Our Year in Review

Well this isn't too late :). We are still technically in the first week of the month. We had a pretty amazing year in 2015 and are definitely excited about what 2016 is going to bring us. For now though...our 2015 review.

January

We enjoyed a quiet new years day in as a family.

Kinley went to her first gym class at the Little Gym. She definitely loved it but to be honest it was a little expensive in my opinion for a one year old.

February

We had quite a few fun snow days in February which gave us some much needed family time. We baked home made cookies and Kinley enjoyed eating all the chocolate chips. This was her first taste of sweets. She was a fan!

My mom came and as always we had such a blast! Of course it was too short but we look forward to her coming again soon when baby boy arrives.

Kinley had strep again (and our nanny quit) which was not exciting, but I do love all the cuddles! I know someday she is going to not want to snuggle with me.

March

Matt and I enjoyed a wonderful date night which does not happen often enough. That is one of my goals for the new year to have more dates!

Kinley started daycare at an in home that we LOVE! We are so thankful for Ms. E after having such struggles with a nanny. I truly believe everything happens for a reason and this was a huge blessing to us.

Kinley had her first swimming experience. What a blast! She loved it!!

I celebrated turning 33 with my two favorite people and it could not have been better! I also started a new job that I really enjoy.

April 

April was defintiely bittersweet for me. I stopped breastfeeding Kinley. After starting my new job it was just teh right timing. I still miss it and am very excited to breastfeed this baby boy. Kinley and I had quite the journey.

We celebrated a great Easter with Matt's family. His grandparents came to visit later in April which we always enjoy as well.

Kinley enjoyed her first carnival. She rode the train and went down the big slide with mommy.

May

We had our first zoo trip and ended up buying season passes. Kinley loves animals and we knew we would get back often. We didn't get as much as we liked but hopefully a few more times before baby boy comes.

Kinley and I traveled to Colorado for my sister's wedding shower. We had a great time spending some time at my nephew's baseball games and hanging out with family.

We took Kinley strawberry picking for the second year in a row and she was all about it this year. She picked the berries right off and ate away. Good thing I brought a spray bottle to clean them :).

June

Kinley went to the beach for the first real time. She has been before but not where she could get in the water and enjoy it. She did not want to leave.

We all traveled back to Colorado for my sister's wedding. I was the matron of honor and Kinley was the flower girl. She did amazing and we all had a fantastic time. Here are some tips for traveling with a toddler.

We got back from Colorado and Matt and I enjoyed an adult wedding of our two friends Chelsea and Tony. It was a much needed night out.

Matt celebrated his last father's day to an only child. Little did he know :).

July

I wrote one of my most popular posts. 3 car seat myths busted. If you have been following me for a while or know me you know car seat safety is a passion of mine.

Had some beach family pictures done by the amazing Lori Woodhouse Photography. I was quite frustrated with the windy evening we had but of course we ended up with some priceless memories.

We took a road trip up to Baltimore to see a wonderful friend of mine, Erin. Kinley and Bodie are only a few months apart and are the cutest when they are together. We don't get to see them often but we try for at least once a year.

Kinley graduated from her first story time class at the library. She was so proud.

I really started to embrace life as a working mom around this time. It is hard work but over all very rewarding for me. I hope the rest of us working moms will learn to embrace their role too.

August

Another beach trip in the books. This time we headed down to the Outer Banks where my step mom and her family were. I wish we could've stayed longer. Hoping they make another trip this year.

Kinley enjoyed her first ice cream eating experience.

Kinley got strep yet again. But this time it really made me thankful for the midnight screams. It is so sad when your children are sick.

September

The big announcement. Kinley is going to be a BIG SISTER!! We could not be more excited for our family.

Deciding on some must haves for baby #2 and letting go of the mommy guilt.

October

We closed on our first house as a married couple. We owned the townhouse, still do, but did not purchase that together. This house is ours and couldn't be more special.

Matt and I celebrated 4 wonderful years of marriage. It has been the best.

