doors!

I will definitely hate having to get up at 5:30 am tomorrow and I will miss my little princess terribly all day, but I'm ready to see my sweet kindergarteners, too. And now the countdown is on to SUMMER BREAK!!! I think it's something like 49 more school days!

Spring Break Wrap-Up

I'm always amazed at how quickly time passes! This past week has been a good example of how time flies. I always love being home with MG. But now that she's walking and talking and is a little person, she's so much more fun to be home with! Spring Break has made me so super excited for this summer and all the time I'll get to spend with my girl! It has also made me really want to win the lottery so Jamey and I can stay home with her everyday! Ha!

We've had an awesome week! It's been a busy one, too! MG's slept good, played hard and amazed me with her cool little personality!

(Another) Sleep Update

I think we're over the hump! MG went to sleep fast last night - she fussed maybe a minute or 2! She didn't go straight to sleep, she wiggled, stood up and got comfy a few times, but never cried! Then she went to sleep on her own and slept until 8 this morning! I love what a good mood she's waking up in! It's so much better than waking up to her crying. It's so nice to wake up well-rested rather than exhausted!

Good Night's Sleep

MG slept through the night in her own bed!!! Finally!! I woke up at 6am when Jamey was leaving and couldn't believe that she hadn't woken up at all! She slept until 8:30 this morning which was so nice! I did miss waking up with her snuggled next to me, though! But a good night's sleep was SO nice! And she woke up in the best mood!

Sleep Update

I'm trying really hard to blog about her sleep. For 1, I like to be able to look back and notice any patterns when she's having troubles. But also, if we ever have another baby, I want to be able to read MG's blog and know that it is normal and it will get better! We're like the blind leading the blind this go 'round since she's our first!

Last night wasn't so good! She was exhausted - which I think was part of the problem. She took an hour nap yesterday, but that was it. And we played outside and played hard most of the day so she was worn out. We put her to bed and she cried and yelled for the longest time. We went in a couple times to try and soothe her, but it just made her more mad when we left again. It was a good 30 minutes before she settled down and fell asleep. She woke up at midnight. I checked on her, made sure she was OK and let her settle herself. It took her 8 minutes before she was out again! I was giving her 10 before I went in there and I never made it! She got up again at 3am, but laid back down. I thought she was asleep so I snuck in to cover her up, but by the time I got in her room she was standing in her crib waiting for me! I just gave in and took her to bed with me! The little stink giggled when I picked her up! I woke up this morning hanging off the bed, literally! She was snuggled up as close as she could get, sprawled out and on my pillow! At least her and her daddy were comfy!

Tonight she fussed for maybe 4 minutes before she laid down and went to sleep. That was 2 hours ago and she hasn't budged! Fingers, toes and eyes crossed that she stays that way until morning! Or at least 3am!

First Playdate

We had a playdate at the park today with some girls from my work and their kiddos. MG had a blast! She loves the park! She really doesn't care who's there! It took her awhile to warm up (of course!). For the first little bit she was wrapped around my leg! I was so proud of her, though, because by the end she was running and playing with Amy's little girl. She even let Claire pick her up! And she (all on her own) took Amy's hand and led her around!

She claimed the slide as her own for most of the day! I think Jamey's going to have to get really creative and build her one! She got in the swing several times, chased ducks, ran wild, climbed and just had a really good time! She only had a few battle wounds! She ran into several things with her head. She hit her chin on the slide. She fell face first into a dirt hole. She face-planted on the playground. Hmmmm...I think they may have been all! Ha! We had a picnic lunch, played some more then she crashed in her car seat before we even made it out of the park!

I love watching MG discover new thing! And I love that she's finally getting to where she'll show a little of her personality to others! She's such a cute, sweet, funny, amazing little girl! But when she's around other people she just shuts down. I want others to see how awesome she is! I was really hoping she wouldn't get my shyness and timidness, but I think she may have!

Happy Day

Today's just one of those days that I love being a mom, I love being a wife and I LOVE my family! It's been so awesome having Jamey home with us for 3 days. I wish we could stay home together all day everyday and just enjoy life with eachother and Molly Grace! Ha! In a perfect world...

We really didn't do much today, but it was great! We ate breakfast together at Cracker Barrel. MG tore up some breakfast food! She ate a little bit of everything...grits, biscuit and gravy, fried apples, french toast, and hashbrown casserole! That girl can eat - she comes by that honestly, though! I was reminded again what a good kid we have! She sat in her high chair the entire time, ate, smiled, played. Never once did she fuss until Jamey left to go pay!

We ran a few places after breakfast. We're looking for some outside toys for her. I really want a climber/slide for outside, but she's too little for all the cool ones! We did get her a great pool for this summer, though, since she's such a water lover!

She took a great nap, we ate lunch, played outside for a few hours, ran to Home Depot, got a chocolate shake (which she was very fond of!), and played outside until dinner! She loves being outside. And it's so much more fun to be out there now that she's around!

Jamey's back to work tomorrow, we'll miss him! We've got a play date with some girls from work, though. Hopefully she'll be her nice self! Ha!

Zoo Day (with a picture overload!)

We took MG to the zoo for her first time today! It was the perfect day! It actually got hot! She wasn't too impressed with any of the animals - it was kind of hard for her to see most of them. But she loved being outside all day and running free! She got to taste her first frozen lemonade and ended up eating most of it! Her favorite part was playing in the wate

r! There's a little fountain at the entrance that has stairs in it that all the kids wade in - she loved loved loved it! She ended up sitting down all the way in it and we finally had to drag her out kicking and screaming! She got a sweet monkey shirt and a pink zoo sun hat for the summer as her souveniers.

