2 Years Old

Scarlett
     sleeps in her crib
     eats her vegetables
     sings several songs from memory
     lets me paint her toenails
     has never had a haircut
     insists on doing things by herself 
     enjoys "cooking" in her kitchen and "setting" her table 
     says, "Ta Da!" when she shows me something she did
     gives lots of hugs and kisses
     identifies most letters and single digit numbers
     loves scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, pickles, chocolate and popsicles
     weighs 29 pounds
     sleeps with a slew of stuffed animals in her bed
     is day-time potty trained
     talks on the phone
     loves Curious George & Caillou
     would choose a potato chip over a cookie
     has a large vocabulary 
     persists until she (usually) gets her way
     tells Daddy, "Be careful!" when he leaves for work
     used the word "patient" the other day
     peels the paper off of crayons
     talks from the instant she wakes up until the moment she falls asleep
     hates having her face washed
     goes to bed at 7:30
     pulls her kitties' tales
     is seriously fearful of going to the doctor 
     loves to get "cozy"
     takes a nap after lunch
     pulls out her hair bows any chance she gets 
     cries when I leave her a church
     does not cry when I leave her with my sister
     says, "walkie, walkie" instead of just walk
     loves, coloring, play-dough, animals, cars, and her "little people"

Scarlett is two now and so full of energy, curiosity, life, and love.
What an amazing little girl! We love you sweet Scarlett.

18 Months

Dear Scarlett,
How on earth are you already a year and a half old? I cannot fathom that you are months away from being two. You are the joy of my life sweet little girl. Our world revolves around you, and we love it that way! You are learning so much right now. I am amazed by how smart you are. You are a little firecracker bursting with energy!

You can identify your ears, eyes, noes, head, belly button, and toes. You know what a cow, monkey, sheep, and cat say. You can say many words and some phrases. You can count to ten pretty good! You talk nonstop it seems. You only take one nap now after lunch, and you sleep really good in your crib all night. You have nine teeth.

You love to sing songs with mommy. We also sing in the car, and you love the song "If You're Happy & You Know It," and you know just when to clap, stomp, and shout, hooray! You also love trying to sing, "Jesus Loves Me." You say, "Yes! jibberish, jibberish, Owe Me!" and you also like trying to sing your ABC's. You love the "Wiggle, Wiggle" song from your show, and you love to dance! You dance to mommy's cell phone ring tones, and you even know how to push play!

You want to do everything by yourself! You don't like getting help brushing your teeth or going down the stairs (you pushed my hand away today in fact), and you especially want to feed yourself with a fork and spoon. You love asking for crackers, and it sounds like "Go-gur!" Daddy spoils you and gives them to you whenever you want.

You love, love, love being outside. Many times during the day, you say, "Outside!" which usually sounds more like, "Side!" You love to slide and climb around at the park, but you really love to swing the most. In fact, you just love going anywhere. You get excited when we're about to leave and you say, "Go! Go!" On the other hand, you are not a fan of strangers, eating vegetables, or having your face wiped.

You love Sesame Street, Elmo, Abby, the computer, feeding your babies, running, throwing balls, looking at books, eating apples, your kitties, playing dress up, Yo Gabba Gabba, drawing on your magnet board, your paci, and watching yourself in the mirror.

I never want to forget how sometimes you call our cats "kitties" and sometimes you call them "meow," or how you kick your little leg out karate style and say, "Hiiiiya!" or how you ask, "Where are you?" when you look for things you can't find, or how you scold objects that have hurt you by telling them, "No! No!"

You are asleep right now, and I wish you could really understand how much mommy and daddy love you. We would do anything in this world for you, and we love being your parents. We are so thankful that God chose us to take care of you. We just don't know what we ever did to deserve an angel like you.

I love you,
Mommy

14 Months Old

Scarlett is now 14 months old, and at this stage we are enjoying her starting to talk. All day long, she goes about playing and talking "gibberish"constantly. She thinks she's making sense, and we just think it's adorable. She does have some distinct words down though.

Scarlett says:
Hi!
Bye! (and bye-bye, especially, bye-bye daadee!)
Elmo (which sounds more like "melmo"
dada (and daadee!)
mamma (but she doesn't say this very often!)
shoes (she can point to and identify shoes)
ball (she can identify balls and bring them to you upon request!)
meow (when she sees a cat she says "meow" instead of "cat")
side (for outside)
good boy (which sounds more like goo boyee)
And she really likes to repeat words you say to her.

She's also still into everything. For example, she can unlock and open the dishwasher! I'm not sure what to do about that. She's also a little climber. We've already had to put one of her favorite toys away because she kept climbing on top of it. All in all, this a very fun stage! We love listening to her and watching her think and learn.

Scarlett Turns One

I can't help but being a little sad today. Actually, if truth be told, I've been on the verge of tears all day. Our baby is now one. One year ago today we met her for the first time. One year ago today she was just a sleeping bundle. One year ago today our lives were changed forever and for the better. So much has happened, so much has changed. In twelve months time she has become a walking, babbling, determined, cheerful toddler. And I'm just a little sad.

Her party is Saturday, but here's some pictures from our day today.

