16 and 17 months

Our crazy little Lucy is 17 months old (tomorrow)!  She is the most energetic person I know.  I don't think people comprehend how busy she is, until they see her go with their own eyes.  She is such a little munchkin, she looks like she shouldn't be able to move as quickly as she does.  She loves to climb on everything, runs everywhere she goes and rarely walks, loves her friends and is the happiest little girl on earth.  She smiles all day long and thinks everything is hilarious, which we love because we constantly get to hear her adorable little giggle.

She LOVES going to her little Gymboree classes with her best friend, Finn.  She can't get into the play area fast enough and shrieks with excitement the whole time she's in there.  Her favorite thing to do is walk up the slide by herself (thank you, Josh, for teaching her that one), and to flop onto her tummy when she gets to the top and slide down.  She darts down this little ramp the kids are supposed to walk up, and refuses any help while she's charging it.  I'm sure we'll split a chin open any day now because she is constantly in fast motion.

She finally had a mini growth spurt!  I am guessing she gained a pound or two, but haven't weighed her.  I'm assuming she is 18 or 19 lbs these days- a tiny little air filled midget.  She adores the bath and always asks to take one.  She is heart broken if we tell her she can't take one.  She LOVES Tangled.  I think it may be tied with Home Alone these days, and could pass it up very shortly.  She is talking more and more every day, which is so nice!   She mimics a lot of what we say, which makes me realize how careful we need to be around her.  We have been doing the My Baby Can Read program for about 5 weeks, and she can read three words now!  She has eyes, nose and clap down, and I couldn't be more proud!!!!  We are going to attempt to potty train her in a couple of months.  She is showing several signs that she is ready and we are excited about it.  We aren't sure what to expect, but hope it goes well.

Lucy loves to be pulled around on her sled.

She also still LOVES to eat and is the healthiest little eater I know.  She has still only had sugar once in her life, on her first birthday.  She thinks candy is a toy, and loves blueberries.  I am so proud!

She loves her Dada.  Every time my phone rings, she rushes over to it so excited to talk to 'Dada dada'!

Loving the Little Gym

Another one of her favorite things to do is climb, jump, and play on our bed.

Lu would stay outside all day if we would let her.  Unfortunately, she runs straight for the street any chance she gets.  I can't take my eyes off of her for half a second.

More gymnastics class.

You can't use the bathroom without peeping Tom keeping an eye on you.

She can wear a big girl pony tail now!

Sprinting through the mall.

On Valentine's Day!

Loves her babies.

Gymboree

She stashes all of her crap under our couch.  I pull this out from under there at the end of every day.

She loves her Finn.  He is indifferent about her.

Loved the tattoos and stickers Aunt Mari and Uncle Chris sent for Valentine's Day,

and the balloons we got her.

The only thing she will sit still for these days...Tangled.

She did NOT like the car wash.  She had this sad look of concern on her face the whole time we were in there and just whimpered.  Poor baby!

Has slippery hair that looks like this throughout the day:

The absolute BEST smile on earth:

15 Months

 

This little sunshine is almost 16 months old, so it's probably time for me to do her 15 month update.  At her 15 month doctor appointment her doctor confirmed what we already knew: that she is tiny, to quote the Dr, 'extremely socially advanced', considerably more flexible than other kids/babies, one of the busiest babies she has ever seen, right on track with verbal and motor skills, and about to get a top tooth.  At 15 months Lucy is also:

• walking everywhere!  She started doing this at about 14.5 months.  Finally!  She had been standing and taking a few steps here and there for 3 months.  Then, one day, she decided to give up crawling and was an expert walker.  She just wanted to teach us a lesson in patience.
• still obsessed with Home Alone and imitates Kevin's aftershave face smacking/screaming scene every time she knows it's coming.  She even does it randomly throughout the day while playing, eating and trying to go to sleep.
• loves to do somersaults, be tossed on the couch and have pillow fights.  This is no delicate baby here.  
• likes to color for a few minutes here and there, especially on the walls, floor and her toys.  We're working on that one.
• loves bath time and races up the stairs to take one.
• still happy pretty much all the time, but when she's not, she'll let you know.  Her tantrums are short lived, thank goodness, and usually don't last more than 15 seconds.
• still eats like a champ.  She especially loves guacamole and cold oatmeal with blueberries (yes, cold oatmeal...so gross!).  She loves to mooch off of our plates.  If we are eating a snack, she comes right over to us and rubs out backs and gives kisses and then signs 'eat' and 'please' so we'll give her a bite.
• does several signs and says a few words to communicate.
• loves to have a dance party.  She came up with a little marchy dance that she does that she thinks is hilarious.
• Still loves other babies and little kids.  She is so social, it makes me a little nervous.  She isn't afraid of anyone and I'm afraid she is just going to walk away with someone if I turn my back for more than half a second.
• only 17 lbs. and has officially dropped below the 0% mark on the charts.  She is now 35% for height and 5% for head size.  She is just a tiny little bean, like her mama.
• climbs on anything and everything she can.
• LOVES to be outside, even in the middle of a frigid Utah winter.  She will bring me her coat and boots and then walk to the front door and sign please.  It's so cute, I have to take her out there even if it's just for a few minutes.
• still loves her accessories and shoes.  She brings me scarves, shoes and bows throughout the day to help her put them on.  
• loves to crawl and walk around with shirts, blankets, etc over her head.  She would do this all day long if I would let her.  
• knows where her and your eyes, ears, teeth, and belly button are.
• loves her baby dolls.  She puts them up on her shoulder and pats their back and gives them kisses.  She will take any toy really, and pretend it's a baby and do the same to the block, ball, chap stick, blanket, etc.
• still the busiest baby I have ever seen.  She is Spiker through and through.  The child NEVER stops moving.  Ever.  It is exhausting, but I wouldn't have it any other way.  I just wish I had a little more of her energy.  We are all very tired by the end of the day.

