Stats

I had my 18 month well visit today. Bridget and Bruce took us to the Dr.'s office - Bruce and I held hands in the backseat. Ahh young love.

I'm 33" tall - now in the 75%

I weigh 28 lbs - in the 90%

My head has actually stopped it's super growth, and I'm starting to grow into it. I'm still off the charts, but the curve is now going downward rather than upward.

I like my Dr. - she's very nice, and she didn't give me any shots today.

Cooler Weather

Today it's actually pretty cool. It's also very damp. Mommy's joints ache.

But I digress.

Here I am being cute. In a variety of ways. The awesome outfit is compliments of Erika - it's got a great sweater that goes with it, but it's not quite that cool today. The best thing is the flowers on the jeans match the flowers on my shoes. It's all about the details. (although that was quite accidental)

Willow Grove Creations

Check out Steve's new site here. If you like what you see, feel free to pass it along to people you know. The site is still in its infancy, and will continue to undergo some changes, but it'll give you an idea.

Beloved Blankie

Here I am eating lunch with my blankie. You'll notice it's draped over the back of my high chair. Mommy can handle this.





You'll also notice I'm topless (!) Mommy's taken to stripping me before meal time so I don't stain my clothes. For some reason, this seems easier than putting a bib on me. Go figure. She doesn't (normally) employ this same method in public.

In other news, I walked across the room last night - INDEPENDENTLY!!!!!

Eww!

This morning, Mommy came in to get me up only to find me lying there stark naked! She couldn't even see the diaper (it was buried under a blanket). Thankfully, there was no poo involved (whew!), but I was lounging in a nice puddle of pee. Ahh, it's great to be a toddler. Needless to say, blankie and company are being washed.

*update - blankie is out of the dryer. I'm SO happy!

Developmental Stages

I'm still walking a lot with the walker - every now and then, I even grace Mommy and Daddy with a few independent steps.

Lately, I've really been into my blankie. I ask for it all the time "bebe, bebe", and laugh and cheer when Mommy or Daddy say "blanket?" Tonight, I needed it to eat dinner. Just casually draped over the back of my high chair.

And it's not just one blankie - there are three that I approve of
1. giant pink blanket
2. regular pink blanket
3. regular white blanket

they all have that really soft stuffed animal fur on at least one side. my particular favorite is the regular pink blanket.

Ahh blankie - how I adore thee.

Assorted...

Here are my sweet shoes from Target. Target's got great baby shoes for cheap - good style, good price. These even have a flexible sole, so it's easy for me to stand and walk in them.



Oh...did I mention I've taken independent steps now? Yup. Four steps when the therapist was here, and 6 later in the evening when I was hanging out with Bruce. Mommy was so happy she almost cried.

And here's a random picture of me grumpy.



That's been happening a lot lately - grumpiness - partly due to STILL cutting eye teeth (it's finally poking through the gum), partly my age (testing limits constantly - Yup...limits still there), and partly because I get frustrated when Mommy and Daddy don't pick up on my nuances of the word "baby", which I use for almost everything. I will say however, that they've finally figured out the particular "baby" for my blanket. They're catching on...slowly. I'm learning new baby signs all the time - I picked up the one for "potty" without even really trying, and made up my own for "yes". Whatever - it's not like I have to communicate with other babies.

Score!

At our neighborhood thrift store, a table and 2 chairs for a kid - from IKEA - for SUPER cheap.

Pictures to come after it's been cleaned up.

I'm So Ornery.

This morning, Mommy and I went for walk with Bridget and Bruce. Fun times... that is, until I decided to throw a full blown hissy fit at the barber's. Normally, Mommy would just "remove" me from the situation, but she was keeping an eye on Bruce, and it just couldn't happen. Wouldn't you know it was a bunch of elderly men in the waiting room. Figures. Mommy would like to add that Bruce behaved like an angel.

While we were sitting there enjoying life, Mommy noticed that my butt rash :) had spread to my arms and legs. Quickly, a call was placed to Daddy, who called the Dr., who gave us an appt. right away. Daddy came and picked us up (so much for the walk! but that's ok... Mommy was pooped) and off to the dr.

Turns out it's a "summer irritant" - translation, a topical reaction to something... (as opposed to internal/food or viral). Whew!

Did I mention I threw another hissy fit while we waited on the Dr.? Yep. I say baby and meme REALLY good, but it really doesn't help Mommy and Daddy understand what I want. What morons.

The Dr. was very gracious, and talked about how I was nearing the terrible 2's. HmmHmm.

In other light hearted news, we got some aprons from Granny. There's even one for me - from way back when Mommy was little. Sweet. Pictures will come sometime.

Diapers

These are the best cloth diapers ever.

Just wanted to share.

Yay!

Tonight, I walked with my walker - and I only held on with one hand!!! Woohoo!!!

hmm

you know how Mommy said I haven't been napping well because of teething? Well, today I slept for so long that Mommy had to wake me up (so I'll sleep tonight she says).

There are many reasons why Mommy thinks I'm an alien baby given to her..
a) i'm a social butterfly
b) i love meeting new people, and saying hi to everyone
c) i'm very flexible
d) i wasn't born a hairy monkey

but there are some ways I'm very much like her...
a) i'm very stubborn, and don't like to be told what to do
b) i'm VERY ORNERY if i'm woken up from sleep
c) i love stuffed animals (ok, maybe she programmed that one into me)

so needless to say, when she woke me up from my nap, I threw a hissy fit. for like 10 minutes. yep. fun times.

finally I worked up the strength to ask for a snack. She complied with Trader Joe's triple ginger cookies. I'm happy now.

