18-21 Months

So I'm actually 21 months old now, but we'll backtrack a bit, for old times sake . . .

At my 18 month appt, I weighed 23.5 pounds and measured 32 inches tall. I have 16 teeth (including my recently errupted canines). Some of my accomplishments in the past 3 months include: mastering a spoon and fork, speaking at least 50 words (a lot more now, Mom stopped keeping track after I turned 18 months old and putting my words together in complete sentences), identifying and naming all of my body parts, and can tell you how old I am. I have also learned about 10 letters of the alphabet by associating them with the names of people and things I love! :) I can even sing the entire alphabet fairly well, right through "now I know my ABCs". I can identify all of my shapes, including octagon (that one sure surprised Mommy, Daddy, and Grandma). I also know all of my colors - my favorite color is purple. I love to help around the house - I feed the dogs every night, unload the dishwasher, and put the laundry in the dryer. Animals are still my most favorite thing, except for bugs, not very fond of those, unless it comes to chasing spiders or smashing ants (much to Mom's dismay). Most recently I got to spend time with Grandma Kay and Grandaddy Nip's goats, and Packer the donkey during my trip to Wisconsin - this has also assisted me in perfecting my animal noises. Lastly, I've been practicing my bike riding skills every day - first step was actually keeping my feet on the pedals, and now I am slowly but steadily learning how to push them myself!

I've been really busy since my last post; below are some highlights of me meeting new animals at the Georgia Aquarium and Yellow River Game Ranch, riding "horsey", and Thanksgiving! (As always, you can view more pictures in the slide show below, or visit my web album).

15 months

Wow, so Mom might actually create a post on time!!!

Today (Friday, May 29th) I had my 15 month well child visit. I weighed in at 21 lbs 2 oz and I am 30.5 inches long - I gained 3 lbs and grew more than 2 inches over the past three months!

I've been standing up on my own and walking for approximately 2 weeks (this has allowed me more mobility to shake my booty). Since the last post, Mommy, Daddy, and I hiked the 8 mile AT section from Clingmans Dome to Newfound Gap with our friends, Stephie and Adam Kissel. I loved every minute of it!!! This past weekend I went to my cousin Camryn's 2nd birthday party - my favorite part was eating strawberries, as you can see . . .

Hopefully this June the cousins will be coming up to visit me for a trip to the game ranch. In addition, I've overheard that my godparents shall be coming up to visit this month as well! And finally, I'm really looking forward to Grandpa Terry, Grammie Connie, Uncle Lukie, and Aunt Jilly Bean coming to town over the 4th of July!!!

As always, for more pictures, please view the slideshow below (you can skip ahead to the more recent pictures, or click on the link to view my web album).

Boo Boo

Well, we all knew it would happen eventually - my first real boo boo. Friday morning, May 15th, I was playing happily on the kitchen floor while Mom was cleaning up after my delicious and nutritious breakfast, when I managed to get my thumb caught in a hole in the grate below the oven. My whimpering prompted my Mom to believe I was constipated (and in her defense, she was only trying to comfort me), but when she picked me up and pulled my arm away from the oven, I left behind a large portion of my thumbnail. As expected, a vast quantity of bleeding and crying ensued.

Fortunately for me, my Uncle Cammy had something similar happen to him when he was a youngster, so Mom was prepared for the worst case scenario. She rushed me promptly to the doctor's office, where everyone fussed over me and got me all cleaned up so my thumb could be examined. Upon examination, it was determined that my cuticle was still intact, and the nail bed itself was not damaged too badly, so I didn't have to have my nail sewn back on! Mommy and Daddy were very diligent about keeping my thumb clean and applying neosporin to it once a day, and it healed rather quickly - see for yourself! Below is a picture approximately one week after the incident:

First Birthday and other Belated Business

As expected, Mom was not punctual with my 1 year update. The upside, I now have more news for you!

February 28th, 2009: My 1st birthday celebration! My 12 month well child visit was that morning. I maintained my weight at 18 lbs 2 oz and gained an inch, measuring 28.5 inches. That afternoon, Mommy, Daddy, and Grammy threw a Puppy Party for me. Daddy made his famous BBQ, and Mommy made pineapple carrot cupcakes with cream cheese icing - I wasn't so sure what to make of it. I was probably the cleanest first birthday girl ever - I required no bib and no bath afterwards! Lots of family and friends were in attendance - you can view more pictures from my party in the slideshow below.

The day after my birthday party I got to experience my first snow!!!
March 2009: We went to Mobile, AL the first weekend in March to visit my godparents and my new godsister, Abigail Anderson Maddox! I had a lot of fun playing with Stephen and Augie.
The following weekend, Mommy, Daddy, and I attended a signing class taught by our doula, Persis! I can now sign: eat, all done, milk, more, please, cheese, and diaper (as in, I need to be changed).April 2009: My first trip to Zoo Atlanta! I loved the elephants, lions, meerkats, lemurs, and pandas, but the petting zoo was my favorite part!!! We also took a trip down south to visit with the Colvin Cousins and went to the Albany zoo with Granmawmaw, Grandaddy Nip, and cousin Parker.