Kinley went trick or treating for real for the first year and jumped in many piles of leaves. We also had a blast at the pumpkin patch this year.

November

We celebrated another friend's beautiful wedding. Yay for another date!

Kinley turned 2!!! Wow time flies! I also took that time to reflect back on her, my first born, and how much I love her.

Had some more amazing family photos done. I was sure this time we were not getting any good ones. Kinley threw up on the way there and the entire shoot she fussed and clinged to me! Come to find out the poor girl had an ear infection. BUT....of course there were some amazing photos.

December

We did a few family holiday activities, looking at lights and making cookies were the highlights. We also found out that our baby girl was really a baby boy. Boy what a shocker!

Celebrated an amazing holiday with my mom here and Matt's family. My dad and step mom were even able to come visit for a day.

We ended the year on the couch with a movie and in bed by 10pm. Exciting life we lead I tell you, but I wouldn't change it for the world! Goodbye 2015!

We are so exited to see what 2016 brings us and our family! We know one thing is for sure we will be adding an amazing boy to our family.

3 Thoughts for Now

I have had some random thoughts going through my head these past few days so why not share them.

1. House hunting sucks! If you have been reading you know we are house hunting. It has been an extremely difficult process. I am not willing to compromise on my must haves and Matt is not willing to compromise on his. How will we ever find a house? Compromise I guess. I keep telling myself we have not seen that many houses in reality. We have only seen 13 houses. How many houses did you see before you decided? I really am trying to be patient because I feel if we are we won't have to compromise too much and we will be able to find a house we love. Tell me I am right please! I read somewhere on average it takes 6 months to find a house. We are only one month in. OH MY!!! I need to remind myself and Matt to be patient! Any helpful hints are appreciated! It is going to be a long road! We are meeting with our realtor again tomorrow for hopefully some good news.

2. Sleep regressions are awful. We have had a rough few nights weeks when it comes to sleep. When Kinley was little she had the most difficult time sleeping. Then at about 13 months she turned into this amazing sleeper. We could put her in bed awake and she would lay down and go to sleep. We wouldn't hear from her until morning. She was sleeping 630p-630a. It was truly amazing. Well now she is really fighting us on going to bed at night. Usually naps aren't an issue. It is bedtime that has been the struggle. We have been doing the same bedtime routine with her for a year and a half. Now after we read books and it's time to go to bed she screams. She asks to eat and doesn't want to go in her bed. I offer her a quick snack or a drink of milk and she may take a bit or two and maybe a sip. Clearly this child is not hungry and is stalling. So in her bed she goes screaming bloody murder. What changed? Nothing that I know of. And lately she has been waking up more often in the middle of the night. Remember my post a about a week ago? So instinctively I am worried and usually go in. 9 times out of 10 it makes it worse and she wants to get up and or go in my bed to sleep. The other night she screamed for 2 HOURS before she finally went to sleep at 9:20p and then was back up screaming 11:30-12:00. And guess what? She ended up sleeping in my bed because she wouldn't go back in her bed. I hate more than anything putting her to bed screaming at night, every night. It breaks my heart. I wish more than anything there was something I could do to help her. We have tried moving her bedtime later which doesn't seem to help. We just follow her cues when she is ready for bed at night. It is usually 7:00-7:30. I am hoping this is a phase and will pass soon. If anyone has any suggestions please share! It is a good thing this girl is so cute!! I am loving her pigtails! Aren't you?

3. Summer is coming to an end. I can't believe we are going into the last week of August. How is that possible. Fall is going to be here, then gone and then the holidays! Oh my! And Kinley's 2nd birthday! EKKKK. Read about some of my thoughts for her 2nd birthday here. Anyways back to the end of summer. See I told you my brain was thinking all these random thoughts lately.

