15 Months

15 Months Old

Sayler -
It has really hit me over the last few weeks how much you have grown and changed.  I was looking back at pictures of you from just a few short months ago and you are a different baby.  In fact you don't seem much like a baby anymore (though you will ALWAYS be my baby) you really do seem like a toddler.  I miss your babyness...but I am just smitten with the little girl you are becoming.  Here are some things about you at 15 months old:

Your Stats

• You weigh about 23 pounds...you haven't gained a lot of weight in the last few months but it is not for lack of eating. Ha!  I think it is because you go, go, go...all day long.
• I'm not sure how tall you are as you will not stand still long enough for us to measure you, but when you got vaccinated in January you were 30 3/4".  You no longer fit under the dining room table and that has caused you to bonk your little noggin more than once!
• You got your one year molars in (all 4) over the last month or so.  You seem to be cutting 2 more teeth on the bottom now too.  So in total you have 12 teeth with 2 more on the way.

Your Day

• You wake up between 7:30-7:45am every day.  You are always happy when Mommy or Daddy open your door and the first thing you do is make sure we get your "beeks" (blankies) out of your crib.
• You usually have oatmeal, yogurt, banana, or a cereal bar for breakfast.  You also have your "wawa" (water).  You sit with Mommy on the couch and snuggle while you have your breakfast.  I love starting my morning with you every day.
• Getting you dresses/undressed is like wrestling a greased piglet. You HATE it...always have.  Whenever you see me coming with your clothes you run in the other direction.  I am always so relieved to have you dressed/face washed/hair brushed and still in one piece!
• Mommy loads you in the car and Daddy drives you to daycare.  You usually get there about 9:00am and go right to Ms. Dana...you love her.  You then have to go check on "your babies" Gavin and Jack. You love the baby boys at daycare and always "pet" their little heads and say "niiiicccceee."  You are so good and gentle with them.  Ms. Dana says that means you want a sibling ASAP. Ha!
• You always get a good report from daycare, good eater, good sleeper, and Ms. Dana's shadow.  You don't let her get very far out of your sight and make sure the other kids know that you are her main priority :)
• Mommy picks you up from daycare at about 4:30pm.  You squeal at the top of your lungs and then run all over the place.  At some point in your excitement you find your way over to me and give me a kiss and hug.
• We come home and the minute you hit the door you start saying "bah bah bah???"  Which is Sayler speak for popcicle.  It's like toddler happy hour up in here.  You LOVE your popcicles.  Thank the Lord for sugar free popcicles!!!  You and Daddy always share a popcicle and then we play and hang out until dinner time.
• You are usually pretty tired in the evening time so we start getting your dinner ready at about 5:45pm.  Lately you have been eating a few bites of dinner and then say "all done" and do the sign language for all done too.  I try and get you to eat a few more bites and it usually works.
• Then I strip you down and let you run around naked all over the house for 5-10 minutes.  You can't get enough of it!  You love running into Mommy and Daddy's room and throw yourself on the pillows from our bed that are normally on the floor...whoops!  When naked time is over you usually throw a huge fit with tears and the whole 9 which makes bath time not so much fun.
• You STILL do not like to take a bath.  You usually whine/cry through the whole thing and I try and have it wrapped up in 5 minutes.  We have tried all different kinds of toys and fun things for you to play with in the bath...but no luck.  But from the day you were born you have not liked taking a bath and 15 months later, you feel the same way.
• Daddy wraps you up in a towel and takes you in to Mommy and Daddy's bed to get your jammies on, lotion, diaper, hair brushed, medicine etc.  Most nights we give you a bedtime bottle with milk (which you will only drink from a bottle and not a sippy cup...don't ask me why) to try and get through jammy time without to much resistance.  You can be crying and fussing up a storm but as soon as you see your Dad walk in with your bottle you exclaim "Ba Baa?!?" 
• Bedtime is usually between 6:30-7:00pm.  We carry you into your room and you give kisses to your 2 special music boxes. One for Aunt Johna and one for Nana Doss.  Then we have our family prayer time during which you interrupt about 15 times to show Mommy or Daddy where our eyes, nose, ears are, or give us kisses etc.   We try to be patient with you and know that Jesus understands :)  Then Daddy kisses you good night and Mommy rocks with you in the chair while you finish your bottle.  I used to rock you and pat you to sleep but now we just sit and sing and talk.  It is my most absolute favorite time of the day.  You are so sweet and snuggly and you smell so good from your bath.  You love to give me a million kisses and my heart just melts every night.  Then I lay you down in bed and cover you up and blow you a kiss.  Lately you have been saying "bye bye mama," as I walk out of the room...sweetest thing ever.  You usually lay and talk to your self for 15-20 minutes and then fall asleep for the next 13 hours.  You are the best.sleeper.EVER!!!

