15 Months Old

Today we took Zoe for her 15 month check up. Besides being incredibly cute (we're not bragging, it's really what the doctor said), she is ahead of the curve both physically and developmentally. She now weighs 26 lbs and measures 31 inches. I'm not sure how accurate that is...they weighed her standing on a scale while she was fidgeting, and she was fully clothed with a wet diaper. When they measured her height, they laid her down on a sheet of paper and marked the top of her head and the bottom of her foot, then they measured between the two lines. At any rate, she is certainly growing. This week she just met one of the big 15 month milestones: walking backwards. She does it while she's dancing, and also when she wants you to "catch" her. She can almost run, and lately has been practicing jumping up with both feet. She still has a hard time stepping on and off the sidewalk, but she's gotten much better at stepping over objects that are in her way. In addition to her large motor skills, Zoe has also been working on her fine motor development. She's getting much better with her spoon and fork, and she seems to prefer her right hand for eating and coloring. She loves to play with stacking toys and shape sorters, and she has just started to stack blocks, but mostly she likes to knock them down. Zoe is a babbler more than a talker, although she has about 20 words that she says on a regular basis. She knows lots of animal sounds and can identify just about every major body part. She has been developing lots of opinions, and now will say "no" and shake her head if you sing a song that she doesn't like. She also says "no" to coming inside after playing outside, and if you open the door (to look for a package or check the weather) but don't actually go outside, she cries quite dramatically.

We're very proud of our baby princess, and we especially enjoy her loving nature, full of cuddles and kisses, and the best smile we've ever seen!

If We Had Boys...

...they might look like this! The girls and I spent most of the afternoon and evening at our friend's house yesterday. We ate dinner there and the kids had been playing in the sand, so we went ahead and gave all 4 kiddos a bath before we left. Angie let the girls borrow some of the boys pajamas so they didn't have to go home in just diapers (or dirty clothes). They looked so cute in the boys' outfits, and I got a little glimpse of what it might have been like if we'd had boys instead of girls.

Toddler Olympics

You probably haven't heard, but Sophie and Zoe are training for the toddler Olympics. They plan to participate in the combo event, which includes synchronized twirling followed by sumo wrestling. I foresee some gold medals (and bruises) in their futures.

Our New Guest House!

Just kidding! This is the house that they are building behind us. We have been fortunate to not have any building going on around us until now. Our house was the last on our street to go up, and all the lots around us (other than the one behind us) were already complete when we moved here. The girls have enjoyed watching the big machines, especially the crane that they used to put up the frame of the roof. So far there hasn't been too much noise, and they don't start the banging until after 7 am, which is when Sophie usually wakes up.

First Day of School

Yesterday was Sophie's first day of "school." She will be attending the Parents Day Out program at a local church. The program is designed for the "busy stay at home parent" and is more structured than day care and less intense than preschool. She goes on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9am -2pm. She loved her first day, although getting her to tell me about it was mostly unsuccessful. The teacher did tell me that Sophie was a little chatty during nap time and that they will not be putting her napper next to "Danner" again. Hmmm.... This month the 2-year-olds are learning the color red and the number 1. Sophie brought home a picture that is all red, and when I first looked at it I just thought it was scribbles. I hung it on the fridge, and after looking at it from a distance I realized that the picture was actually her hand (she must have asked a teacher to trace it for her - something she asks me to do all the time) and then she attempted to draw finger nails and color them red!

Child Labor or Valuable Learning Experience?

I got a great deal on a Learning Tower on Craig's List the other day and we have been getting a lot of use out of it. Today the girls "did the dishes" which consisted of me filling the sink with soapy water and putting a couple of non-breakables in it along with a sponge. They had a lot of fun, and I got to cook a real meal while they "worked." In the video you can see Zoe making "the face" and saying "cheese", which she does when she thinks you are going to take her picture. Her cousin Chase made the same face when he was around this age. I wonder if it's genetic....

Snack Time

After the first big monsoon storm of the season, Andy brought in some of the outdoor furniture so it wouldn't blow away again. The girls love having their little blue table and chairs inside (we put the umbrella away after Sophie used it as a weapon). They sit at the table and color or do puzzles, and lately they have been requesting that they eat their morning snack there!