There are still a few things on our summer bucket list that we haven't gotten to yet. We really want to get to Ocean Breeze. Ocean Breeze is the water park in our city that has an amazing kid area! Kinley loves the water so I know she would have a blast. Kinley and I went to the Norfolk Botanical Gardens with some friends and had a blast at the splash pad. I really want all 3 of us to get back there before summer ends. I would love to get to a baseball game, though I am not sure Kinley is ready for that yet. Maybe that means a date night! We are long overdue for one of those! I have been meaning to make popsicles all summer. I have seen so many yummy recipes for popsicles floating around on blogs all summer. Now that the end of summer is approaching fast I need to go get some molds! One last thing I want to do before summer ends is get to the beach one more time! I love the beach and Kinley does too, but it is a lot to pack up and go to the beach for a few hours. But hey summer is almost over so we should go one last time. Don't you think :)

Have a good rest of your weekend!

Please Consider This - 3 Excuses Busted

If you know me, you knew this was coming. I can't stress how important extended rear facing is! When I say extended rear facing I mean rear facing past the age of 1. I get being able to turn your 1 year old around is a milestone, but people, it is so unsafe. It is 5 times, yes you read that right, 5 times safer for your child to be in a rear facing car seat. If you don't do your research no one tells you the importance of these things. People are so excited to turn their child around at age 1 because it has been such a celebration for so long. But it is not safe; so what are we celebrating. I will be celebrating turning Kinley around when it is safe. Poor girl might go to college rear facing.

I get it. I really do. It is a pain to have your kid rear facing when they are screaming and you can't see them. Trust me I understand. Kinley is not a fan of the car, and never has been! I still sit in the back with her when we all three go somewhere, she is 19 months. It is definitely a pain in the butt but worth it to me. And when it is just her and I we do a lot of singing; and if she is screaming it is short lived compared to what I would have to live with if we were in a car accident. In reality she doesn't know what it's like to be forward facing so you can't argue she doesn't like to be rear facing. Maybe she just hates being restrained in the seat or simply doesn't like the car, or is pissed because there are cherrios and not puffs in her cup holder. Who knows why she doesn't like it. Fortunately for her safety she is not getting turned anytime soon, unfortunate for my sanity :). Small price to pay when I am talking about her life.

Lets talk about some excuses I hear about why people don't keep their children rear facing past 1.

1. My child is safer forward facing after the age of 1.

No they aren't, and I am not sure where you are getting your information from. I understand the law is 1 year and then you can legally forward face your child. Some states are finally increasing the age until 2. I really hope more states follow soon. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends rear facing AT LEAST until the age of 2 and 30 lbs.  It is frustrating to hear parents say "well my child is big, he/she will be fine forward facing." No your child will not be fine if in a car crash.  It isn't about weight. It is about their bone structure. At one year of age their bones are not fused together. Meaning their vertebra is not connected by bones, cartilage is holding it together. At 2 years of age they are not connected by bone and at age 3 there is only a 50% chance their vertebrae have finished ossification. That's pretty scary to me to be honest. Also their heads are not proportioned to their bodies at this age so if in a crash their heads are going to take the brunt of the force meaning their necks are going to get whipped around which could result in the head disconnecting from the spine.  There is no way I am willing to take that chance, no thank you.

My child's life is priceless. As I am sure yours is too. It takes one second for an accident to happen. This really made me think about this yesterday when I saw a car accident on the way to work. This lady was trying to exit and she was in the wrong lane so she decided she had time to cross lanes and get to the exit. Well needless to say there wasn't enough time and she slammed into the wall head on. She bounced off the wall and was almost hit by an oncoming semi. It happened right in front of my eyes, so close they could have hit me. It isn't about how safe of a driver you are because it's the person next to you that you have to worry about. I would of had no control if she slammed into me too.

2. Extended rear seats are expensive.

Car seats that allow extended rear facing don't have to cost you a fortune. We have 2 seats, and neither were that expensive. I love the My Size 65 by Graco for my car. We have been using it since Kinley was about 9 months old. It wasn't too expensive, about $130 from Babies R Us with coupons, and was super easy to install. Side note....when installing make sure you are not using the LATCH and the seat belt. Use one or the other! But not both. We recently bought a seat for Matt's truck and it was very reasonable, $48 at Walmart. It is the Cocso Scenera Next. It is nothing fancy but it does the job and she can rear face in it until she is 40lbs.  And it is light and easy to travel with.