We couldn't love this firecracker any more than we do.  She owns our hearts and we wouldn't have it any other way.  She has the most precious face on earth and it probably keeps her from getting in trouble when she's naughty.  She is smart, and happy, and feisty, and lovable in every possible way.  We love her so completely.

I was going to wait until the blog was private to do anymore posts, but it will only let me add 50 readers to my list.  Does anyone know how to add more readers than that? 

14 Months

 

Our precious girl is 14 months old!  She continues to grow and shine, learn and play every single day.  She is still the busiest baby ever and is hilarious to watch.  Every little thing she does is magic and we are entertained by her 100% of the day.

At 14 months, Lucy:

• is obsessed with the movie Home Alone.  She especially loves the part where Kevin attacks the burglars.  She doesn't even blink for those 15 minutes.  It is the only thing on earth she will sit still for.  It's amazing, really.  
• can walk, well take enough steps to get from one room to the next, but still chooses to crawl. 
• is teething.  She still only has 2 bottom teeth, but her top right tooth will be poking through any day.  
• still sleeps and naps well.  She used to do 12 hours at night, but since day light savings, she's been doing more like 11 hours a night, with two 2 hour naps a day.
• loves other kids and babies.  
• gives kisses voluntarily throughout the day.  She makes the cutest 'ooooooooo' sounds when she wants to kiss you.  We love it.  She is showing more signs of becoming a cuddler, but she can't keep from moving long enough to actually do it.  She gives hugs, short little snuggles, and pats you on the back which is the cutest thing ever.
• is still the tiniest little thing.  She weighs about 16.5-17 lbs.  She can still wear half of her 3-6 month clothes from last winter.  Even though she is a bean, I get tired and achy when I hold her too much.  
• has shown the beginnings of a temper.  Finn and her battled it out over a book the other day and when he finally took it from her she clenched her fists, turned red, growled and her whole body shook!
• loves to make messes and empty any box, drawer, or container that she can.
• can climb up and down the stairs.
• loves to pretend she is talking on the phone.  She puts it up to her ear, says 'yep', nods and speaks gibberish.  She can unlock my phone and I often find all of my settings messed up.
• can sign please, eat, and more.  It is so cute.  She just started doing it one day.  I never really pushed the signing thing with her, I would just do it a few times a day when I would talk to her, and then one day she just started doing it.  She knows when to use each sign to tell me what she wants, and it's actually been really convenient.
• still isn't talking too much.  She says dada, hot, soft, nigh nigh, yep, woof, moo, and moe for more.  I got her to say Santa (sa-ta) twice, but she mostly just laughs at me and shakes her head when I try to get her to talk.  She mostly grunts and leans when she wants something.
• still loves her accessories.  She plays with them throughout the day.  Her favorite thing is still a scarf.  She also loves shoes.
• loves to go outside.  She just plays with the leaves and we dance, and she crawls around on a blanket.  She LOVES it.  She loves the wind, always has, and gets so happy when a breeze hits her.  We go on walks almost daily.  She gets so excited when she knows we're going outside. 
• loves her dad!  She gets so excited when he comes home from work.  It's the most darling thing ever.  She still will take me over him though most of the time.  I think the further away from nursing we get, that will change.
• doesn't nurse anymore.  We stopped about 3.5 weeks ago. It's been very bittersweet.  She is doing great without it though, which makes me feel better about stopping. I think the transition was slow and long enough that it wasn't shocking to her when we were done.  She now drinks almond milk with a little bit of whole milk mixed in.
• is so smiley, and playful, happy and fun.  I love that she is such a happy baby, and that is shows on her face.  She seriously smiles all day long.  It brings joy to my heart.
• looks like Cindy Lou Who, especially when her hair is in pigtails.  She is the cutest baby ever.

I think that's it for her 14 month update.  We feel like she changes in some way everyday.  She is constantly learning something new, or hitting another milestone.   It's amazing and we couldn't be more proud of her.   We love every last ounce of you Lucy Lu!

Private

I think the time has come for us to go private.  I was really hoping we wouldn't have to do this, because private blogs are such a pain, but I think it's something we need to do.  So, if you would like an invite, leave your email in the comment section below (my comment moderator is on so no one will see your addresses).  I will take our blog private sometime in the next few weeks.   I really will make more of an effort to update our BHBH blog more often, which will stay public, so you can still follow along there for an occasional, small Lucy update.

And to the lovely anonymous person who left that oh-so-special comment for me last week, please don't ask for an invite to our blog.  I hope that you will respect this request of mine.

Our Family

Pictures by the most talented, Jen Herem.