Sixteen months old

Our sweet Sara Jo is now sixteen months old. That's mommy speak for a year and four months--almost a year and a half! Gasp!!!

Every day our little one becomes more and more of a toddler. She is figuring out new ways to get into things, like standing on her tippy-toes to open drawers. She's also getting bolder about trying to climb, like attempting to take the stairs like a big girl (on her feet instead of on her knees) or climbing on top of a huge 12-pack of paper towels. Our sweetie is also developing much more of a will. If she doesn't like her dinner, she throws it on the floor (and then has to help pick it up, of course). If you tell her not to pick up x, y, or z, she will run away from you with it in her hands. If you pick her up when she doesn't want to be picked up, she shrieks and squirms until you put her down. Yes, the real work of parenting has begun!

But she is so much fun, our little one. It is so wonderful to watch her figure out how things work ("Wow! Touching the button on the X-Box turns on a green light! And gets Daddy's attention! Cool!") or to hear her label things: "Shoes." "Button." "Ning!" (for swing.) These days are all about figuring out the world and her place in it. Her favorite things are going on the swing and playing with her toys--especially the Busy Ball Popper and her electronic toys (like Leap Frog Fridge Phonics, the Vtech Learning Walker, and the Vtech Alphabet Train). I try to interest her in blocks and dolls, but so far they don't hold her interest for very long. As a general rule now, we try to get out of the house for a while each day. This seems to save both my sanity and hers!

I should also mention that Sara is now napping just once a day. The transition has been a little rough and has included some 5:30 a.m. mornings, which are sooooo not my thing. We seem to be falling into a nice rhythm now, though: To bed around 8, awake around 6:30, and napping from about 12-2:45. Not bad at all.

We can't wait to see what our little one comes up with next!