Easter: The Easter bunny brought me a TON of goodies, and I had my very own egg hunt at my house. However, I wasn't too interested in hunting eggs once I realized there were treats inside of them!

May 2009: I am now 14 months old. I weigh approximately 20.5 pounds - we'll see how long I am at the end of the month when I have my 15 month appt. I stand fairly well on my own, and I've taken up to 5-6 steps at a time. I can say hello (which also includes hey and hi), bye, momma, daddy, buddy, doggy, ball, no, and get out (while pointing at the dogs). Mommy seems to think that "i e" is Wylie, and I say something that sounds like "I love you" and "Howyadoin?". I also dole out kisses upon my discretion. Mommy and Daddy are proud of my eating habits - I'll at least try anything once - turns out, I like spicy foods (pepperoni, jalepeno flavored snacks)! I love to draw in the bathtub, and I'm learning to swim too (I like to kick, and put my face in the water to blow bubbles - and drink the bathwater of course)!!!

Until next time, take care!

Happy and Merry!

Happy Halloween, Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!!! Yes, it's been THAT long since my Mom took it upon herself to update you all of my latest adventures (the slideshow at the bottom of this page contains more of my most recent pictures). So here's a quick recap and then the current scoop on me:

The week of Halloween (age: 8 months) I went on my first airplane ride to visit The Farm Crew in Wisconsin!

For Thanksgiving (age: 9 months) we went to visit GrandDaddy Dan's family. I ate some pumpkin and my first Cheerio. Christmas morning I awoke to more loot than I've ever seen in my whole life (granted, I was only 10 months old, but still)! Surprisingly, I was much more interested in the toys than I was the paper and boxes (check out my shiner). Daddy was on vacation between Christmas and New Years, so we got to spend a lot of quality time together. We took a hike up to Raven Cliffs falls one day. The falls were ok, but the real highlight was all of the dogs on the trail! New Years Eve wasn't that exciting for me - I was asleep before the festivities began. However, with the New Year comes my first birthday, so I've got that going for me, which is nice.

Lastly, it took me 4 months, but I finally put on a couple of pounds! At 10 months old, I weighed 18 lbs 2oz. Mom took a crude measurement of my length, and I was about 28.5 inches long. I also have, count 'em, 5 chompers!!! My favorite activities these days are: Biting stuff (in half, because I can), pushing my shopping cart around the living room, throwing EVERYTHING on the floor, learning to feed myself (I've mastered the sippy cup and working on the spoon), expanding my palate with such delicacies as dog kibble, and as always, being irresistibly cute. I am officially speaking my first word, Buddy (one of my dog's names), although it sounds more like "Buh Eee". I also say "Hi" and "Bye" and wave pretty much all the time! Keep a lookout for my 1 year update (if Mom is punctual, it should be posted early March)!

7 month update

I just celebrated my 7 month birthday and have a great deal to share with you all!


Since I haven't been to the pediatrician in a month, I don't have an exact height and weight for you. However, I am currently somewhere between 16.5-17 pounds and approximately 26.5 inches long (breast milk keeps me long and lean)!

I started crawling on October 1st! In addition, Daddy had to drop my crib as I've not only started pulling myself up onto my knees (once was on the coffee table where I proceeded to grab a magazine and immediately rip off the cover), but have even managed to pull myself to standing, although wobbly.

I've also begun to babble incessantly. Dada came first, but I throw Mama in there occasionally. Mommy thinks my first "real" word will be Buddy, my best friend, but we'll see . . .

For recent pictures, please view my slide show below.

Check back with me again after the end of the month for an 8 month update and pictures of my trip to the Dairy State. Go Packers!

Catch-up (In Utero to 7 months)

As I am now 7 months old (and Mommy is FINALLY getting around to adding something other than the pictorial timeline to this blog), she felt it was necessary to create a quick post of my milestones from when I entered the world to the present. Whatever.

I was born February 28th 2008 at 9:05 PM. I weighed 7 lbs 7 oz and was 19.5 inches long. My Mommy had a wonderful natural birthing experience, and my Daddy was an awesome coach!

I cried a lot for the first 6 weeks or so, but around 2 months I finally started smiling! :)

I rolled over for the first time when I was 3 months old.

I began eating oatmeal when I was 5 months old. My diet now consists not only of breastmilk, but anything from mangos, rasberries, and prunes to butternut squash, green beans, and tomatoes.

I love the outdoors and traveling, and so far I've climbed Stone Mountain, hiked 11.4 miles on the Appalachian Trail, visited the tallest waterfall east of the Mississippi (Amicalola Falls), took a road trip to Mobile, and have made regular visits to Americus to visit Daddy's family. At the end of October I'll be going on my first airplane ride to visit my Wisconsin family for Halloween!

By 6 months I was sitting without support and sprouted my first tooth! However, I haven't made it easy on Mommy to capture it in a photograph just yet.

Anyhoodles, I suppose the gist of this post is that I'm growing up fast! Be sure to check out my 7 month post for the most recent update of my milestones, physical attributes, etc . . .