On our way home we made a stop at Toys-R-Us. She had way more fun at TRU than at the zoo! Ha! She (literally) ran up and down each and every aisle playing with the toys! She came out of there pretty good! She got her pink princess fold out couch. I got one down to see what she thought and she laid right down on it in the middle of the aisle! Then she pitched a fit when she had to get up so we could put it in the cart! She got some new tub toys. She loves taking baths and was in desperate need of some toys to keep her and her daddy entertained! She also got a bubble blower, some cute pink tennis shoes and some new soft jammies. We narrowed it down and lot and put several things back! It's so hard to shop sensibly for such a cute kid! I want to buy her EVERYTHING!!!

I just have to say that she was a perfect little girl today! She never once fussed or cried in the car there or back! She watched her movie, played peek-a-boo, ate TONS of goldfish crackers and talked to us! I love that little girl so much! It's just amazing what she's brought to our lives!

Super Fun Saturday

Jamey took off today so we got to spend the whole day together (he took off Monday, too so we actually have 3 whole days together!!). He got donuts for breakfast this morning. I really thought MG would go crazy for them, but she preferred the blueberries over the donut big time! What's wrong with that kid?! ha! After a really lazy morning we got out and went to the library. MG LOVES the library! I wanted some books and she needed some videos for the car! She played her little heart out and chased a poor little girl all over the children's library! I got some really good books on sleeping, too. We'll see how those work!

After the library it was SOOO nice out so we headed to the park. This time we remembered the bread. MG wasn't scared of the ducks at all. She walked right up to them! She was still a huge fan of the rolling slide!

Tomorrow's MG's first trip to the zoo! I can't wait!

A little less bedtime drama

Last night MG slept in her crib until 2am. Then I brought her into bed with us once she woke up crying.

Tonight, we laid her down and Jamey stayed in there patting her, but it didn't help at all. We let her cry (or more like yell) for about 5 minutes then I went in there. I kissed her and reassured her that we were there and loved her. I layed her down and patted her for awhile, but everytime I'd step the tiniest bit away from her crib she was up and hysterical! I kissed her once more and left her room. She yelled (that's how we knew she was fine - it wasn't a cry, it was an "I'm really pissed that you left me in here by myself yell!") a little, but after 12 minutes she was asleep! Seriously, 12 minutes! I don't know how long it will last, but I'm so relieved right at this moment!

Serious Bedtime Drama

I will readily admit that my child is a drama queen! Not at all sure where she gets that from! Ha! We have been having some serious bedtime drama at our house for a couple weeks now. I blamed it on the time change, I blamed it on teething, I made up any excuse I could, but most of them haven't panned out! Jamey and I are exhausted! Every night this week she's fought us for at least an hour before going to sleep (and most nights it's closer to 2 hours). Then she wakes up screaming in the middle of the night and every couple hours after that until morning. The jest of it is that she wants to sleep with us! She doesn't like being in there alone (and really I don't blame her!). I love having her sleep with us, but I know it's best for her if she develops healthy sleep habits now. I would love to go in there right now (as she's crying her little heart out), grab her up and take her to bed with me! But I'm resisting with everything I have!

After trying EVERYTHING else we can think of for the past couple weeks, we've resorted to letting her cry it out tonight. It actually hasn't been that bad. We laid her down and she immediately lost it. I went back in, settled her down and laid her back down - she lost it. So I told her I loved her and left. She's been in there for about 10 minutes now. She's cried, but not a whole lot. She's walked around her crib, flung herself down, and she keeps leaning over to look at the door! God love her - she's a hard headed little thing. We agreed to try this tonight. If it works, great! If not, we'll never do it again! As I type this, she's standing in her crib, blankie in hand, with her head leaned on the railing. She's so tired but just won't give it up! Who's kid is she?! Ha!

Spring Forward = disasterous bedtime!

So seriously, the person who decided we should spring forward and fall back twice a year obviously didn't have any children! I love the longer days, but I'm not sure it's worth it for the disaster that was bedtime tonight! We've been fighting MG for 2 hours! I think she's finally out (fingers crossed!), but it took some serious blood, sweat and lots of tears! ha! By the time she finally gave in, she was covered in sweat, snot and tears from head to toe! The perfect ending for our not so great start to the day!

Parenthood may not always be pretty, but it's never boring!

One of "those" mornings!

Our morning started at 1:30am! MG woke up crying and wouldn't go back to sleep. I rocked her, I layed down in her floor, I patted her, I tried it all! Finally, an hour later I gave up and put her in bed with me. I woke up a few hours later hanging off the bed with a terrible crick in my neck! But MG was cuddled up as close to me as she could get so I just savored the sweetness of it! The next time I woke up, we had overslept and couldn't make it to Sunday School! Then as MG was flailing herself around in the bed, she headbutted my nose and gave me a bloody nose! Jamey put the wrong guard on his clippers and cut his hair too short. While I was trying to fix it, MG comes in, scoops up a handful of hair and eats it. So I spend the next 15 minutes digging hair out of her mouth and rinsing her mouth out! I wonder what will happen next! It's only 10:45am...

A Trip to the Park

The weather was gorgeous today! It was in the upper 60s, sunshine and no wind! J had to work, but when he got home we headed out to the park. I remember when we were still trying to get pregnant, we'd have those beautiful spring days and I would just long for a little one to take to the park to play! We went a couple months ago, but MG couldn't walk yet so it wasn't too much fun. Today, she had a blast! She absolutely loved the slide. She kept squealing and trying to climb back up it! Today she actually liked the swing, too. She really loved watching all the other kids playing (and there were plenty to watch since the entire town was out today!). She was really fascinated with the ducks. Next time we have to remember to take bread to feed them!