2.19.2019

Rory Jane- 16 Months


This age can be hard, physically because you are all over the place and into everything but not quite old enough for punishment beyond redirection which can seem constant sometimes. But goodness, I love this age because your personality is just flourishing and I feel like when connections are made they are on your own accord and not because we initiated it, and it just makes loving you that much sweeter. Please, Please, Please can we freeze frame time.

Some Highlights:

-You will blow kisses saying "mmmmuh" and sometimes adding your had to your mouth. When we ask for hugs you will give us hugs but you have started coming up to us (especially Caroline) and just leaning in for a hug every now and then

- Just recently you have been coming up to me holding your "baaah"s (books) wanting to sit in my lap and read them. Sometimes you will even bring a blanket with you to snuggle up in. Your favorite books right now are Spot Books, Hand Hand Fingers Thumb, There's a Wocket in my Pocket, Hop on Pop and A Million Chameleons. I am so glad you are finally interested in sitting for a story. You had no interest in books before and now all of a sudden you love the little board books you can carry around.

- You love to play peek a boo and we will say "where's Rory" and you come out from behind your hands and we say "there she is" and you just smile.

- You have started to count to three. We will say one and you will say two and "teeee" for three, it a drawn out/excited way.

- You say "Thank you" pretty clearly now but if you are being lazy, you still say it but your sort of just grunt "uh uh". "All Done" is also very clear. You can also say, more, please, hi dog, bye dog, good girl, we even got an "I love you" on Valentine's Day. Milk still sounds like "more"

- You like to help me do the laundry and push wet clothes into the dryer. You will also hand me clean clothes to fold one by one and also hand the folded clothes to me when I put them away.

- Even when you are full you will always walk up to us saying "more" to have bites of the food we might be eating.

- Your favorite songs right now are "If You're Happy and You Know It", "Wheels on the Bus" "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and you really like the song "La La Lue" at bedtime. If I start singing it you will bury your hands between us and put your head on my shoulder. It's the sweetest.

-It is your mission to throw away your wet diapers. You get really mad when it's a dirty one that I take outside, because you really like to throw the others away yourself.

-You love to go outside, for any reason, but we can't just let you out the front door or garage because you bolt for the street. You have started to explore the new back yard this month and found a pile of rocks in the corner of the yard that you have the best time just picking up and examining.

-You will choose the blocks to play with upstairs more than most toys but this month you discovered a love for baby dolls. Caroline gifted you her prized "Baby Anna" Doll and you are in LOVE. It has even translated into you being interested in real babies. You will go up to any baby car seat or stroller and say "baby, baby" over and over, and you get very excited when there is actually a baby inside.

-When we take Caroline to gymnastics, there is a TV in the lobby that you have to watch to see the slide of the owner's dog's picture on it. You clap your hands and say "woof woof" and want to run up to the screen when you see it. The staff thinks it is so funny, and you actually got to meet that dog this month when the owner saw you get so excited.

- You are starting to listen to us a little bit better when we are trying to steer you away from getting into something you aren't supposed to. You at least pause to consider our opinion haha.

- You are learning to master the stairs like a champ and can come down them pretty quickly. We still have a gate at the top of the stairs but let you attempt them when we are around and it won't be long before you will be trustworthy to master them on your own.