17 Months

Halle is already 17 months old which is so hard to believe even though she definitely seems like a little girl to me. Even though this new stage of life has its moments, we are so in love with her and she brings so much joy to our lives. I think she understands most of what we say and we find ourselves being surprised by how much she knows. For example, she was playing with Brandon's watch earlier in the day and I didn't see where she put it. But, when Brandon came home I asked her where it was and she went right to our couch, asked to be lifted up and then stood and bent over looking down at the ground behind the couch and sure enough, there was the watch! She is learning so much everyday and though she does whine a lot, I guess I can't blame her since it would be frustrating to not be able to communicate what she wants/needs. She is really into playing pretend and figuring out different ways to play with her toys. She likes to watch what I am doing in the kitchen and then stir her own bowl, etc. She is so much fun!

Here are some pictures of her from this past month. Mema (Brandon's mom) made both of the pillow case dresses and I love them!

With her Operation Christmas Child box - I have decided that this will be one of our traditions each year and we will choose a kid that is around the same age as Halle so this year we chose a 2-4 year old boy

This video is so cute until the very end, but don't worry...it looks worse than it actually was (she barely cried!)

At 17 months Halle...

• Sticks her hands in her diaper all the time - had to go buy onesies to prevent messes!
• Walks on her tip toes every once in awhile and dances at random times - have no clue where she got that one!
• Weighs 21 lbs., wears size 12-18 tops but they are getting short, 12-18 month pants, size 4 diapers, size 5 shoes
• Schedule: usually sleeps from 7:30/8pm to 6:30/8am, takes one 1 hour 20 min. nap around 12:30/1pm
• Loves to be outside even when it is cold
• Likes to watch DVD's and some tv shows: Bible Songs, Barney, Puppytown, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, etc.
• Is still so-so about going to the church nursery - she will do okay for a bit but then start to get upset towards the end
• Loves to play pretend - with her babies, strollers, tea set, etc.
• Likes stacking her cups and anything else that she can stack
• Just recently started putting the plastic rings from a toy on her wrists and she calls them bracelets
• Is a girly-girl already - she likes to pick out her bows and then see what they look like in the mirror!
• Understands almost everything we say and even though she says quite a bit, she gets frustrated when she can't communicate back - for some reason she has regressed with some of her words and calls milk - "gul", ball - "ga", etc...
• Is not liking to have her diaper changed for some reason...
• Likes the bath but does not like when we pour water over her head
• Loves fruit and is so-so on all other food - the only thing I have been noticing is that she likes to have a variety (not the same thing everyday) and likes to eat an early lunch and dinner
• Likes balloons and balls - she likes to throw them and put them inside her stacking cups
• Just recently started "coloring" with the color wonder markers that don't make a mess (she eats crayons so we stay away from those!)
• Knows what "no" and "yes" mean and has started to tell other people "no"...
• Likes to give her babies hugs and kisses and loves to see real babies - she likes to rock their car seats!
• Has started trying to eat some of her food with her own utensils