18 Months

Where did the last year and a half go? Peyton is looking like, acting like, and seeming more like a toddler than a baby every day (it probably helps that we added a newborn to the house which made Peyton seem HUGE overnight). We love her and her ever-growing personality.

These days she:
-- has stopped doing baby sign language
-- learns new words on a regular basis (even if it takes us a few tries to decipher them)
-- insists on using utensils every chance she gets
-- loves to help when she's asked, and loves even more to be told she's a good helper
-- gives us lots of practice taking turns at her command ("mom turn, dada turn, Payties turn")
-- loves cars, helicopters, and airplanes
-- loves the pool even if she doesn't always love getting in - it's also 10x more exciting if Preston is there (her neighbor friend that's 6 months older than her)
-- has a new favorite food: "faffles and ceem" (waffles and whipped cream)
-- has to have her drink and "cerrul" (cereal) for car rides and helps us remember to put them in the diaper bag when we get to our destinations
-- has learned to put on her own shoes, and constantly puts them on the wrong feet no matter how many times we put them on the correct way for her
-- still loves shoes and is always willing to help get mom or dad's shoes for them, especially if it means going outside
-- LOVES to eat fruit
-- sleeps cuddled with a stuffed lamb and a bear every night
-- has started helping say prayers
-- has figured out what the word fast means and likes to try to walk fast and help other people walk fast
-- likes to help put on lotion and do her bedtime routine especially if she gets bubbles in her bath
-- loves to kiss mom, dad, and "Baby Owie" (Baby Allie)
-- has her canines mostly in on the bottom, and only needs 6 more baby teeth!
-- loves animals and going through what they say, but is still nervous to get close to very many of them
-- her favorite time of day is when dad gets home, she yells "daddy!" over and over and goes running to him!
-- has learned most of her letters thanks to a puzzle she loves to do 10 times a day
-- is totally fascinated by bugs and always points them out, but never gets too close
-- loves to play with her "laylows" (Legos), especially with dad
-- hilariously tries to help people stand up by grabbing their hand and lifting it as high as she can (sometimes even up onto her tiptoes) and saying up and then grunting as she tries to help lift them up
-- is already the cutest big sister

Things putting a smile on my face...

-- Facebook memories coming up of things Peyton was learning last year
-- Peyton asking me to sing her a song before every nap/bedtime (she must be tone deaf)
-- Sleeping in later thanks to daylight savings
-- Feeling baby girl kick and wiggle (especially in response to Peyton's voice)
-- A clean apartment
-- Checking things off my to do list
-- Sunny afternoons
-- General Conference happening so soon!
-- Pretty flowers on my kitchen table
-- Holiday candy/treats
-- Generous friends
-- Peyton's curls at the bottom of her hair that just get better as she gets sweaty
-- Making spring break plans
-- Post-nap snuggles from Peyton
-- Planning trips to see family
-- Still being able to work out at 34 weeks (even if it's modified and slow)
-- Random days Chase gets off of school and spends with us
-- Peyton saying new words or answering questions we didn't know she knew
-- Family dancing time
-- Peyton giving kisses to baby sister (my belly)
-- Long phone calls with Julia

15 Months

I still want to do periodic updates about Peyton and the ways she's growing, if only to write them down so I can remember. The past few months have flown by! I can't believe that Peyton is already 15 months old, but I also have a hard time remembering how little she was when I look back at pictures from a year ago. I feel like I keep saying this but her personality gets bigger and bigger the more she grows. Most days I can't get enough of it ;) She's a fireball and I'm sure will keep us busy for the rest of forever, but I really wouldn't have it any other way.