3. My child's legs will not fit if he/she is rear facing and they will be uncomfortable.

Have you watched what positions your child sits in when they are sitting on the floor? They sit with their legs in many weird positions, but the majority of the time it is very similar to how they will sit in a rear facing car seat. Kinley can fully stretch her legs out touching the back seat with no big deal. She is average for height and I have a small car. She will also sit Indian style and cross her legs. There are plenty of seats out there that offer more leg room if that is one of your worries. Also, there is no evidence that supports more broken legs if your child is rear facing. Again though, I would much rather deal with broken legs over a spinal injury. You can see in the picture Kinley's legs do not look uncomfortable at all.

Car seat safety is such a passion of mine. And let's be honest folks, if you don't do your research you don't know. So research or ask questions! I had very minimal knowledge about car seat safety before Kinley. I knew the basics, nothing more. Since having her I have learned so much and have gotten a full understanding on why rear facing and having them restrained properly (the chest clip goes on the chest, not the belly button) is so important. It's really not that complex, it is their life. It is simple, keep your child rear facing until at least the age of 2 if they meet all the requirements of the seat. If they have outgrown the weight or height limits purchase a seat you can keep rear facing. You have to purchase one anyways so why not do what is safest.

I am so hesitant to say something to someone when they have their child strapped in wrong. I don't want anyone to take it the wrong way. In the end though I would never forgive myself if an accident happened and your child was hurt or died when I could of said made a simple comment. It is not meant to judge you or hurt your feelings. It is meant to save your child's life and honestly yours too if something happened to them. So with that being said I will always say something. I won't say anything about keeping your child rear facing after 1, since that is the law but do your research people. It's simple...it is 5 times safer for them to be rear facing, your child is 523% safer rear facing. Isn't that enough for you?

Below is a picture of where Kinley's straps were not correct. This is pretty recent, about 3 months ago. Someone mentioned it to me and I was so thankful! I don't know everything and I keep learning new things everyday. If you are wondering what is wrong with the picture it is because the straps are too far over her shoulders, they need to be sitting directly on her shoulders while she is rear facing.

I love you all and only have your and your child's best interest at heart. So don't take offense if I make a comment, thank me, it could have saved your child's life. We aren't perfect and make mistakes as we are all learning as we go down this parenting road but when making decisions, make them with your child's best interest in mind. If you see my child strapped in wrong please say something! I will thank you :)

You can learn more at Car Seat for the Littles Facebook pages HERE and HERE. This is a fabulous group and you can ask any question and get great honest answers. I have learned many things from them and I am sure will continue to!

3 Traveling Tips with Littles and Fun Things to do in Baltimore

I know it is almost the weekend again but I wanted to recap our weekend in Baltimore with some fun things to do with the littles and some helpful things to remember when traveling with littles.

We went up to Baltimore to meet one of my good friends. I meet Erin in a mommy group when we were pregnant! Has it seriously been over 2 years since I have known her! Wow amazing! She has a little boy that is about 2.5 months younger than Kinley and let me tell you, they are #BFF.. This was the third time we have seen Erin and Bodie. They live in Connecticut so we try to meet in the middle every few months. It doesn't always work out but we do what we can. It's pretty amazing to have online friends and actually be able to meet in real life.

Below are 3 helpful hints to make your traveling with littles easier.

1. Stay at a kid friendly hotel. 

This is really important to me. Initially we didn't have a pool at our hotel so we switched (thank you Erin for noticing that) and I am glad we did even though we didn't spend much time in the pool; it was good for one afternoon. I think if we were there another day we would've spent more time in the pool. Kinley loves the water and it kills some energy so it's always a good choice. The rooms were fantastic! It was plenty big with room for her to roam. We booked on hotels.com and I would definitely do it again. The restaurant was great too. It was a free hot breakfast with made to order omelets. Kinley is so picky these days, so having many options was a definite plus!

