Anyway, in the last month, Susan has become extremely busy. A lot times, the changes and milestones are subtle for us. But when my parents see her weekly or every two weeks, they always marvel at how much she has changed. Same with Chris' parents. Well, right around the 4th of July, she went through a major Wonder Week. She went from exploring like a normal toddler to what can only be described as a baby on tons of caffeine. Seriously. She could not stop moving. And she wanted to stand or climb everywhere. My parents noticed it at the cook-out, and they had just seen her. We could even tell it was going on, that is how drastic of a difference it was. And she couldn't turn her little brain off at night. Usually, Susan falls asleep within 5-10 minutes of laying down in her crib at night. Well the first and second week of July (it has leveled off some now), it would take her 30 minutes some nights because she was just so amped up. We knew she was tired but becuase of whatever was going on developmentally, she just couldn't quiet things down. Even my father-in-law, who came the weekend after the 4th, said when we were out to dinner, "I have never seen her with so much energy."
Things have levelled off some, but she is still a true Energizer Bunny. She just goes and goes. And we go right along with her.
Weight: 29 pounds
Height: 33 inches
Next Appointment: Her next Well Child visit is on 9/19 at 18 months. However, on 8/15 she will be getting tubes for her ears. We have been battling ear infections since the fall, and she has had 4 since Easter. She even has a little hearing loss because there is still fluid that hasn't drained. No hearing loss behind the fluid - which is good. That means once she gets the tubes and the fluid can drain, everything should sound a lot clearer for her.
Teeth: 16 but she seems to be showing some teething symptoms again. Not sure if it is the eye teeth working their way down more or her two-year molars and at this point, I don't even care. We risk losing a finger when we check so now we have adopted a "Let it Be" attitude.
New Foods: Peanut butter! She isn't allergic and loves it! We have made her PB&J sandwiches (with Penguin cut outs) and she loves them. I hate peanut butter so I have to try not to make faces when I smell it, but I am glad she likes it. It is a great food and it is a relief that we don't have to worry about that allergy.
Clothing Size: Still 18 months with some 2T and 24m stuff. I am buying 2T for her fall clothes. I have bought an adorable smocked pumpkin dress and a Monster Mash long bubble. I can't believe we are already thinking about Fall, but it is just around the corner.
Shoe Size: Seven! I forgot to add this a while back. When she first started wearing shoes in the fall, she started in size 4. In April, her shoe size was a 5 to 5.5. She was in a size 6 for a hot second, but now she is in a 7! So while her overall growth has slowed down, her feet are growing fast!
Sleeping: She is still sleeping 10.5 to 11 hours every night. And she has officially transitioned to one nap. Her nap starts anywhere from 12:30 to 1:00 p.m. (but no later) and she naps until about 3:30. Bedtime is between 7:30 and 8:00 p.m. and she sleeps until about 6:30 or 7:00 a.m. the next morning. It is wonderful! She still gets a little sleepy around 10 a.m., so if she dozes in the car or something, no biggie. But we can't let her have a little hour nap in the morning anymore. We learned that she was ready for the one nap switch a few weeks ago when we let her have the morning 1-hour siesta, and then sister did not want to have an afternoon nap. And let me tell you, the MOST IMPORTANT nap is in the afternoon. So, after that day, we gave up morning nap and never looked back.
Diaper Size: Size 5. Since her growth has slowed way down, we still might be in this size for a while.
Favorite Toys: She still loves books, but I am not sure if they are still her number one favorite. She also loves her purse and bracelets. She will put on the bracelets and purse and then walk towards the garage door blowing kisses and saying bye-bye. She also loves her Mega Blocks. She isn't stacking huge towers, but she loves to stack a few together and then pull them apart again. She also loves her stuffed animals - her lemur, her wolf and then the stuffed animals that we keep in her crib (baby, bunny and bear). When we read her a story before nap or bedtime, she always holds her bear. She also loves her wading pool and playing with bubbles outside. She thinks the bubbles are hilarious.
Likes: She likes pretty much everything. There really isn't a food or activity that she doesn't want to do or try. She really likes to climb on the furniture right now - it's her favorite new trick/skill. She also loves to visit the Museum of Life and Science in Durham. The Museum is by far the coolest thing in Durham. We bought a year pass after our first visit because we knew we would go a lot. We have gone three times and it is just the coolest. It has tons of fun stuff for toddlers up to big kids. And it's huge!
Dislikes: She doesn't like being told "No" or when she has to do something she doesn't want to do. For example, if we are outside and its time to come inside, and she knows we are about to pick her up, she will sit down to begin her tantrum. This is kind of when I realized that not all tantrums are avoidable. Some tantrums are caused by a lack of communication and understanding (i.e., she gets frustrated that we don't understand her) and so when we can figure out what she wants, then it is easier. But some tantrums and fits are caused by doing things she doesn't want to do. We know she wants to stay outside but she can't. And it is important for her to learn that she can't always do what she wants. Thankfully, when she is feeling like a tantrum, she is very easy to distract. We don't pick her up or coddle her, we just walk into the den and say "Hey, let's read a book" and start reading or we start sorting blocks or whatever. She almost immediately forgets about whatever upset her and comes running to join us. We are empathetic that coming inside felt like the worse thing in the world -- "We know your upset Susan but let's go read Brown Bear." And we don't ignore the tantrum by saying things like, "You're okay" or "That's not a big deal." And we don't coddle her or pick her up (we do that when she is actually hurt, like she slipped and fell or something). Because to her, it does feel like the end of the world and I get that. And I don't want to tell her that her feelings are wrong (by telling her it's not a big deal). I just want to teach her a better way to deal with those feelings (This all part of Toddler Whispering, lol). It is going petty well and the great thing is, she gets the same treatment whether she is with us or at her grandparents' house or at school. Everything is consistent. She isn't allowed to do things at her grandparents that she can't do at home. Same with daycare, which is very important so that she knows that Mom and Dad are supreme and while her grandparents may spoil her, if her parents say she can't do something, then she can't do it, no matter what. (I write this because apparently, one time when my dad, in his serious voice, told her to stop throwing her food at the Science Center, she cried actual real tears like he broke her heart. She quickly forgave him two seconds later when she forgot all about it.)
Milestones: I guess I kind of covered it but she is saying more words and phrases. She says side or outside, bubble, truck, get down, sit down, mine, etc. And she understands even more. She also knows a few of her animal sounds. When we point to the cow and ask what the cow says, she says "moo." She has that one down pat. In a very distant second are pig, horse and dog. If we ask her to bring us something or to help with something, she can do it. She knows what to do when we say "Let's go wash hands" or we say "Where is your purse?" Everything is changing so fast - I do wish she would slow down. But it is a lot of fun and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
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| 16 Months Old - Playing Bye Bye with her baby and purse! |
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