14 Months Old!

Sweet Eloise Jane, yesterday you turned 14 months old!

This past month brought many new explorations on your part. Your endless curiosity + razor sharp intelligence + tenacity are definitely giving us a run for our money. You love to investigate all things and are quick to observe and learn new tricks, such as opening garbage cans (to throw your toys into) and dismantling our baby proof devices.

You have such incredible sweetness, as evidenced by your snuggles for your sister and your endless kisses to your dollies and loved ones. You also have equal amounts of fire in your belly, as evidenced by your LOUD expressions and vehement resistance to things that don't go your way.

Here are your official 14 month updates!

How old? 14 months yesterday.

How big? BIG! In the past month I put corner protectors on my desk- and placed them on the underside of the corners, as your little head didn't yet surpass the desk. However- just the other day I observed that you have shot up taller than my desk by a long shot! You are SO tall, and your Papa and I are curious to see where that lands you height-wise as an adult. Your Papa is 6'4 after all, so it appears you got a big shake of his genetics.

You wear a size 4 shoe, size 5 diaper, and most comfortably fit into 18-24 month clothes.

Teeth? 8 now! We had two more lower teeth come through this month with a lot of fanfare (read: extreme clinginess, fussing, & overall discomfort for all parties involved).

Sleep? Great! You are still taking two naps a day (usually 10-11:30 and again 2:30-4) and sleep through the night from around 7:30pm-7am.

One new thing that has happened TWICE in the past month is you getting yourself stuck in your crib rails! The first incident involved your knee while standing, the 2nd your foot while laying down. I had to dislodge you manually both times.

Food? We've discovered you like sour things, like limes! Your expressions as you eat them are hilarious.

Sour face!

New skills?

*"Asking" for what you want. You will often take my hand and lead me places- like to your stroller- then throw a FIT if I don't follow through with what you desire (like a walk).

*Climbing. It started with you continually climbing into the playroom chair to sit and read a book or play with a toy, which is just about the cutest thing ever! From there it has evolved into climbing on TOP of the chair, into the fridge, and up the stairs.

This video shows precisely why your climbing gives me a constant heart attack!

*Not really a skill, but cute and hilarious: you love to hold clothes up to yourself like you are modeling them. You'll pick up Iyla's shirt or your pants and hold them up to your chest as you march around.

*Signing "potty" while it is happening. This is a big step toward independence in this arena, as when you get to the point of being able to sign BEFORE it happens, hallelujah! There was a day this month where I believe you were doing just that. You were in your high chair and signed potty, and knowing you'd already gone #2 earlier that day I didn't think much of it. Then when I got you down you walked immediately to your potty and I STILL didn't connect the dots until lo and behold you had a full diaper. Whoops!

*Dismantling our baby proofing efforts. You are now a bona fide expert in removing every.single corner protector I try to install.

Holding a freshly removed corner protector

Favorite things?

*Shoes! You are partial to your saltwater sandals right now and typically choose those when we go to put a pair on. You also tend to choose more than one pair to hold up to your feet, and get VERY ANGRY that we can't put on ALL THE SHOES AT THE SAME TIME.

*Sliding & swinging: you love motion!

*Going for walks/eating dirt and rocks

*Dogs: you get SO excited when you see a dog and will start panting:

*Playing in water

Not so favorite things?

*Diaper changes or clothes changes (basically anything where you can't be moving freely)

*Hair clips or hairbands. You immediately pull ANYTHING out of your hair we try to put in. Sometimes I can be sneaky and get a barrette in without you noticing but inevitably you'll locate it and pull it out, then try to eat it. You do still love to put sunglasses or things like tiaras on your head, but sadly no cute hair accessories! You are also still quite bald in front, but the back hair is growing- so it always looks like you have a bit of a comb over. ; )

*Strawberries and broccoli. Still the only two foods you immediately drop to the floor!


Here are a few more photos from your past month:

We love you so much sweet Eloise Jane! Happy 14 months to you.

14 Months!

Sweet Iyla Grace, today you are 14 months old! It has been a BIG month for you- as you are now officially a walker, talking away & exploring everything around you. You are still such a good, careful, cautious, sweet, deliberate kiddo…. I totally trust you walking around out of sight, as I'll usually find you just looking up at the Christmas tree, playing with your dollies, or walking circles through the house. It is actually easier now that you are mobile, as you can go wherever you want all by yourself! You were never a big crawler, so this has been an awesome milestone for you.

