This little lady is a handful, but it is the best time! When we play, she loves to hide from her Papa with me and then we run up to him and tickle him. When I have music on, she grabs a stuffed animal by the arms and spins around. She loves people, is the wiggliest toddler around and would probably live outside if we let her. I love her love of play and wonder. Happy 16th month!
one night she freaked out unless i carried her in the bumbo. so. heavy.::
sometimes sink baths are the only reason i can make dinner:::
oh, little pim. we discovered the german little pim a few weeks ago at the library. after renewing the discs and Z's excitement, we decided to buy the set. it is the only show she watches & usually i cash in my one episode while i make dinner. it is so cute! :::
a regular thing:::
insisting that she sits at her own seat. it actually worked for a while:::
I take her to the indoor playground at the mall and she has (mostly) learned to take turns climbing up the slide & going down. I am one to stay close, at least while she is still so small/ runs away/ needs assistance in interacting with other kids:::
devouring a bratwurst:::
the obsession with dirt, sticks & anything she finds on the ground to put in her mouth:::
she put her entire face into her food:::
I have been feeling so discouraged about food lately. It seemed like every single food item I offered was immediately rejected. She wanted milk instead. Something happened in the past couple weeks and she has devoured many foods that she would usually reject. I am so proud. I want a healthy/ adventurous eater so badly. She had radishes, cod in a tomato sauce, fresh Parmesan, veggie pizza (really loving the broccoli & onions!), lentils, red rice, sugar snap peas, pimento cheese, lobster bisque, tuna salad, entire bananas, "cuties" (we have shared so many!), Fettuccine Alfredo, oatmeal, veggie quesadillas, eggs, roasted carrots, spaghetti with peas, bbq & croissant with honey. Of course, she will eat butter by itself, fries, yogurt drops, too much milk (I'm trying!) and the things she eats when I'm not around (I don't think i want to know). So, not perfect but we will get there. I just could not believe that she actually ate with us the past couple weeks. *Please don't be a phase & say that the hunger strike was a teething thing*
Zara's diet is on my mind a lot, but so is her sleep schedule. I am finally admitting it- we have a bad sleeper. Maybe not the worst ever, but it is not good. She wakes up at least twice per night but one of those times turns into something terrible. She wakes up screaming her head off and refuses to lay back down. She even refuses milk. I am too tired to make decisions during these 3am-4am-5am wake up calls so I end up on the couch with a wiggly toddler for hours sometimes. It is always at least 40 minutes. Sometimes when the alarm goes off, we have only been asleep 30 minutes! Jonas takes her in the night too and we take turns getting the milk/ paci/ whatever so she will go back to sleep, but we have discovered she will not even think about bed until she has Mama. I am grateful for this because I love her so, but I look forward to sleeping through the night again. I sort of need my sanity & not to look like a zombie.
*Z is still in size 4 diapers. Size 12-18 month clothes. & she has 12 teeth with a few showing through.
*Zara loves to pour out blocks, etc. and move them around with her hands. I do this with her and we both laugh and laugh.
*She gives goodbye kisses constantly. Mostly she will blow a kiss, but occasionally she leans in to put her cheek next to someone (a kiss). One day she was climbing the ladder to the slide & I asked for a kiss, so she came right down and gave me a kiss and made me kiss her stuffed bear.
*New words!:: Shoe, Yes, No, Dog, Katze (sounds a like something different, but I know what she means), Na Ne(Banana). She totally said "thank you" so clearly when we asked her to! She tries to say "Bella" (our neighbor) and it sounds like "Yella". & Ta Da! We have a lot of general baby babble going on here too!
*She is so amused when she climbs on the couch cushions like the cat.
*Z is gaining more independence and would like to leave the house without being carried. Usually she stops to grab a stuffed animal (mostly her dog, Boo). She knows when to find her shoes for "bye bye" and is eager to get her jacket on.
*After trying a new food, or getting tired of one in her mouth, she spits it out and hands it to me. Thanks. haha. She also likes to throw it on the ground when she is finished.
*Getting milk is so fun. Z will tell me when she wants milk or lay down on her specific milk drinking pillow. Sometimes she follows me to the kitchen to supervise and make sure I am getting the milk. Then she will run back to her pillow and wait. Love it.
*We were going really strong with reading for a while, but Z is too busy for that lately. We can usually only catch her interest early in the morning or when she is tired.
*Z is definitely a typical toddler when it comes to tantrums but with other kids, she does really well. She enjoys other kids and loves to observe them. She may cry or seem frustrated if they take a toy from her or knock her down, but she does not react too fast. I love watching those interactions. I always wonder what she will do.
*Z always wants to be doing something & does not like to be held if she can walk around and get into something. I have had a hard time when we are in our yard because she ALWAYS wants to go see the neighbors and play in their yard.
*Z will help sweep, rake and clean things on the floor. She's so sweet. But you know, most of the time she is the one pouring the cat's food into her water bowl or dumping out yogurt. ha.
*I am loving the cuddles I get now. For a while, Z would hardly lay down with me. Now it is normal for her to fall asleep with me on the couch. love that!
*Sometimes she just needs to lay down and chill out for a few minutes so she is not so cranky!
*She pushes me away from the kitchen or bathroom counter to get my attention.
