Annie was 17 months old during the month of January!
She really developed in her communication and her play this month and was so much fun! With all of the development as well as some serious growing, Annie slept til 9 am almost every morning (as opposed to her usual wake up between 7 -8 am) of January regardless of what time she went to bed. It was such a treat!! I even started to wonder if everything was okay but realized it was just a growing and developing phase!
Annie loves to play hide and go seek! Early on, the three of us had to play together because one of us had to hide with Annie while the other parent found the hiders. But before long, Annie understood to go hide on her own while I counted! She also understood to pick a new hiding place each time instead of staying in the same place like she had been doing. She hid behind the kitchen island, in our long hallway, and between the couch and coffee table among other places! It was too cute and so much fun to play with her!
Annie also loves stacking blocks and knocking them down! For the first time, she was also able to put pen to paper and draw! Previously, she has used a pen and pretended to draw but never been able to connect the pen to the paper and make a mark. It will be so exciting to see her artwork!
This pic was taken on New Year's Day. It was a cold, rainy, dreary day so we had a lazy morning in the "big bed" (our bed) watching TV. She wanted to wear my glasses and I snapped this hysterical shot! She looks so big!
She drank the milk from her cereal bowl! We did not teach her this!?!
We celebrated another Alabama National Championship win!! Aunt Nicole & Uncle Taylor got her this adorable outfit!
And later in the day, she wore the dress that I made at the beginning of the season. Only this time, it was a shirt instead of a dress!
Cuddles before the game really started!
I love this sweet picture at my parent's house! She loves to have her baby do the things that she loves! So sweet!
We had dinner with cake and ice cream and presents at my parent's house to celebrate Jeffrey's 15th birthday!! We got a few cute pictures of Annie and Jeffrey together! She loves Jeffrey but is sometimes quite shy around him. It was fun for her to open up with him!
So sweet :)
And one with gorgeous Aunt Elizabeth too!
Same birthday night - another shot of Granddaddy & Annie in their matching recliners!
Same night - My mom and sisters and me were all loving on Annie and singing to her! I hope Annie has such amazing sisters as I do one day!
Annie really started to enjoy the park and be able to do all of the activities so went every chance we had! She is the boss of Layla and has no problem being the pack leader!
Annie is so funny and really knows what she wants! One day, I had my hat on before I had the chance to shower. When I came to get her, she told me that she wanted to wear her hat too! The funny thing is that she usually hates to wear any kind of hat or hood or bow on her head.
The sweetest thing is that Annie really wants to be just like me!! I love it and know that that feeling will not last forever! If I wear a hat, she wants to too! The same is true if I am wearing jewelry or a scarf - she wants to wear her blue necklace or my jewelry or a scarf like me!
Also, when I get ready for the day, she is often times in the bathroom helping me! She likes to "put on" make-up like me and has her own brush! She has already learned just by observation where everything goes. Amazing! She also likes for me to put deodorant and perfume on her!!
After a long Monday night with a very high fever (103) and some vomiting, Annie and I ended up at the doctor's office. She was clear for the flu and any other bacteria so she was diagnosed with a "flu like illness." At times, she was pitiful, but then at other times, she was pretty peppy! This pic was taken in CVS after the doctor's visit where we went to get medicine, Gatorade, etc for her. She was so silly and found the perfect spot on the end of the cart! I thought she looked like such a big girl!!
Later that day, she was raiding the fridge which is a pretty frequent occurrence! She is either asking for food from the fridge or going through the pantry herself!
Unfortunately, Annie did not get better as the week went on. Her cough got much worse and at one point her fever got as high as 104. We went right back to the doctor's office (on the first day she ever saw snow :( ), but again she was clear for the flu, bacteria, strep, and pneumonia. Right after our appointment, I accidentally locked Annie inside my car in her car seat. Immediately after I shut the door, I realized what happened, but there was nothing I could do. I only have one key to my car so there was no spare to use either. First, the police came, but they could not help because my car has side air bags. So, then Pop-a-Lock was called, but because it was an unexpected snowy day in Alabama, schools and work were being let out early and traffic was horrible. It took forever for Pop-a-Lock to get there. Thankfully, Annie fell asleep in the car and was never really upset. She never sleeps in the car, but because she was sick, she was so sleepy and went right to sleep. Also, because of her fever, she was very warm! I was so thankful that the situation was not more upsetting for Annie. I handled it okay, but was so anxious to get my car unlocked!