These days she:

- knows animal noises for fish, elephants, dogs, cats, snakes, cows, owls, (sometimes) lions and can recognize a few other animals but doesn't know what they say haha
- vocally says mom, dad, please, food, car, truck, house, shoes, socks, shirt, pants, teeth, mouth, tongue, eyes, ears, head, uh oh, highchair, drink, diaper, book, movie, boo, church, baby, bear, dog, bird, spoon, bow, cereal, apple, up please, ball, catch, all done, outside, bubbles, belly button, church, Jesus, temple and probably a few more I'm forgetting
- still signs food, all done, drink, banana, apple please, and thank you
- her favorite things are shoes, socks, balls, books, cars, and going outside with dad
- is surprisingly good at brushing her teeth (she now has 9 and a half of them)
- is working on learning to feed herself, and loves to use utensils
- still loves to watch videos of herself but calls herself baby
- gives the best hugs and cutest kisses
- blows kisses to lots of people
- is as stubborn as ever
- LOVES cereal, it's probably her favorite food
- practices being a big sister with her baby doll and her bears
- gives "mom's baby" kisses and says hi
- nods or shakes her head to tell us if she wants something (sometimes it's incredibly helpful, sometimes it's super frustrating haha)
- rarely sits still
- just barely moved up into 12-18 month clothes haha
- loves reading, much to dad's delight one of her favorite books is the Star Wars LEGO one
- folds her arms and says amen for prayers (we've made it through about 2 prayers with her folding them the whole time)
- loves to go get the mail
- wants to walk up the stairs all the time and then grunts on each step, we think it's hilarious
- will reach for both of our hands when we're walking and goes into what we call "turbo speed" for about 3 seconds before she gets tired
- does great in her carseat as long as she has snacks and a drink
- is recently down to one nap a day :(
- is still fascinated by other kids, but mostly likes to watch from a distance
- loves bath time and tries to get away from us when we tell her it's time to get out
- sleeps surrounded by her stuffed animals that she insists have to be all around her

*p.s. officially less than three months until my due date! That's equally terrifying and exciting :)

1 Year

This post is so long overdue it's almost embarrassing. I think I was in denial for a while that my baby girl was officially entering toddler-hood. But she turned one and there's not really anything I can do to stop it haha. But no matter how I feel about it, it should be documented because she's so cute and so much fun!

The last month of her first year she:

- gained a little more confidence walking but still refuses to do it on her own
- loves to help unload the dishwasher, especially the utensils
- really likes looking at the pictures on the wall and pointing at dad
- will say hi and bye to the car and the house when prompted (usually accompanied by lots of waving)
- still rips bows out of her hair on a regular basis
- has 6 teeth!
- is loving her stroller and being pushed around in it
- loves to read the same books over and over again
- started saying mama! It was totally worth the wait
- still only remembers how to say please and will point and do her own kind of little grunt as she signs please to get what she wants
- for sure knows what and who she wants and is pretty stubborn until she gets it
- gets us stopped by lots of people at the grocery store saying hi and how cute she is
- loves her bear and will go get it out of the toy bin if she's asked
- finally fits into her 9-12 month clothes well :)
- has discovered a love for fruit snacks and mini marshmallows (yes they were used as bribery for this photo shoot haha)

11 Months!!

How is that real? I can't believe this sweet little girl has been a part of our family for 11 whole months. Every month really goes by faster and faster and I'm grateful for these posts as a reminder to slow down and write the things that have happened so I can remember them!

This month has been full of big milestones and little favorite memories. She:

- took her first steps! She can do about 3 at a time right now and only when she doesn't realize mom or dad has let go
- has totally embraced being a daddy's girl - she gets to him as fast as she can every day when he gets home and loves to be held by him
- points out people she knows in pictures (mostly daddy)
- can point out the picture of Jesus and say hi to Him on the wall (both in the living room and her room)
- loves being outside
- loves bath time, except when we pour water on her head
- can pull herself up on most furniture and cruises around (crib, couches, shelves, etc)
- occasionally will crawl like normal but still prefers army crawling and pulling herself around on her belly
- is the most unpredictable eater
- constantly rips bows out of her hair even if they're attached to a ponytail or bun
- has recently really gotten into books
- says uh oh (it's as adorable as it sounds)
- says her own version of dad, all done, all better, and buttons (still no mama)
- finds great entertainment in pulling every movie and book off of our shelves
- likes to "share" her toys but only if you give them back immediately
- signs please when she wants anything and has forgotten all of her other signs
- still loves stuffed animals and squeezing them (see the pictures)
- has 5 teeth and one pushing through her gums
- gets called stinker bug, stinkeroo, peyton lu, sweet girl
- constantly gets complimented on her eyes
- gets the cutest squinty face when she's smiling big
- is such a happy part of our family!

