Thursday, November 4, 2010

Gillian Grace is 15 months old!

Dear Sweat Bean,

It's now a few days into November and though I haven't posted monthly updates since your 12 month birthday, I've decided to continue with quarterly postings until your second birthday! I am officially late with this posting though since we marked your 15 month milestone back on October 20th.

Each month seems busier than the last, and life isn't showing signs of slowing down any time soon. You are busier than ever, which means there isn't much downtime in our house. You are always on the go!


You have become quite the talker and we've dubbed you "Radio 2" or "R2" after the original non-stop babbler in the family, Grandad! Most of your jibber-jabber consists of words you just make up, but more and more you've begun spouting words that we recognize and understand! You like to hum and sing, though most of the songs are GG originals.

"Hi" and "bye" are still some of your favorite words, and you've nearly perfected your timing of the wave goodbye. You used to wave and say "buh-bye" as your visitor slipped from view, but now you wave and say goodbye right on cue just as they begin to go. We're working on "thank you" and "please" but still have a ways to go, though you do have the "puh" sound down pat!


I'm pretty sure that Heaven has a disco, because you were born with a love of music and a boogie in your step! You dance wherever you go and anywhere you hear music. We can be in the middle of the grocery store and the second you hear a catchy tune, you begin to shake your groove thing for all to see. Your favorite tunes to dance to are usually those in tv commercials. You can be in the middle of playing when the iPad commercial with it's doo doo doo, doo doo doo doo comes on and you'll stop, get, up, and bounce every single time! You're such a happy toddler!



You love your family, but still aren't too sure about most grownups and take a little while to warm up to anyone new. Kids still fascinate you and you've begun calling anyone your size or smaller, "bay-bee" (baby), which usually results in giggles from anyone within earshot!

Though most of the time you're as good as gold, you do have your not-so polite moments. We've seen more tantrums since you turned one, and Dr. Shearer assured us that the "Terrible 2s" often begin around this time and that you're just testing your boundaries. As hard as it is for me, I am pretty firm with you and can hold my ground, though I often feel like crumbling and giving into your every whim. Luckily for you, Gammie and Daddy aren't quite as strict with you as your Momma, but that's okay too. Every kiddo needs those spoilers in the family, and you've got more than your share of people that adore and spoil you rotten! I'm pleased to say that you've become quite accustomed to the word "no" and now just shake your head back and forth each time you hear it, as though you're confirming to us that you understand what we're telling you.



We've begun working with you on blowing kisses and you've almost got it down. Even though your delivery looks a bit more like a playful slap on the lips followed by a puff of air, we love it anyway, clapping every time!

You're not as much of a sympathy crier as you used to be, though you still don't like to hear anyone in distress. You love to share with everyone, and have become quite the helper around the house. You love to clean up and put things away, a trend I can only hope will continue through your childhood. We're thinking that Barnes and Noble will soon be your favorite store, as you love books and try all the time to read. Sometimes we'll hear you playing, only to suddenly hear silence. When we sneak up to check on you, we often find you sitting criss-cross applesauce amid a pile of your books reading! You're such a little Miss Smarty Pants!


You recognize faces and love to point to pictures around the house. You are obsessed with shoes and bouncy balls! You'd wear your shoes all day, every day if you could and everything round is a "bah-all" to you. Though we correct you with the appropriate word every time, we're proud of your consistency with shapes. There's no denying you know what it means to be round!

The holidays are just around the corner, and Daddy and I couldn't be more excited to share the upcoming season with you! I just know you will grow to love the Holidays as much as we do, and I'm quite certain that with all the "bah-alls" on the Christmas tree, it will be one of your favorite decorations!


You soak up new knowledge like a sponge and we enjoy watching you make those connections and learn new things each day! Your comprehension is astonishing and we are in constant awe of all that you can do and understand. You never cease to amaze us!


You've grown so big and so much has changed, we don't even know what to expect next. But we do know that it would be hard for our lives to get any better! With you, life is near perfection!

We love you bigger than the sky,
Momma


15 Month Stats

Height: 31 inches long

Weight: 25.2 pounds

Shoe Size: 5 (and sometimes wide--- You have a chubby lil' foot!)