Things you LOVE

• POPCICLES!!!  The one word that will pull you off of the floor mid-tantrum...popcicle.  We give you at least 2 a day (sugar free of course) and sometimes 3-4 on the weekends. Ha!  You would eat them all day if you could.  When Mommy or Daddy say, "Say...do you want a popcicle?"  You stop whatever it is you are doing...grin from ear to ear, and make a b-line for the freezer.  All the while saying, "bah-bah-bah?"  Which is Sayler speak for popcicle.  It is our go-to bribe to get you to do what we want!!
• Singing Baa Baa Black Sheep when we rock and cuddle at night.  If we try to sing any other song you pull your thumb out of your mouth and say, "Baa baa baa." until we start singing Baa Baa again.
• Your "Beeks" (aka blankies).  You have 2 of them, one with strawberries all over it and one with polka dots all over it. Daddy and I call the polka dot beek the step-beek.  It is definitely not in the same category as the strawberry beek, but you will ask for it to be included in most cuddling sessions if you see it lying around.  At daycare today Ms. Dana told me that she could not believe how smart you were.  I asked why and she said that a little boy Tyson, who is 3, took your strawberry beek and was holding it above his head and twirling it around.  You saw him and didn't start crying or getting upset.  Nope...instead you walked yourself right over and found his favorite car sitting at his place at the table. You picked it up and held it over your head and walked around with it like that.  Tyson of course freaked out and started crying.  Ms. Dana told him he needed to give you your beek back and say he was sorry.  He did and you tossed his car on the floor. Ha!  You knew how to play that game and play it well!!!  Nana said she is worried about your husband!  You do not mess around when it comes to your beeks.
• Playing with Mommy's cell phone.  You have "toddler dialed" several people so far.  It is just not a battle I am willing to fight...so I let you have at it.
• Running around the house naked right before bath.  You have peed on our floors several times...thankfully they are hardwood!
• Bananas
• Oatmeal
• Yogurt
• M&M's
• Any food that Mommy and Daddy might be eating
• Ice
• Water
• Milk (finally)
• Dancing to any song you hear.  You also have been known to say "uh, uh, uh, uh" while bouncing your little booty up and down!
• Playing outside and walking up and down the sidewalk chasing your shadow
• Waiting for Daddy to meet you in the garage when you and Mommy pull in from daycare.
• Kissing all of the pictures of you when you are a baby and saying "deh deh" which is how you say baby.
• Loving on the babies at daycare.
• Sharking the floors (yes you love to vacuum the floors with our Shark and I am going to document it and remind you of that fact when you are 14)!!!
• Pointing out Mommy and Daddy's nose, eyes, ears and belly buttons.

Things you DON'T love

• Taking a bath (it's day to day)
• Getting dressed/undressed/having your diaper changed
• Getting strapped into your car seat
• Mommy or Daddy to stop doing something you are having fun doing (horsey ride, airplane, peek-a-boo) etc.
• Cottage cheese
• Mandarin oranges (I think you OD'd on them for the prior 6 months and are now officially over it).
• Coming inside after playing outside.
• Being told no (but come on...who likes this?)
• Time out (you've been in time out maybe 4 times in your life)

Words you are saying

• Mama
• Dada
• Nana
• Papa
• Dana (Nay-na)
• Hi
• Bye-bye
• Nice (niiiiccccceeee)
• Baby (deh deh)
• What?
• Open (ah-buh)
• All done (aahhh duh) (sign language too)
• More (mo) (sign language too)
• Beek (dzzzzzzzzzz - not sure why you say it like that but it's cute)
• Elmo (Meh-mo)
• Nose (Nuhs) (can identify on faces)
• Eyes (ahyes) (can identify on faces)
• Ears (ehhhs) (can identify on faces)
• Belly button (Beh-butt) (can identify on yourself and others...and demand that people expose their's to you so you can see it!)
• Popcicle (buh-buh-buh?)
• Ashes (as in Ashes Ashes we all fall down)
• This (dis)
• Ice
• Water (wah-wah)
• Bottle (bah-bah)
• Baa (when asked what does a sheep say?)
• No (nuh-nuh-nuh) (sign language too...unfortunately :)
• Stop (dop)
• Uh Oh (Ahhh Ohhhh)
• Night-night (Nigh Nigh)

Sayler Jaye, you keep us in stitches all day long.  Many times when we are trying to discipline you we can't get through it with a straight face because you are so stinkin' hilarious.  We are amazed at how smart and creative and curious you are.  You have started wanting to be Mommy's helper and I love it so much.  You are the sweetest little girl and the light of our lives.  I get so excited every morning when I go into your room to start our day together.  I can never write enough words to tell you what a miracle you are to us!  Can't wait to see what the next few months have in store!

Love you baby girl,

Mommy