 2. Bring a carrier

This is my go to for just about anything! I love love love my ergo! We even tried the back carry this trip and she didn't mind it and it gave me a break from her being on the front. It was great to have the carrier when at the aquarium since strollers are not allowed. I was a little confused as to why strollers were not allowed but once I was inside I understood completely.

3. Bring food and water.....and LOTS of it

I am highly suggesting to pack a bag full of snacks and water. Kinley is an eating machine. She is a snacker like her momma! She wants to eat all the time but pick at everything. So having many options is a must for us. I could always buy something where ever we are but the chances of her actually eating what I purchase are slim to none. Did I mention she is picky!

We were not in Baltimore very long but did find some fun things to do while we were there.

1. The National Aquarium

I am going to be 100% honest with my opinions on the National Aquarium. Don't get me wrong, the place is a great experience but I do not think it was worth the $40 per person we paid. I was expecting a lot more! Thankfully we didn't have to pay for Kinley since she was under 3. We were only there for 3 hours so I would have been extra disappointed if we spent money for her too.  The exhibits were amazing and there were lots of fish and sharks, I was just hoping for more. There was also a great dolphin exhibit and a jellyfish one too. That's about it folks. I really was expecting a lot more! I was hoping to see some seals or manatees maybe. At this point I am glad I can say we have been there but I will not be visiting there again any time soon.

2. The Port Discover Children's Museum

We wanted the kiddos to burn off some much needed energy before we spent hours in the car! And boy am I glad we did because it took us 6 hours to get home! The kiddos really enjoyed the children's museum and we did too for the price! There were so many things to do I think we could have spent hours there! There was even a play room for kiddos under 3 which was awesome! We got there right when it opened, which was brilliant, because it was getting quite busy when we were heading out the door. Perfect timing on our part!

3. The Big Grassy Area and the Hallways in the Hotel

This one makes me laugh because I think the kiddos had just as much fun running around in the grass and up and down the hall in the hotel as they did at the aquarium or the Children's museum. There was a big hall that lead to a bunch of ball rooms that Kinley and Bodie ran around chasing each other in. It was a great way to burn some energy after dinner, before bed. Kinley loved taking the lead and Bodie rewarded her with kisses. They were so adorable. After we left the aquarium we let them run around in the grass which was great. Again these two are free and I am pretty certain it might have been their favorite activities in Baltimore. Sorry some of the pictures are blurry but these kids were on the go!

We definitely had a great time in Baltimore and Inner Harbor was fun to walk around. I was greatly impressed with the hotel we stayed at, Embassy Suites, and will most definitely be staying there if we ever get back up there again. We always have a great time seeing Erin and Bodie and hope to get to see them soon.

What are some of your kid friendly activities when traveling?

7 Easy Tips For Flying with a Toddler

We are about to fly with Kinley for the 5th time. This time Matt is going with so overall it makes things easier. I thought I would blog about some tips I have learned along the way when flying with a baby/toddler. We just bought a new car seat for Matt's truck so we will try it out on the plane this time.

Packing is so overwhelming when you are traveling with a toddler. I feel like I need to pack my whole house and I still end up forgetting things. We always check our bags because it is really difficult to get through the airport and catch a connection with a toddler, all of her things and our bags. It just isn't very realistic. Plus it is one less thing to keep track of and that is extremely helpful. The less the better.

My number one thing to bring is the Ergo. I seriously don't leave home without the Ergo. It has saved me so many times! When you are traveling and not on a schedule it means naps on the go and having her in the Ergo to nap is wonderful. I also love the Ergo to get us through the airport in a timely manner. You know toddlers like to take their time, look at everything, wave and say hi to everyone. While it is super cute, it is not time conducive to making a connection in 30 mins.