Clothes Size: Mostly 24 month, and some 2T. The 24 month pants are a bit too long, but we always find ways to make it work.

Diaper Size: 4 daytime/5 nighttime

Food: grilled cheese, apple sauce, bananas, chicken nuggets, oatmeal, strawberries, pancakes, any kind of pasta, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, spinach quesadillas

Words and Phrases: Hi, Bye, Momma, Daddy, GG (Gammie?), Moon, "Iggy" (Pig), "Elbo" or "Mo" (Elmo), "Bah-all" (ball), Bubbles, More, "Bay-bee" (baby), Pool, No, Bath, Bed, Bottle, Bow---I'm sure there's more, but I'm drawing a blank!



{Don't forget to enter the Creme de la Gems giveaway, there's still time!}

14 comments:

Kristin said...

Adorable! Love your letter. :)

Shannon said...

she is so cute!

I have to warn you- our terrible twos with owen were from 16-20 months. Good luck!!!

Aly @ Analyze This said...

The last photo is absolutely precious!! Such a big smile and that cute little double chin (it's totally ok to say that now. When she gets older, so NOT cool)! I can't get over how much she looks like you, Shannon!!

Happy 15 months GG!! You are so loved by your sweet Momma and Dad!! :) Very lucky girl!

Mama K said...

Great post! It's so fun for me to compare with Little Man and see what we have to look forward to. He's really getting into the "dancing" now whenever he hears music. So fun to watch!

New Mommy!!! said...

Happy 15 Months GG!! Love these posts too! I didn;t complete Nik's for 19 Months, but they typically overlap and such, and it's so tedious, ha!

I'm glad you shared, though, I LOVE reading them!

Amazing our children are potty training themselves, ha!

I saw Laura's blog, and it;s fabulous. I hope one day you can do mine with all the bells and whistles. We can;t right now, hubs would kill me, but I have been dying for tabs. I have tried to do them myself, I am so impressed that you learned all that. It's easy but difficult, if that makes sense. I'm sure once you get the hang of it it's like clockwork, but it's the getting it the first time I always have trouble with. I'm always afraid I'm going to loose my blog info, ha!

Congrats on the new bus! So proud and happy for you!

Laura@The Oily Cupboard said...

i think you'll be safe from attitude w/gg....lily started her terrible 2's at 10m ...no stinkin joke. girl lily came out doing her own thing! i just need to learn how to join her! whew!

loved all the photos! i will def have to do more of this w/baby #5.

Lexie Loo, Lily, Liam & Dylan Too said...

Happy 15 months to your sweet girl!!!

Liz said...

dude, at this rate, she'll be taller than kate by age 2!

Annie said...

Happy 15 months GG!!
LOVE that little outfit :)

Liz said...

Happy 15 months!!! I must be really behind on reading my blogs because this is the first time I've seen the new layout. It looks fabulous!! :)

Jennifer said...

I can't believe GG is 15 months already! I feel like I 'know' her and that she is growing up so fast...LOL! She is so precious and you are so blessed to have a beautiful, happy, healthy little girl. This is such a fun age but hard at the same time. As they test their boundaries, they test your patience. Terrible 2's do start early :)

Unknown said...

awww, happy 15 months! Time sure flies by!

Jumping Jack said...

Such cute pictures of Miss GG! She sounds exactly like Jack (he was born on July 19). He loves to "read" book and he is always bringing me his shoes to put on him - they are so funny! I wish I could get him to eat pasta and potatoes, but he prefers green peas to any of the "good" stuff. Crazy kid!

Have a great weekend and good luck with the new biz. I'm heading over there now. We need a new look and with my little Etsy shop going CRAZY, I just don't have the time to do it anymore.

Annette said...

Happy 15th month Gilly! This is a great tribute to her age--capturing all her milestones and words. I love that she adores dancing and books. My little boy (at age two) loves to say hi and bye too. Children are just so fun to observe at this age. Oh, and yes, the "terrible two's"...they do start around this time with the little tantrums, but she'll learn quickly that her Mama will stand firm :) This was so fun to read!