Just hanging out by the tree

Here are your 14 month updates!

How big? Here you are next to Sam!

Sleep? You are such a good sleeper! You take 2 naps a day, usually about 60-90 minutes each, and sleep from around 7:30pm straight through to 7:15am or so.

Eating? Another big milestone this past month was that we officially weaned you from breastfeeding. You now happily take 4 bottles of milk a day- in the morning, before each nap, and at bedtime. I put a little breast milk from a mini pump session in a bottle for you, and you flat out pushed it away- wanting your whole cow's milk ONLY. You have adapted well!

You are also an excellent eater. You devour your scrambled eggs every morning (which I make with onions, cilantro, lots of spinach, & a little cheese). You love chicken, fish, shrimp (if we serve you shrimp you will NOT eat anything else- you love it so much), broccoli, carrots, sweet potatoes, and cauliflower.

I love the curls that are starting to come in!

You know where we keep your bibs and will go fetch one when asked, delighting in bringing it back to the table for meal time. Such a smart girl!

Potty time? Now that you can walk, you can also stand up from your potty all by yourself- which has made things a bit more challenging. I moved your potty from your room into your bathroom and just that change has really helped. You still usually do #1 and #2 every morning and if you have to go when sat on the potty, will go.

Teeth? Still absolutely NO signs of any!

Words? This month you started saying "Mama" and "Dada" purposefully, and absolutely know those words go with BC and I. It melts our hearts! Some other words you consistently say: kitty, keys, baby (day-dee… you exclaim this every time you see a picture of a baby or when you pick up your doll!), Mama, Dada, Iyla (eye-ya), Mimi (when you see the picture of Mimi on our fridge), please, quack, duck, snack, cheese, walk ('gauk'), up (said constantly as you tug on my pants!), Lily, & Lee. You love signing milk, book, all done and more, and will pant whenever you see a dog.

Milestones?

*Walking. As per the norm for you, once you were really confident and ready, you just broke out the walking like an expert. No real toddling around, just full out walking wherever you pleased, often carrying random items with you.

We've been appreciating the open park space right down the alley from our house!

*Weaning to whole cow's milk

*Following directions! We can ask you to go get something from another room, like your water bottle or dolly, and we always know when you find it because we hear you exclaim "AH!" You understand so much.

*You are definitely going through some attachment and separation anxiety right now. Whenever a new adult comes over you typically cling to me and cry hard for a couple of minutes before warming up. You still absolutely need your own space and time with people… and need to be given the freedom to approach others on your own terms.  The exception? Other kids. You LOVE any and all kids and will go to them immediately. Our little social butterfly!

Favorite things:

*Carrying objects around the house

*Your books

We had just finished reading that pile of around 20 books, and you could have kept going!

*Watching videos of kids- especially kids singing

*Walking and playing outside

Taking a break during a family walk

*Riding on Papa's bike

*Having other kids over to play

You saw your friend Harper for the first time since you were both 3 months old! 

So fun to see how much you've both grown.

You also play with your buddy Henley several times a week. He is only 1 day younger than you! I'm so grateful his family lives right in our neighborhood, and have become good friends with his Mama Irene.

*Putting on a hat and admiring yourself in the mirror

Not so favorite things:

*Transitioning to a new activity if you are still engrossed in whatever we are doing
*Diaper or clothes changes
*Having people who are not me, Papa, or your nanny try to hold you or get too close too soon

Not happy about cousin Miles trying to hold you down for a photo. 

The expressions in this photo are priceless!

*Patience. Especially when I am cooking!

Postpartum body?

*BC and I have been doing a cleanse and taking a couple of weeks to eat extra healthy. It has definitely made a difference already, and I am now again below my pre pregnancy weight.

*My chest has deflated a bit with the weaning, though this past month I had some fullness and discomfort as everything adjusted. Weaning was definitely a bit sad, though liberating at the same time.

*'Knocking on wood'- my Mommy Thumb has been GREAT since the last steroid injection! It definitely helps that I am picking you up less now that you are mobile.

*I've been doing 30-40 minutes of yoga in the evenings while you play with Papa, and it's felt great to get back into an exercise routine.

We love you so much sweet girl, and are delighting in every step of your journey!