Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Life with Nia: 16 Months

It took a gingerbread cookie to get this shot!
I was hoping to get this post up yesterday, but things have been so crazed with our holiday schedule! Our 4th annual cookie exchange was Saturday so I've been busy with the aftermath of that (including eating the leftovers!). I'll have a separate post on that later this week.

Anyway, about Lil Love Bird . . .

Nia is such the jokester now and her personality is coming on stronger than ever! It's so fun to see her true self develop and Mr. Love Bird and I have fun debating who she resembles more in both looks and traits. 

Here's the official update:
  • Toddler's Weight: In the last update, we hadn't gone to her 15 month appointment yet but since we've gone we found out she's 19 lbs, 3 oz
  • Toddler's Height: Nia is 31" long - she gained an inch since her one year appointment!
  • What size of clothing does toddler wear? Her 18 months pants are starting to look short and 24 months fits best. 18 months tops are fine though!
  • Any milestones toddler reached during the month:  
    • She's communicating more about using the potty and wanting to stay clean (she loves tissues, washcloths etc. to wipe off with)
    • Nia can now ask, "What is this?" and points for us to ID things around the apartment
  • Special outings toddler had during the month:  
    • The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and seeing the balloon inflation the night before was the biggest highlight (you can read the full post here).
    • We were supposed to go to her first kiddie concert Sunday but it was postponed; looking forward to going later
  • What are your thoughts about the past month? I am having so much fun with Nia especially during Christmas! With the apartment decorated and our cookie party as well as others we've been going to I can tell she knows something's up. She is so inquisitive and bright.
  • What was toddler's routine? Nia's sleeping routine has still been haphazard with the time change and continuing recovery from her sickness (she's just left with a cough now). With our holiday travel abroad I know it's only going to get crazier so we'll just roll with it.
  • Reflect about the highlights of the month:  
    • Nia slept 12 hours straight the night of December 11 into her 16 month birthday; it was the longest stretch of her life, and I woke up so refreshed (and happy!)
  • Did any big changes occur? 
    • Nia's asking for more solids by name now; I love this communication but not the tantrums that result if she doesn't get what she wants. 
              Here's an example:

  • What are toddler's favorites - toy, food, person, etc... 
    • We have a new Baba (Mr. Love Bird call him "Bobo") which my parents brought from my sister's Anderson University campus; Nia can't quite tell the difference, but it was a much needed addition as the old Baba was very dirty
    • Nia still loves bacon and it's about the only meat she'll eat; she still prefers fruits and veggies. We've been giving her granny smith apples and she's obsessed with them! She walks around saying "apple" all the time and it's only made worse by the apples she sees on the Christmas tree. I guess I shouldn't say "worse," cause it's a good snack to have!
  • What I'm looking forward to? I'm looking forward to our trip to Nigeria and using our new camera to capture memories there as well as here. Also, I'm excited to see Nia open her presents. We've started placing some under her little tree, but she doesn't quite understand what they are yet!