Balancing the Beautiful: 15 & 16 months

Today my baby is 16 months old - and she is just so much fun lately!! These past 2 months have been absolutely crazy, but really good too. Lydia is on the move, always into something and learning constantly. I have so much less free time throughout the day but I don't even mind because I have gained a new companion. We color together, go on walks, make dinner and do laundry. She is my little helper in everything I do and the vast majority of the time she is a pure joy to be around.

Her most favorite thing in the world right now is to be outside! At the dog park, on the swings or at the zoo - she is just happy to be in the sunshine. I am so, so happy that the weather is getting nicer and that being outside is something that I want too. Yesterday we went to the park and she was able to climb up the stairs by herself and go down the little slide by herself too! Seriously, she is just too big. She does tend to throw minor (or.. major) tantrums when we come inside...

Fish face at the zoo!

Lydia's personality continues to blossom. She is such a little ham and makes funny faces all the time. People regularly comment on the variety of her expressions and she definitely always has her own opinion. It is very clear lately that David and I need to start talking about a discipline philosophy/plan because this little girl has some fire in her. She asserts her own will often and, like I mentioned above, has thrown plenty of tantrums. At this point I try to stay calm, ignore the tantrums, and make sure to ultimately assert my will upon her since I am the adult. A daily battle is diaper changes and putting her in her car seat. They each happen about 5 times a day - and yet she screams every time!

Along with her personality is coming a vocabulary. She can say so many words: mama, dada, Rooney, papa, nana, Josh, Aunt Jen, GiGi, pawpaw, mawmaw, more, all done, uh oh, no, yes, pretzel, water, night night, nurse... are you bored yet? There are a lot more - pretty much anything you say she tries to repeat. And beyond saying words, she is understanding sentences like crazy. Today I said, "Lydia, can you go pick up the green ball and throw it in the basket?" - and she did exactly that. She is also catching on to cause and effect which is awesome. It is incredible to see her learn! Really the best feeling in the world. She is also starting to show affection more often through hugs, kisses and loving on tiny babies. This last one doesn't help with baby fever by the way...

At her 15 month appointment Lydia weighed 20 lbs, 7 oz and was 30.5 inches long - hanging right around the 50th percentile still. Lydia is continuing to take 2 naps a day (at 10:30 and 3) although I am almost positive she is ready to transition to 1. Night sleeping has been rough - but I think most of it is due to the fact that I had to start nursing her to sleep again because David wasn't getting home until after her bedtime. Last night daddy put her to bed and she slept for 11 hours straight. She is nursing 3-4 times a day and it eating really well. Sometimes she will go through days or weeks when she is picky, but I do my best to restrict junk foods and soon enough she gets hungry enough to eat the good stuff again.

Another big update is that we started potty training! Well kind of.. About 3 weeks ago there were multiple days in a row when Lydia pointed to her diaper and said "poop" 5-10 minutes before she actually pooped. She was consistent in telling me and in being right. I didn't want to get into this whole process until at least 18 months, but I knew this was a big sign that she was probably ready. So I ordered an Elmo (her favorite!!!) potty off amazon and it came in the mail yesterday. Within the hour she had pooped in it... so crazy! We are no where close to being out of diapers, but the less dirty ones I have to change the better. I will keep you updated as the transition progresses :)