Blossoming at 15 Months

As spring is approaching, we have a blossoming little girl on our hands.  Our little Abby “bean” is 15 months old now!  Just this morning I took her for her 15 month well baby check and she weighed in at 27 pounds and is 30 inches tall!  I was very happy with our visit because (1) I only waited 10 minutes...if that...to be seen by the doctor (the last two visits it’s been 30 minutes or MORE!) and (2) the pediatrician was fantastic!  This is Abby’s third or fourth visit with the Navy Hospital’s Pediatric office and I have yet to find a pediatrician that I like.  The 2 or 3 that I have seen come across as having no interest in pediatrics or kids and they never even talked about milestones and if she was doing things appropriate for her age.  Well, today was different!  First, Dr. Foster apologized...TWICE...for keeping me waiting (hello, are you kidding me, that was nothing compared to last time!) and then started talking to Abby (like pediatricians should do in my opinion).  He did the whole assessment while she sat on my lap.  He asked about her walking, talking, and eating and answered my questions with answers that made sense (not just “um, whatever you want to do should be fine”...yes I had a pediatrician here tell me that)!  I was beginning to wonder if these doctors even have a medical degree...It seemed that I knew more as a nurse than they did!  Anyway, I was very happy with our visit and Abby is doing great!

She is walking like a champ now and has already started to climb on whatever she can.  She can say about 10 different words, with her favorite (I think) being “mor”  for more. Clearly, she eats, but she has been my picky eater and I still can’t get her to eat green beans or Mac-n-cheese, which is strange to me because I think Kaylee was born eating Mac-n-cheese.  She loves anything breakfast, grilled cheese, PB & J sandwiches, chicken (sometimes), applesauce, sweet potatoes, and, of course, fruit.  She has a mouth full of teeth now with three more coming through and she really likes when I brush her teeth!
She is such a sweet girl and within the past month has really become quite the snuggle bunny, which I’m loving.  She’s starting to like books and enjoys pointing things out, like birds and doggies.  She loves stacking blocks and knocking them over (if Kaylee doesn’t beat her to it).  Her favorite thing to watch is “Boz the Bear” and she loves to hear songs/music.  Just the other day while riding in the car, Kaylee was singing along to her Sunday School songs cd and Abby was next to her attempting to sing along, it was so precious to see and hear!
When Abby is not trailing my every step, she’s behind Kaylee trying to keep up with her. She seems to like to play alongside Kaylee, which is nice until Kaylee realizes that “Abby just messed up my picnic!”  Ah, the joy of sisters.
Abby is sleeping very well at night and still takes two naps during the day.  Recently, her afternoon naps are becoming shorter, which means she is very cranky by dinnertime.  Fortunately, today she is taking a great nap, thanks to immunizations and tylenol! 

She is definitely having some separation anxiety issues.  As I said earlier, she follows me all over the house (sometimes my going to the restroom is a group event...can we say “p-r-i-v-a-c-y!”) and if she can’t see me she repeatedly says, “ma-ma, ma-ma, ma-ma” until I’m in her view again.  I love the sound of it though.  And I find it so endearing when she wakes up in the mornings calling for “Ma-ma” or better yet, “Da-da”, which means I get to stay in bed for a few more minutes.

There are so many good things about the infant days and lots of new adventures when you have a toddler, but I find this stage of my child’s life so great.  She’s becoming a little person now, with a personality all her own.  She’s discovering her world and learning so much from animals and what they say to blowing kisses and giving hugs!  I love watching them learn...I love how she attempts to do the “Hokie-Pokie” with Elmo...I love that every time we walk outside, she looks for a bird...I love that she laughs when I say, “ewww, you stink!”...I love how she opens her mouth when you try to give her a kiss...I love how she turns towards the door and says “Da-da” as soon as she hears Ryan coming home from work...I love hearing her laugh with Kaylee...I love her big beautiful blue eyes...and I love her sweet sweet smile.  God has truly blessed Ryan and I with not one, but two wonderful daughters and I am so Thankful for both!