Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Quick Visit

Last Saturday, Bryan's mom & our niece Jillian came to hang out with us all morning. They came in town for the day from Tyler, and were meeting the Abilene crew who also came in town for the day to watch our nephew, Luke, at his gymnastics meet in Garland. It was a casual morning full of....

reading...

puzzles...

bouncing ball...

playing outside...

riding the horse...

climbing...

looking cute...

playing together...

& going for a walk on such a beautiful day!
Brylee and I stayed home so she could nap while the rest of the gang went to support Luke's gym meet. We met for dinner to celebrate Bryan's dad's birthday before everyone parted ways Saturday night. It was a nice way to spend a Saturday!

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

15 Months

Brylee turned 15 months old last week, and is looking and acting more and more like a little toddler! We went to the pediatrician yesterday for her well-baby check-up and for a few shots...ouch! She definately knew what was coming this time.

Her stats:
Weight: 23.2 lb (50%)
Height: 30 3/4 in (50%)
Head: 18 1/2 in (90%)
She wears both 12 month and 18 month clothes, mostly because I am not buying any more winter clothes. The 18 month clothes fit better, and that's what all of her spring stuff will be. She is on her last box of size 3 diapers, and is definitely ready for the size 4s I just bought. Her check-up went well...great looking ears (yeah for no ear infections to date!), good muscle tone, and improved skin. We continue to use Vaseline and occasional cortizone cream on her skin because it still has its really dry patches. She has her top & bottom front two teeth, and her top two 1 year molars. She has been teething like crazy, and I am confident her top two second teeth are about to break through.
Her motor skills are developing like crazy. She is walking like a champ, including forwards, backwards, and up and down small steps/thresholds like in and out of the front door.

 She loves playing peek-a-boo and several different versions of hide-and-go-seek. She especially loves poking her head around the corner or looking under the coffee table or under the bed to see people peeking back at her on the other side.
 She is a very independent girl these days, which is beginning to cause for a few power struggles! When she is set on doing something herself, she gets very upset if we try to help her, especially when it comes to meal time. She is eating all types of foods, but especially loves her cheese, eggs, waffles, Greek yogurt, pizza, & pudding. She eats her fruits pretty good, and we're still working on veggies that she likes that are also soft enough to chew with only front teeth. She drinks her whole milk well out of a straw sippy cup, but can't figure out how to tip a regular sippy cup up high enough to get the milk out.
 She is learning to climb, and is fearless when it comes to heights. We're trying to teach her that you have to be careful when on the couch or bed not to fall off, but when she comes too close to the edge and falls off (with us there to catch her before she actually gets hurt, of course), she finds it hilarious!


 She is communicating with us better and better, mostly by pointing and moaning for what she wants. She understands so much of what we say, and follows simple commands like "Go get your___" or "Let's go to the ___."  And although she thinks she is talking to us all the time, she hasn't mastered too many individual words yet. She does say Mama and Dada, and I think she is very close to several other words but hasn't quite said them yet. The pediatrician mentioned the possibility of speech therapy if her vocabulary doesn't increase by 18  months.
 We've completely transitioned from two to one nap a day, about 2-3 hours after lunch time. She sleeps at night from about 8-8:30pm until 7:30-8am.
 Her fine motor skills are excellent, including stacking up to 4 blocks!! (two blocks is normal) She loves using a spoon and fork when we eat, and wants to be the one to brush her teeth or comb her hair.


 Reading books is her favorite thing to do right now, and she is showing preference for which ones are her favorite.
 She is the cutest thing in the world! She likes to act silly, loves to play outside, loves her dog Paisley, and continues to amaze us every day!

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Winter Day at The Arboretum

I know we have had a mild winter here in Dallas, but who would have thought that on February 23 we would be able to play outside all day in 80+ degree weather. It was wonderful! We met some great friends, Emma & Ashley, at the Dallas Arboretum. We strolled, we played, we ran, we threw balls, we had a picnic...it was such a great day!

Emma was such a nice friend, and offered to hold Brylee's hand when we started walking.





 (Brylee found this gross teddy bear in one of the little houses, and wouldn't part with it!)








Happy Winter!

Friday, February 17, 2012

Loving You

The weekend before Valentine's Day, Bryan's parents had a banquet in Ft. Worth, so they stayed with us for the weekend. On Saturday morning, Bryan co-chaired a community event in downtown Wylie, so we all went for moral support. Nanny & Papa spoiled Brylee at the donut shop!
 This girl sure loves her sweets!

 On Saturday night, Brylee spent quality time with her grandparents...which meant Bryan and I went out to the movies for an early V-Day date. Before they left on Sunday morning, Brylee enjoyed opening a sweet V-day treat.
She loves her new plate, bowl, & cup
Brylee and I made some sweet valentines for the ones we love

  Monday night Brylee "helped" me make Daddy his favorite thumbprint cookies.
 Tuesday morning Brylee asked her Daddy to be her valentine. I don't mind sharing him as long as he is the only man in her life right now!
 Her finished product, full of cookies
 Hope your Valentine's Day was a sweet as ours!