17 months!

17 months is here and our summer together has been awesome.  I LOVE spending all day with you and making memories together.  I find myself looking at you during the day and mentally freezing images in my head.  I just don't want to forget a thing.  You are growing and changing so quickly these days.  You are learning new things all the time...you really understand so much.

Being your mom is something I have dreamed of and as you grow I realize so clearly that God is teaching me along the way.  You are YOU and I want to help mold and shape you to be the woman God intends for you to be.  As your mom I want you to be a little girl who is creative and caring with a heart that's excited to learn more.  As your mom I will pray for you to be a strong, independent and compassionate teen.  I hope you always know the love that your dad and I have for you...the love that your Heavenly Father has for you. 

So here is what you have been up to this past month....

• You have gotten bigger this month...you look so much more like a little girl.  We go to your 18 month appointment at the beginning of August.  I am excited to see your exact weight and how tall you are :)
• You follow all of our commands and can do multiple tasks when asked.
• You repeat words when we ask you to.  You say the beginning of words but tend to leave off the end.
• You are constantly moving...you rarely slow down.  I am serious when I mean you NEVER slow down.  (This is why you sleep so well :)
• You take 2 naps a day and sleep through the night.
• You took your first trip to the zoo (Lincoln Park) this month with your buddy Wes.  You loved the monkeys.
• We have spent lots of days at the pool and evenings at the beach.  You are a total beach baby and we love it!
• You love to ride in the Burley and go to the park.  You would rather climb the equipment than be pushed in the swing.
• You have started drawing more but still have to be reminded to keep the crayons and chalk out of your mouth.
• You are so sweet with your baby dolls....a little mommy already.
• You take one bottle at night.
• You are telling us when you need to go on the potty so we are working on staying dry for longer periods during the day.  We high five when you pee and you clap for yourself when we flush.
• Everyone comments that you look just like your daddy.
• Everyone comments that you are a good little eater.
• You are playing on your own for longer periods of time.  You play best on your own in your bedroom.
• The beginning of June started your hair pulling.  Yep, you pull your hair on several occasions.  You pull when you are mad (when someone tells you no), you pull when you are frustrated and you pull when you are uncomfortable.  This has been a tough one for me.  I have tried many approaches to this and we are well into July and you are still doing it.  Leave a comment if you have a suggestion!
• Honestly, you are so funny....your belly laugh is contagious :)
• As you can see from the pictures you spent 3 weeks at Piatt Lake.  More on that in next month's post when we recap July!