We're listening to the "Come Heal This Land" cd - It's got Mommy's favorite song in the whole world on it... "In the Beauty of Holiness". We're listening to it on the DVD player on track repeat... I think we're up to 10 times. But we both like it, so it's all good.

Recipe for Disaster

1 ornery baby who's cutting eye teeth
1 hairdo that needs trimming
1 pair of scissors
1 determined Mommy
1 exasperated Daddy

equals...

a very cute haircut.

I needed my bangs cut. As Mama T. would say, "get your hair out of your eyes". So Mommy and Daddy got hair cutting scissors from Target. Daddy tried while Mommy was out, but that was a no-go. I was VERY ornery from all accounts. So Mommy gave it a whirl when she got home. It's not like she's going to win any beautician awards, but it's not too shabby. Good job Mommy - you'll get better with practice.

here's the before picture...



here I am with my new hairdo reading a letter from Paka.



I know, no great shakes, but atleast it's not in my eyes anymore.

In other news, because I am STILL cutting my eye teeth (yes, for like 2 months now), I haven't been napping very well. Friday, Sunday, and Monday I didn't nap at all. I still had my "quiet" time in my room, but no sleeping. Normally, I sleep for 3 hours. Needless to say, Mommy and Daddy have REALLY been enjoying this. Finally, they're giving me some orajel and baby tylenol, and that seems to be helping a little bit. We'll see.

I'm still doing a lot of walking with the walker toy - go me! It shouldn't be long now. I'm trying to walk independently before Grammy and Paka come in a couple of weeks. I'm really looking forward to their visit - I've got lots of new skills to show them.

It runs in the family

I have such talented cousins. Check out the work they did for the church play. All 6 of them had a part - from acting to props -

Yay!

I got a surprise package today from Grammy and Paka. I got 2 very cute outfits (one seen below), and some beanie babies. Sweet!







Then, I decided to go for a walk. I first tried this yesterday while hanging out with Bruce and his cousin Logan, but didn't repeat it for Daddy to see. So today, I've been going back and forth between the living room and dining room. I can even turn around with it, and go back the other way. Yay! Mommy and Daddy have been trying to get me to use this for months now - and now I see why - it's lots of fun, especially when I go fast.

New Blog

Check out Mommy's new blog.

18 months

I'm 18 months old now. Here are some "official" pictures to commemorate. It coincided nicely with the fact that we all had to get gussied up for a wedding last night.

smiley willow...



demure willow...



grumpy willow... but it's a great shot of her ensemble...



per Paka's request, here's a picture of me and Mommy. She's really working it for the camera, but I've had enough. I'm ready to go to the party!



and here's just some random shots that are particularly cute...

Musikfest 06

Today, we went to Musikfest in Bethlehem, PA with Matt, Christy, and Emilya. Here am I with Daddy before we left the house this morning - bright eyed and ready to go! Also, take note of Daddy's fabulous new hairdo. He got it cut at a fancy salon, courtesy of a gift certificate from one of his students. Best haircut ever!



We got to the rendevouz point a little early, so I got to play in the front seat for the first time. They didn't let me push any buttons, which was totally not cool, but I enjoyed it anyway.





Here I am with Emilya - chillin'.



Here I am wearing Mommy's old-man hat. So cool.



I loved having fun with Daddy.



I, however, did not enjoy the SUPER LOUD polka music. Mommy wanted a picture of me dancing with Daddy, but the super-gajillion decibels of polka were a little intense, so I'm grumpy here.



Finally, it was time to go home. Pooped out beyond belief!



It was a fun day - we were with fun people in a fun place - but it was also like 79 degrees - almost 30 degrees cooler than a week ago! Sweet Lord!

Hairstyles

Here are a couple of my cute hairstyles...

She's Got Skills...

I'm discovering new skills by leaps and bounds. I'm using a fork now at mealtimes, and sometimes, I even use it to stab my food and put it in my mouth. I practice this skill a lot during playtime, so I know what I'm doing. The issue for me now is the stabbing of the food - sometimes it's a little slippery, etc...





This morning, I was in bed with Mommy and Daddy. I started standing up on my own and balancing - not holding onto anything! There was a lot of cheering and clapping. Once downstairs, I continued this exercise. It's getting pretty easy now. I can stand up, squat, sit, stand back up, etc... all with no hands. I even took a step without holding onto anything. Praise God!

Ha Ha!

I was standing at my baby gate, and I picked up a plastic spoon with my toes. Mommy laughed - I'm definitely her daughter! Daddy Kennon would have been proud - that's who taught Mommy her toe skills.

Granny's Visit

In honor of Granny visiting from Texas, Philly decided to have a heat wave. It was over 100 degrees for a few days there - humid, hot, horrible. Most days, we got out of the house - i.e. went to the mall - to walk around in air conditioning. One day, we spent about 8 hours at King of Prussia Mall. Mommy even dozed in the mall. (don't worry, Granny was keeping an eye on me)

At one point, I was boogey-ing to the musak in Sears. Look at me go!





I've also had more baths than usual this week. It's been so hot, and I've been so sweaty. Here I am just after bath with Daddy. Doesn't he look sweaty? Eww!



The only room that really stayed cool during the heat wave was my bedroom - thank goodness for that backyard tree that shades my windows. As a result, I spent more time playing in there than usual.



One of my great skills is unloading objects - in this case, the changing table in my bedroom. There was so much to discover - diapers, toys, wipes, dust, cat hair, grossness... it just doesn't get any better than this.



Mommy let me start dusting with a Swiffer duster. Fun times. I was going to town with this. However, once I started brushing my hair with it, Mommy had to take it away.



Just in time for Granny leaving, the heat wave finally broke. Thank Goodness!