Last time we went to Colorado I traveled with Kinley alone. I went to the dollar store and found a TON of things for her. I wanted her to have some new toys that would be new and interesting to her when we were on the plane. I did not have a seat for her since we decided to go at last minute. This time we have purchased a seat. Luckily there were a few empty seats on the plane and she was able to sit in the seat and do her own thing. Having her own bag was helpful and I think it made her feel special because it was hers. One of her favorite new toys I brought this last time was this easy DIY craft I made. I took an old spice jar (after cleaning and sanitizing it) then took pipe cleaners and cut them to fit in the jar. She loved putting the pipe cleaners in the jar, having to get them in the holes. We made up several different games while putting them in, counting them and naming the colors. I think that took up an hour.

Lots and lots of snacks!!! You never know how long you are going to be stuck on the runway or if you are going to have time to grab food or drinks in between connections. I learned this past time you can bring liquids through security if they are for the kiddos. I had always brought breast milk because the last times I was pumping but this time I brought her cups full of milk and water. They tested it, but gave me no hassle. It was honestly a breeze. I can only hope it is that easy this next time. I can't even begin to tell you how many snacks I brought. I had a whole bag full of snacks, plus Kinley likes to eat so I needed to be prepared. I also brought some dum dums, though I never gave her any because she was so good and content with the healthier options I brought.

Previous trips I would nurse her on the way up and down to help with the pressure in her ears. But we are done nursing now so we use a binki when flying. It was challenging nursing in such tight quarters so I definitely don't miss that. She still gets a bink at night time and in the car so when we are traveling I let her have it in the plane. I would rather her suck on a binki than her ears hurt from the pressure. I have dealt with that and it is awful! I don't want her to go through that. So with that being said I make sure I have a baggie full of binkis because we all know they are the first to fall on the floor.

She did so awesome when her and I flew last time so I am not making many changes when we fly later this week. We are bringing her car seat since we purchased a seat for her. We also bought a smaller backpack so she could carry it herself through the airport if there is time for her to walk. She is so proud to do things on her own so we encourage her to be independent.

If anyone has any other tips for traveling with a toddler I would love to hear. Share your experience in the comments!

Lets recap:

1: Bring a carrier. I can't stress this enough! Especially if you are traveling alone. It is so much easier to wear them and not have to worry about a stroller.

2. Pick a window seat. Who doesn't like to look out the window Also I bought cheap window clings that kept her busy for a good hour! She loved them.

3. Purchase a seat if it is in your budget. #1 reason it is safer! And secondly it is nice for them to have their own space and be able to sleep in their car seat if they fall asleep. I recently learned that if you have a car seat that won't fit (if you want it rear facing and it won't fit) you can request to be moved to a seat it will fit in.

4. SNACKS! This might be the most important one! Toddlers love food. And if you have options they won't get bored. You can also bring any liquids for them through security. We brought her milk and water and had no issues.

5. Toys, books and crayons! I also bought a $1 pack of Minnie stickers and she loved them. I like to have one new toy so it keeps her occupied longer than something she has been playing with for months at home. The dollar store has great options for this. I got a few things that she loved. Educational too.

6. Kinley still uses a binki when she sleeps. I let her have it when we fly to help with her ears and to save everyone else's ears. I also bring her Wooly lamb she loves.

7. Bring a change of clothes for you and the kiddo. On our last flight Kinley threw up all over me and we still had a flight to go. Thankfully I had a sweatshirt I could change into. If not it would've been awful.

18 months

How is this girl 18 months old?? That means we are now getting closer to 2! WOW!! Happy year and a half birthday to my most favorite girl ever!

The last 3 months have gone by fast like the rest of them. We had a good 3 months though! She did get strep again which was no fun! I'm starting to wonder if removing her tonsils are in our future. Other than that she was healthy as could be! I am glad to be in the summer months and hoping we can stay healthy all summer. Since she is in daycare now I think it is easier for her to catch illnesses but on the upside it is building her immune system. But there is nothing worse than watching your baby be miserable because they are sick.

