Stats:

22 lbs, 15th Percentile

31.5 inches 50th Percentile

Size: 18 months

Tooth Count: 12 (including 4 molars!)

Hair: Still so wispy and thin but getting longer every day! Still strawberry-blonde and beautiful… almost enough for a pony… OK, not really.

Nicknames: Via, Doodle (Bug)

Loves: Chairs, Swimming, Sand, Vehicles (Cars, Busses, Trains, Motorcycles), Playing outside, playing dress-up, building with blocks, helping sweep the floor with her pint-sized “Moon”, Bubbles, giving kisses, going to the Zoo, Pop-Pops (Popsicles), her Bestie Bayo, Running / Playing Ready, Set, Go!, Slides, hats, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Calliou, Jumping, “Riding”

Cranks: Sitting in a highchair for longer than about 15 minutes, making dinners out pretty darn frustrating for mom and dad. Dinners at family-friendly / outdoor restaurants like Chicken Scratch & The Lot are frequent. Not being able to go outside. Going to bed.

Favorite Foods: “Hot Cheese” (Macaroni & Cheese), Beans, Peas, Cheese Sticks, Strawberries (“AwBeeBees”), Hot Dogs, Tomatoes (“MayMos”), Ice Cream “I-Meam”, Chicken Stir Fry,

Favorite Books: “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”, “Things that GO”, “I love you so”, “Daddy Hugs”, “Llama, Llama, Red Pajama”, “Beep, Beep” … we read close to 10 books a night before bed.

Milestones and other things…

Understands when she’s made a poop, tinkle, or toot in her diaper, promptly announces “Doodie!”, “Tinkle!”, or “TOOTS” – When she burps… instead of saying “Excuse me” like her Mama would like her to… she says, “Nice!”

Can accurately complete some of her puzzles alone (Melissa & Doug, Chunky pieces)

Can identify several animals and tell you what sound they make.

Can put multiple words together to make short phrases (“Hi, Dog!” or “Big Ball” or “Car Go”)

Can sort of say “I Love you” although is sort of sounds like “I wub wub”

Can climb up on most anything… which we are learning is quite dangerous.

Understands the possessive, likes to identify who things belong to… “Mommy’s… Car” “Dayda’s Pillow”

Converted Crib to Toddler Bed

First tinkle in big girl potty!!

Identifying people and objects around her *Points* “Car, and, mommy, annnnd, chaulk, annnd plane”

Summer 2013 Highlights

June

Sedona trip with Family Gorham

Swim Lessons @ Emler Swim School

Weekend in Fort Worth for Townsend Engagement Party

Rakowska Family moves to Texas!

July

Fourth of July Party

Gramma G Visit

August

These first few weeks of August have been REALLY  hot making it really difficult to be outside much. (Huge bummer for a toddler who loves the outdoors). Most of our days filled with play dates, early morning zoo and park trips, swim lessons.

First trip to the Perot Museum of Nature & Science

Dearest Via,

I love how you say, “Help Me!” and “Up Please” … and how sometimes you get “Up” and “Down” (AKA “Noun”) confused… Your recent obsession with “Noise,” anything you can hear but not see. How you say, “Here you go” when you’re giving or sharing. How you love to hold my hand when we are walking together. How you’ve learned to ask for “Milk!” and how you still want to nurse like a newborn some days. You’ve definitely found your voice but you’re still such a sweet and gentle kid. Although your Dayda and I worry that you’ll be co-sleeping until you’re 10, we secretly love going to bed as a family. Sometimes you roll over reach out to hold Daddy’s hand while you sleep… and it melts his heart every time. Last Saturday, Daddy and I were working in the kitchen, cleaning out cabinets while you were napping in your room. We were trying our best to keep quiet but you must have heard us because suddenly (I was pretty startled) I heard your little footsteps walking through the kitchen. You’d gotten up and out of bed and walked in to find us without making a peep. Although it may not sound like much, it hit us like a ton of bricks… you’ve gotten SO big. You’re really not a baby any more. Every day you act more and more like a big kid. You’re talking more and more and really communicating what you want and need most of the time. You get frustrated easily when we try to stop you from doing things yourself… this independence means lots of clean-up for mommy but watching you experiment is totally worth it. You love playing outside and the heat doesn’t seem to get to you in the slightest. When I’m cooking dinner in the evenings, you sometimes stand at the back door and repeat “OUTside… Ball.. annnnnd Car… and Chaulk… and Plane… and DAYDA!” Almost every night after dinner, you and daddy play the “Ready, Set Go!” game in the hallway. Daddy sits on one end and you stand at the other while he says, Ready… Set…. Then you squeal “GO” and run down the hallway full speed ahead into his arms. This is solid entertainment long enough for mommy to finish cleaning the kitchen and helps get wiggles out before bath and bedtime. Speaking of bedtime, you’re still no where near sleeping through the night… but we plan on working on that over the next 6 months. You really are a sweet kid and we’re so proud of how smart and gentle you are. It’s so rewarding and wonderful watching you grow. You are the most wonderful gift I’ve ever been given. I love you, so. 

Love,

Mommy.