Our Lil' Pumpkin!

Ok, I saw this dress and I just had to get it for Delanie - I mean, this is why I love having a daughter! And, I was determined that Delanie would get her 18 month photos in her little pumpkin dress, holding her Halloween pumpkin. Let's talk about the 18 month photos for a minute...

These are the first professional photos Delanie has had since she's been a walker. For her 12 month photos, she was simply a crawler. When she began crawling up the steps at Meredith, it was just so stinkin' cute, we took pictures of her crawling. Photo sessions are a whole different ball game now that she is walking. First, we waited over an hour, so Delanie was antsy when her time finally came. The photographer helped me set the stage with a white chair, the pumpkin and some fall flowers and leaves. We asked Delanie to sit down so we could get the perfect 18 month photo, she said, "NO!" Then, we grabbed her and sat her down, only to have her get up and run away... Then, she insisted on this bright red rocker. Try to picture this green, blue and orange dress, a giant orange pumpkin and a RED rocker! Needless to say, we spent a lot of time fighting with a toddler in a pumpkin dress, before it was time to change her into her second outfit. And the second set of pictures came out perfectly. So, just humor me here with these photos from our personal camera!

Delanie is a huge fan of the PBS show, "Signing Times." In fact, to date, it is really the only show she has watched, outside of football. She knows 15-25 signs as a result, and I am convinced it really helps her vocabulary. The characters, Alex, Leah and Rachel were in Raleigh for a Downs Syndrome fundraiser. We were so lucky to meet them and get a picture with them! Rachel, the mom, has two kids with special needs and came up with this idea orginally as a way to educate friends and family about communicating with her deaf daughter, Leah. She has a great voice, and sings so great original songs. And live, she was a little less PBS-hokey and a little more real-mom. We also found out that they were pulled from PBS because they have no corporate sponsor and can no longer afford to fund the tv show themselves. This was extremely disappointing news to us. The website is http://www.signingtime.com/ for anyone who is interested in learning more. It was very neat seeing my 18 month old daughter react to the concert like she was a 12 year old at Jonas Brothers, though! She was very excited and animated, and was signing with Rachel. And, we continue to sing some of the songs we heard that day.

More Hillridge Farms

How can I choose only 4 pictures??? Way too cute!

Hillridge Farms

18 Month Check-up and Check-In

Delanie had her 18 month check up today with Dr. Powell. She is 34.5 inches tall (>98th percentile) and weighs 28 lbs 15 oz (93rd percentile). Dr. Powell said that if she were an adult today, she'd be between 5'9"-5'10."

Developmentally, she scored 100% on the 18 month assessment, she continues to hit all the milestones. And, of course, she is hitting the milestones that her parents are less-than-thrilled about: picky eating and tantrums. But, when I asked for advice, the Dr. just nodded and said, "Yup, the two things that were furthest from your mind at her 12 month appointment are now driving you crazy."

One of the most notable aspects of Delanie's personality is that she is a true chatterbox. We have known this since she was 3 months old. But, now her chattering is actually real words. She literally will name EVERYTHING she sees, and repeats it until we acknowledge that she said it. And, she repeats every word we say. So, we have to be careful!

Some of her latest words: sca-cra (scarecrow), hoe (horse), trac-ta (tractor), pum-pa (pumpkin), Charl-aa (Charlie), Karl-aa (Kona), juuu (juice), Day-lay (Delanie), ba-pa (backpack), beee (beach), Ga-Ga (Georgia).

Delanie has made me pay attention to the little things. She is so excited about everything she encounters, I can't help but want to see her excitement! For instance, our entire trip to daycare centers around landmarks. Landmarks that I have passed by every day for four years and have barely noticed. Here is the sequence of events on the way to daycare:
"Buckle! Door! Boat! Horse! More! More! Car! Truck! Bus! Horse! More! More! Tractor! Tractor! Bus! Car! Bus! Truck! Bus! Water! Bus! School! Door! Buckle! Molly!" All of this is said with such enthusiasm, I have truely started enjoying the beauty of our neighbor's horses and marveling at the tractors on construction sites.

Beach Trip!

Delanie and Caleb had so much fun together at the beach! They are at the "monkey see monkey do" stage of toddlerhood, so they spent a lot of time doing the same things. Delanie was on her third week of a yucky virus, so she spent a lot of time in the wagon picking her nose! We tried to get this shot without her hands 4-5 times, but it didn't happen...
Delanie loves playing in the sand and the water! Each morning, a pool would form right in front of our chairs, which was perfect for the kids (and dogs) to play in! Delanie immediately ran into the water the first time we went to the beach, and it was hard to keep her out! And, when she played in the sand, after about 30 seconds, she would look at her hands and say, "diiirty" and we would need to head back to the water to wash off. Here she is with Kevin, stomping on his pretty sand castle.

Beach Trip

Here is some video from our recent trip to Topsail Island. We had a blast! The weather was beautiful (low to mid 80s and sunny), as was the near-empty beach. We rented a huge beach house across from the public beach access. Delanie and Caleb (17 months) are really starting to develop a friendship. They hold hands and hug, and they genuinely enjoy playing with each other, whether it's chasing each other around the sofa or mimicking "stomps" and "claps." Of course, they are also in that "grass is greener" stage, where they both want to play with the same toy at the same time all the time. Delanie will need to work on her sharing skills!

In all, 6 adults, 3 dogs, 2 toddlers (and 2 babies-to-be that are causing a double dose of morning sickness for a poor mother-to-be) spent the long weekend together. And like the toddlers, the dogs enjoyed spending time running and playing with their BFF Oz.

This is a beach trip we will definitely do again, the house was a steal, and one of the few that allows three large dogs to stay!

More pictures to come!