Happy 14 Months, Raegan!

Raegan is 14 Months Old!

CUTIE!

I’m getting behind.  We are already waaay into the next month...What can I say?  I spend the majority of my time chasing after this little monkey as opposed to hanging by the computer. :) 

14th month!  It's been a great one.  I can’t tell you how many times the following has come out of Chuck's mouth, “She is so much fun right now!” This, by far, has been Chuck’s favorite month. I have to say, it tops my list too.

Ok, straight to it-

First things first, she’s walking. Everywhere. In a matter of 3 weeks, she went from 15 steps (max) to the mummy walk (you know the one) to lapping the house 40 times a day (at least). You other mothers out there now what I’m feeling. The day of being able to plop her in the floor to play is NO more.

The progression:

Annnnddd…she’s talking. All the time. I mean, she’s always been super vocal (has been saying ma ma, da da, bye bye, and hi for MONTHS) but words are becoming clearer and clearer. She definitely understands more than she says. I feel like “sponge time” has officially started. Before now, she was saying several words, but for the most part, she spent a lot of time making her favorite sounds like “gobba gobba gobba”.

But, now, she’s really talking. She’s also learning and repeating like crazy. (Gasp!) Here’s the majority of her vocab repertoire: da da, ma ma, bye bye, hiiiii (hi), light, uh oh, buuh (book), oz (cheerios), paa paa (pat pat), lo (hello), ish (fish), bowwwl (bowl), haaaa (hot), nana (banana), wooo (woof…when she sees a dog), eez (cheese), de de, pop pop, bee (B-O-B), nan nan nan nan (nan-nan), and the newest: hebo (hippo).

Here she is when things weren't so clear, aka: "Gobba Gobba" stage:

Hates having her teeth brushed. Hates it. We’ve done everything but put on a clown suit and juggled. Suggestions? I’m begging. Also still hates the diaper change. We’re in for a long year or 2. Actually, potty training might just have to start earlier than expected. :)

New favorite activities are:
-sitting outside watching squirrels, birds, bunnies, and her favorite: AIRPLANES!
-Playing with her new, plastic golf clubs from daddy
 -Taking things out of a bag/bowl/plastic container…and putting them back in…one by one
-Sweeping the floor like mommy
-Playing anything with her daddy
-And her all-time favorite: playing with a bowl and a spoon. Loves! As soon as she gets in the car, she's leaning over the edge looking for her “Bowwwl! Bowwwl!”

"Do you hear that plane, De De?"

"This isn't a spoon, mommy.  I need my spoon."

She also has some new favorite things at school! She loves looking at the “ish” in the aquarium on our way out. Also, her new favorite toy in her classroom is the green frog puppet. She shows it to Chuck and me when either of us picks her up. So sweet. And, of course, she still loves stuffed animals. Her teacher, Ms Cynthia, says that she hoards all of them and then lays ontop of them…like she is claiming her territory. Like Gabby, like Raegan.

A not-so-fun-addition?  I guess you could call them temper tantrums. She doesn’t lie on the floor and bang her fists (as of yet, anyway). What she does do is cry (obviously) and roughly rubs her feet together. If we ever wonder if she’s really frustrated or mad, we simply get a good view of her little feet.  Believe me, you want to witness no videos or pics of this. 

She is soooo nosy. We have started adopting the nickname that my Grandma Carol used to call me when I was little. “Nosy Rosy”. That’s her, for sure. She loves “nosying” around in Daddy’s bathroom drawers.

"Nosy" in action

Pretty sure this was at least 4 seconds before the handful of dogfood sent mom into cardiac arrest

Loves cheerios (points to them), cheese, and bananas. And, don’t even think about spoon feeding her ANYTHING. Trips to the grocery store used to be a breeze.  Now that she has come to love food, it’s a bit more challenging. There’s no scurrying through the cereal, produce, or dairy aisles without lots of pointing and: “Oz! Oz! Oz!”...”Nana! Nana! Nana!”…“Eez! Eez! Eez!”

Will not keep a bow in.  She wants them out. I oblige. So, the “he’s so cute” comments ensue. :)

Nighttime routine now includes reading, at least, 3 books.  She refuses to even close her eyes during our prayers until we read.  This is after she leans over the arm of the chair, points to her basket, and begs "buuh!?  buuh!?"

Has the biggest, little gut. I know what you’re thinking. Complete oxymoron. But, it’s not. She’s like that skinny girl with a serious belly. Chuck believes that this created an extra handicap when trying to learn to walk. Hilarious. I don’t know about that, but it definitely requires some additional balance.

Note how much higher the skirt is in the back. 

The sweetest thing-she does this thing (warning: this is going to sound odd) where she scrunches up her little bottom a few times when she’s cuddling. Whether it’s when she’s lying her head on someone’s shoulder or on one of her stuffed animals in her floor, she inevitabley scrunches her little bottom up in the air a few times and then adds an “awwwwww”. It’s sweet. Trust me.

Along the same lines, she has started saying “paa paa” (pat pat) when she is patting someone or something. (This is her version of a love pat.) Even cuter is what she says afterwards. Before she was really talking, we would say “pat pat” when she was giving us her love pats. Then, we’d follow it up with an “awwwwwwwww”. So, now, she narrates it herself by saying this during her love pats “paa paa….awwwwww….paa paa…awwwww”. It’s precious.

Stat-wise:
-20.9 lbs

-9 teeth (the 9th tooth is a bottom 1st molar… on the left side. That one REALLY hurt her coming in. Not looking forward to the remaining molars...)

-12-18 mo clothes, but not for much longer

-Size 2 shoes (Is this strange? Seems so small!)

So, that's it for now! My apologies to the grandparents for this being posted so late. I now really understand the term for babies “being into everything”!  I thought I knew before...I was wrong.  I don't sit.  Ever.  Welcome back, pre-pregnancy weight.

14 months has been super fun! 

I’m thinking Chuck is going to love the 15th month even more! Since we are already half way into it, I feel safe making this comment.

Until next time, enjoy these summer days!  

This little one sure will!