First picture of the day. Miss Scarlett thought it would be funny to wake up at 6:15!

Looking at her new toys from mom and dad...

Birthday Girl!

Oh, and she'd be sad today too if she knew this love of her life was about to be snatched from her...Lord help us all!

10 Months Old

Scarlett turned 10 months old on Monday. It is mind boggling to me that she has reached "almost a year" status. Our little baby is becoming a toddler before our eyes! She's very mobile right now crawling and walking around the living room while holding on to the ottoman and couches. She can walk very good behind her little walker too. I think she'll be walking at her first birthday party!

Still just two little teeth!

Trouble, trouble.
She crawls to the pantry then pulls up;
it's just her size in there.

Here she is behind her little walker;
such a GREAT toy!

My mom got her this little snack container.
She can reach in and grab a little puff all by herself!

Music time!

She loves to open her drawers
then throw everything out of them.
Fun times for mom!

Sweet smile

Waking up from nap time!

Happy 10 months little sweetie!

9 Months Old

Another month has flown by, and it seems Scarlett starts doing new things every day.

This week she began clapping! She loves to clap and watch other people clap.We clap when she finishes eating, we clap after putting on her clothes, we clap after putting on her helmet, everything is a reason to clap these days!

Scarlett also began waving about a week ago. Yesterday she was waving to everyone at the grocery store.Scarlett says mamma quite a bit now. She actually threw up (like real people throw up, so gross, all over me and her) for the first time the other night and while Chris was going to get a wash cloth, I rocked her and she just laid her little head on my shoulder and said mamma, mamma, mamma, over and over again in the most pitiful little voice you've ever heard.
She also pulls up now to a standing position. Yesterday she would NOT take her afternoon nap. She was mad and screaming, and I finally gave up and went to go get her. I was stunned to see her standing in her crib. I guess she got mad enough to pull up on her own!

At 9 months Scarlett is much needier for me than ever before. She is more aware of when I leave the room and when I'm not paying attention to her (like right now, she's watching me type from her bumbo chair and she is not happy). She often gets upset when I put her down, even if I'm still right there by her. It's amazing what you can get done with a 22 pound baby on your hip. The other day I reorganized the pantry while holding her, happy as she could be!

And finally, I have just quit breastfeeding. Today is actually the first day for me not to breastfeed at all, and it's very emotional. I've always heard that's it's harder on the mammas when breastfeeding ends, and I hope this is true for Scarlett's sake. Breastfeeding is the most challenging, tiring, difficult, and yet most wonderful thing I've ever done. But I won't miss pumping at work and those sharp little baby teeth....

Happy 9 months Miss Scarlett!

8 Months Old

If Scarlett could talk, her favorite phrase right now would be, "Put me down!" She loves to be on the ground and on the move and boy is she fast! She loves to get into anything she's not supposed to: she loves to open and close her dresser drawers; she usually makes a bee-line to her air purifier when we play in her room; and like all babies, she loves the door stopper. She loves her books, especially one called "That's Not My Puppy!" and her new Elmo chair, or anything Elmo for that matter. She also loves playing peek-a-boo behind the door with Daddy! Happy 8 Months baby girl!

Caught in the act

Ready for the snow

I love how she props her little feet up on the table

Sleepy girl

Trying to get a picture of those 2 teeth...with no luck!

7 Months

Scarlett is 7 months old today which is impossible for me to believe. Watching her sit up, play, scoot around, and explore is just amazing. We are especially enjoying her curiosity about everything. She is changing so much. We just returned home from a weekend trip to Chris's home town. Scarlett had lots of visitors and it was nice to see everyone!

Ready for a busy day after a good night's rest!

Reading Her Favorite Book with Mimi

Scarlett and her Cousins Jaxon and Emma...playing with them was a highlight for her! She LOVES to watch other kids.

Scarlett & Granddad

Scarlett & Grandmom

Great Aunt Carol

The Family

Finally Back Home & SOOO Tired!

Happy 7 Months Scarlett!

6 Month Check-Up

Scarlett's 6 month check-up was this past Friday. Of course I dreaded the 4 shots she had to get but was glad to hear that there won't be any vaccinations at her 9 month visit.

At this stage Scarlett weighs....drum roll please...... 20 pounds and 7 ounces! No, your eyes aren't deceiving you and that was not a typo! She is 27 1/2 inches long which apparently is really long for her age as well. These numbers place her above the 95th percentile for her age which means you would have a hard time finding a bigger 6 month old than her! Dr. Lanman says there is no concern; she's just a big baby! Especially since her length is keeping up with her weight. I think it's quite a hoot!

One of Scarlett's biggest recent developments is her ability to sit up unsupported. She also loves to hear her voice and has this high pitched scream that she loves to hear most of all...yippee for us. And you won't believe this, but she really can make the "d" "m" and "b" sounds so some of her babbling sounds a lot like "dada" and "mamma."

This is a fun, fun stage, and we are just in awe of our little angel. I never imagined that parenthood would be this rewarding.

6 Months Old

Dear Scarlett,

You are my sunshine

My only sunshine

You make me happy

When skies are grey

You'll never know dear

How Much I love you

Please don't take my sunshine away.

Happy 6 months to my dear sweet baby girl.