She weights 22lbs 8oz and is 32.1 inches tall. She definitely hit a growth spurt with her height. At her 15 month appointment she was 29.75 inches tall. It was a nice surprise to find out she wasn't getting any shots at this appointment. She was due for the next Hep A shot but it hadn't been 6 months since the last one so we had to wait. I wasn't complaining and we know Kinley wasn't either.

So lets do a little update on how things are going.

Sleep: There haven't been many changes since her 15month update in regards to sleep. She is still sleeping through the night, usually 630p-630a. Let me tell you how amazing it is to be where we are with sleep. It took us a LONG time and a lot of tears. It was awful. If you told me we would ever get to this point there is no way I would've believed you. She has an occasional night where she will wake up and cry or scream but I never go in unless she doesn't stop screaming. It is usually a few wails and she is done. I think she might just be dreaming. I think her naps have gotten better and for the most part are finally consistent. She is still napping 2 times a day about an hour and a half each nap. She goes down for her morning nap around 8:30a and then her afternoon nap around 1:00p. The times are not set and she lets us know when she is ready to go to sleep. It is truly amazing. She walks to the stairs and points to upstairs or says nite nite. We take her in her room, turn on her music, give her a bink, lay her down, cover her up, say I love you and leave the room. There are sometimes she likes a few snuggles so we sit in the chair and rock for a couple minutes. Before bedtime if she isn't too tired we read a few stories. But she is sure to let us know when she wants in her bed. Matt and I still wonder how we ever got to this point of having an amazing sleeper after looking back to where we were. It took a lot of work but with consistency it paid off.

Eating: We are still dealing with a picky toddler. I think she eats Mac and Cheese for lunch and dinner every day. She will eat whole grain waffles or a whole grain bagel with peanut butter or cream cheese for breakfast. She continues to love yogurt. She was going through the squeeze pouches so fast and they are expensive! We invested in some reusable pouches by mysqueeze and we love them. She does have a few other favorites such as black beans, edamame, broccoli, any fruits, nutri grain bars and whole fruit Popsicles. There have been a few mornings she has eaten a Popsicle after breakfast. Hey let them be kids right! She cracks me up, she goes to the freezer and tells me to open in and knows exactly what she wants. She is still drinking whole milk in a straw cup. We stopped breastfeeding about 2 weeks ago. My schedule changed at work and she was only nursing before bed so it seemed like a great time to stop. It went WAY better than I expected. I didn't have any expectations with nursing and I am truly proud to have made it to 17 months of breastfeeding my baby! I hope I can make it that far with the next.

Play: This girl loves to be outside. It is that simple. She doesn't care if she is at the park or sitting on the front patio watching the garbage truck. I love that she loves to be outside and not stuck in front of the TV, though it's not like that is an option for her. We let her watch a show in the morning while she is eating her breakfast and then the TV really isn't on anymore throughout the day. Once in a while she will get another show before bed, but that is rare. She still really enjoys reading books. Some of her favorites are Llama Llama, Brown Bear Brown Bear, Biscuit and her books with flaps. She loves to play in her kitchen and make food for Matt and I. She has quite the imagination. It's unbelievable to watch. She really loves her animals and playing with them when they let her. She has started to sit on the dog like a horse and she thinks it's hilarious, the dog not so much. We play at the park many days while the weather has not been too hot yet. Though this week it is really heating up so I am sure it is on the way. We are hoping to get to the beach a few times before it gets too hot. She loves the water so I am very interested in how she reacts to the ocean.

She has 12 teeth with 4 left to come in then the 2 year old molars. She continues to do a really good job with brushing them. She has really started to expand her vocabulary these past few months. She says mama, dada, please, thank you, up, down, dog, cat, cheese, ball, water, drink, and again are a few that come to mind. She does a lot of blabbing which we can't understand but she has entire conversations with her babies. It is pretty cute.

This past 18 months have truly been amazing! I can't believe how fast it has gone!! I miss my baby but am really loving this age! It has always been a favorite of mine!