After we finally got home, Annie snuggled up to her Daddy! I love these pictures (except that I know how bad she felt :( ).
Annie loves Layla! Here Layla is giving Annie kisses and Annie doesn't seem to mind :)
She loves to push her baby in her baby doll stroller, but sometimes she likes to get in it herself!
Reading books with Daddy!
So stylish and ready to roll! Thanks Aunt Nicole for the sunglasses!
Brushing her teeth and playing in the water before bed with her baby! She loves to brush her teeth and play in the water. I have a cute video but it is too large to upload here.
We did lots of roller coaster rides! She loves it when we build a tower of blocks for her to either slide down and knock over or ride on her roller coaster and knock over. I love this video!
Annie loved this spot at the zoo even though she had no idea she was a giraffe!
The zoo has also become a really fun spot now that Annie is really into the animals. She also loves the train!!
Being super silly on our walk! I think one day Annie discovered she had holes in her ears so she started sticking her fingers in them. Everyone who saw it thought she was being funny and it would always get a big reaction. So, then she started doing this on purpose to get us to laugh!! She is always trying to be silly or get us to laugh!
After many months of enjoying two Praise Baby movies, Annie moved on to the "Mama Dada" movie! I pulled out our rehearsal dinner slide show and wedding DVD and she LOVED both!!! We watched them over and over again. They had all of her favorite people in them and great music! It was so much fun to watch with her!
After Annie's 18 month well baby visit, Annie and I met Emily for lunch. Emily and I showed up in the EXACT same outfit!! It was really funny and also really embarrassing since it was the heart of lunchtime in Homewood. There was also nothing we could do to alter our outfits in any way to make a quick change. So, we looked just alike. Some people commented and we had a lady take our pic to record it! This is not the first time this has happened!
For all of Annie's great eating, she does not like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?! I suppose its for the best since they are not very nutritious. But, I started making protein shakes and adding peanut butter to them, and in the process Annie and I discovered that she likes plain peanut butter. Here she is sticking her finger straight in the jar and loving it :) She also eats a big spoonful of it on some days.
As for communicating, Annie communicates perfectly by acting things out with her hands and body or by using the same baby sign language, but she was not saying a ton of words at 17 months. She is so creative with communicating and is also amazingly effective at letting us know what she wants or needs. For example, if she wants to eat or if she wants her paci, she will make a motion with her mouth to let us know. I can then ask her do you want ___ to eat or do you need your paci and she can shake her head yes or no. She will also occasionally say words that sound like yes or no. She will also point to a specific spot on the floor if she wants us to sit or stand in a particular spot. She tilts her head or body if she wants to walk or go in a certain direction or she will point and motion emphatically. Also, if she wants one of us to stand up from a sitting position she will grab our arm and pull up. These are just a few examples of how she is communicating without many words.
Her words at this age are dog, shoe (but only occasionally), moon (mmmm), moo (as in a cow), Dada, Mama, JoJo and maybe a few others.
And finally, Annie really started taking an interest in the potty. She usually comes into the bathroom every time I go (!) and stared telling me that she also wanted to go. She made up her own motion to let me know she had to potty. She puts her hands on her belly, pokes out her tummy, and tucks her chin to let me know. I have no idea why she started this but it was so funny! I did let her try and even bought her her own potty, but I have decided to postpone potty training until its warmer outside and she will be wearing dresses! The less layers to undress and re-dress the better!
Annie has always been such a great and easy baby, but I have found myself realizing that the things that used to be hard about having a baby have really started to get so much easier over the last few months! She can and will eat just about anything no matter where we go. She is an excellent sleeper including a 2-3 hour nap each afternoon and an average of 12 hours straight each night. She is also very flexible if we keep her out late for a nap or bedtime. I am also thankful because she will often sleep in the next morning if she goes to bed late. The necessary gear has also lessened for any outing. And finally, she is developing in her independent play and is also safe for longer periods of unsupervised time. I love every day with her and seriously cannot get enough time with her! We are so thankful for you Annie and love you so much!