10 Months

Can you believe it? We're still kind of in shock over here. Peyton's personality shines through more and more every day and we can't get enough of her. This month was full of late nights with the olympics, fun visitors, attempts to crawl and walk, and squeezing in snuggles whenever she'll let us.

This month Peyton:

- cruises along any and all furniture she can
- has figured out how to splash in the bath tub - quickly making it her favorite part of the day
- has gotten pickier with her food
- eats more "grown up" food than before
- found about 5 different kinds of laughs that she cycles through
- discovered her love for bubbles
- recognizes the sound of dad coming home and gets SO excited every day
- LOVES stuffed animals (this has been a fun one to watch develop recently)
- still loves walks
- is happiest with a full belly and holding on to mom or dad walking around
- figured out how to point and loves to point at anything and everything, especially outside
- still loves watching other kids/babies no matter where we are
- enjoys playing in laundry baskets, especially if there are socks to play with
- is getting better at staying in the carseat happily
- dances lots to all kinds of music
- has 4 teeth! We think we feel the next one too :)
- has continued to sleep through the night, thank goodness!
- is exploring new sounds (still no mama though)
- found the knobs on kitchen and bathroom cabinets and loves to grab them
- also loves her dresser drawer pulls
- figured out she can pull all the movies and books off the shelf
- loves to be moving constantly, which is probably part of the reason she likes to eat so much
- does not like to be put down, loves to be held or walking 99% of the day (the pictures make this pretty clear)
- is obsessed with looking at lights and light fixtures
- signs "more" and "all done" pretty frequently (she understands a few others, but won't sign them back)
- makes us the happiest parents!

9 Months!!

Peyton has now been in the world as long as she was in my belly. That's a hard concept for me to wrap my head around. I still have a hard time remembering what life was like without her sometimes, then other times I can't believe how fast time is flying and how big she is getting! No worries though, she's still very "petite." That's the word the doctor uses when we go get checkups haha. She's got a big noggin (close to the 75th percentile), she's around the 25th percentile for height, and barely on the chart for her weight in about the 2nd percentile. We love our little lady and had another awesome month with her.

Currently she's:

- exploring more and more of mom and dad's foods instead of her baby food
- dying to be moving around on her own but very cautious to try
- happiest when we're holding her hands helping her walk (she gets pretty speedy if we let her)
- more giggly than ever before. Mom can't get enough of it
- babbling away on a regular basis
- hating being put in her carseat, but does fine once she has someone or something to look at
- loved on by lots of family (she got to meet lots of cousins, and spend time with lots of aunts and uncles and great aunts and uncles and grandparents and even great-grandparents this month)
- a big fan of swimming at the lake and in the pool, but not a huge fan of bathtime
- fighting bedtime consistently, but sleeping through the night (woohoo!!)
- a huge flirt. She waves and giggles and plays with all the boys a few months older than her at church (we're in trouble when she grows up)
- great at waving hi, bye, and night night
- shaking her head constantly. Sometimes to be silly, sometimes to dance, and sometimes to copy mom/dad. We're hoping it doesn't include saying no...
- getting shy around strangers and hates to be left alone
- got 3 teeth! The 4th one made a brief appearance last week, but is currently nowhere to be found.
- a big mama's girl. Separation anxiety has definitely set in.
- drinking from her sippy cup all on her own
- regularly throwing food and her cup on the floor
- starting to explore walking in a walker toy
- throwing really great tantrums that either involve her head thrown back, a full-out sprawl on the ground, or folding herself in half until her face is on the ground (we're very nervous for the toddler versions of these)
- very stubborn about when she wants help. Even if she can get to something on her own, if she wants help doing it we usually see one of her tantrums
- discovered how fun it is to pull hair
- loving exploring people's mouths - we joke that she's already following in her dad's footsteps to be a dentist!
- the happiest part of both mom and dad's days. We love her to pieces. Can't wait to see what else she learns and does this next month!!