Fifteen Months Old

So I guess the biggest update is that you now have quarterly updates instead of monthly updates. You're still changing very quickly, just not at the crazy hyperspeed at which infants change. Besides, now that you're a full-blown toddler, you're just so busy! It's hard to keep up with you on here when I'm trying to keep up with you in real life! But I promise to still make an effort to update this thing as often as I can.

You're a toddler, no longer an infant. The last three months have had their ups and downs. You have molars now, so that was one of the most exhausting weeks I've ever experienced fun. Your personality is very well-developed at this point, and one of your most prominent features is that you are very self-aware of your wants and needs. You know what you want and my goodness you are going to get it! You're strong-willed, and that has led to some power struggles, and, at times, some frustration on our end and some disappointment on your end. But the wonderful thing about this self-awareness is that you KNOW what you WANT. A year ago, you'd fuss and no one was really sure why. I don't even think you knew half the time! But now, you have a clear objective and you communicate quite effectively. If you're hungry, you not only say so but you even suggest specific foods. If you're tired, you tell us so and even recommend going down for a nap. Sometimes the thing that you want is to knock over Chelsea's bag of food or go outside and play when it's still dark out but either way you are VERY clear about it and you let us know!

Speaking of your excellent communication skills, you have literally dozens of signs. Seriously. I've lost count by now. It's probably one of my favorite things about you because it really reflects your curiosity, eagerness to learn, and your strong desire to express your wants and needs. It's like your entire complicated personality is summed up in this one skill! The best part is the satisfaction you have when you're understood. We can just see your self-esteem glowing, and it's so incredible to witness. You've learned a lot of your signs from Mommy and Daddy (and of course, Auntie Amanda), but you also have this Baby Signing Time DVD that Auntie Amethyst got for you. To say you enjoy it is a bit of an understatement. We also discovered that there's Signing Time (the kid version of the series instead of the toddler version) on Netflix, and you've enjoyed that as well. You've been a relatively low-media child, so this exposure to television is something new for all of us and we're still trying to find the right balance so that we don't go insane from the incredibly catchy songs you still have time to enjoy other activities.

You're still growing like crazy. In addition to your progress in social milestones, you've been on the move more than ever. You can descend stairs safely and you can stand up independently without holding onto anything. On St. Patrick's Day, you took your first steps: four steps at daycare. A couple of days later, you took a few more steps for Daddy, but it was still pretty inconsistent. I think you had the ability to walk, but you just preferred to crawl or cruise because you could do it so much faster!

You moved up to a big girl carseat, which was exciting for about a week and then you went right back to hating it. So the carseat wasn't the culprit; sitting still was the culprit (shocker, I know). You also moved up to the toddler room (your third classroom already!) at daycare. Your buddies Ethan and Alfred are in there, along with three other girls who are new to you. You were the last to walk in there, but it was good for you to see what the big kids are doing! You seem to really enjoy it, especially Spanish class, storytime, and whenever you get to play outside. The biggest difference between this room and the infant rooms is that you no longer have a crib. You have a cot instead, and your transition was nonexistent. You basically just passed out on it like you'd been sleeping on a cot your whole life!

I wouldn't say you're an easy kid; you're too smart to be easy. But you're definitely a really good kid. We realize just how lucky we are to have a daughter who is so kind and smart. You amaze us more and more every day!