Molly, 20 months

I want to take some time and write about Molly!
…Because this girl is changing so much every day. 

She has begun to sing along with us to all of the children’s songs we sing, and also dance and do hand motions.  She sings the ABC’s, Twinkle Twinkle, Happy and You Know It, and EIEIO to name a few. 

She is saying many words, but still just mostly the first syllable of words.  However, she does say at least one surprising word with all the syllables: Strawberry. When reading books, she points out everything from grass to leaves, sky, trees, sun, butterflies (“Bly”), Bugs (“Ewww”), all the animals, etc.  She knows all of the body parts we’ve taught her including knees and chin.  She’s said a couple of 2-3 word sentences (“Want that” is a favorite.)  Just in the past couple of weeks she has begun saying “Peese” and “Tay You”

This girl LOVES books, and while she’ll sit and watch tv when I tell her to, she usually begs for books instead.  (Me: “Mommy’s gonna cook dinner, you want to watch a show?”  Molly: “Book!  Book!  BOOK” while shoving books at me and hanging from my feet.) 

She likes to pick out her own clothes and shoes each morning, and yesterday she insisted upon wearing her new boots.  (“Boots!  Boots!  Boots!”)

She walks up and down the stairs with no trouble, and can open the front door herself (gasp!)  I need to change the handle on that one.

Last night for the first time, she attempted to say “I love you” to Shelby.  She said, “I La la.”  Heart. Melt.

I think we have been challenged blessed with a 3rd strong-willed child!  She is very opinionated about most things, like sitting in her stroller or being held in a store.  She’s so big (long) and strong that if Jeff is around, I hand off to him because she’s just hard for me to handle physically already! 

She is loving her days at Ms. Theresa’s and learns so much there.  She knows more songs and motions than we do, and uses a lot of sign language which we see (and don’t even know what it means.)  She knows how to sign many animals, etc.  She has cut down to a big girl schedule with one nap a day, but is often cranky or sleepy in the evenings.  Last night she refused dinner and then went to bed at 7:30.  I woke her up at 7:30 this morning. 

That is one thing that hasn’t changed- how awesome of a sleeper she is!  Still no crying when she goes to bed, and no night waking anymore at all.  She still loves her lovie (which she began calling “Night night”) but is pretty good at leaving it in her crib, where I make her leave it.  We tell it bye bye in the mornings.  I will still let her use it if we’re out and about and she’s tired, but for the most part, the night night is only used at night night now!  She has taken a liking to both Bobby (Shelby’s old obsession/lovie) and Momo (Coleman’s)  Sometimes she chooses to take those with her places.

Molly is really good at being a 3rd child little sissy, and being on the go with us a lot of the time.

Participating in 1st day of school pictures:

At a volleyball game:

Eating at the bar with a barstool like the big kids:

But still my baby sleepin in her crib with her booty in the air!

This was one of those days in which she insisted upon the tutu, and she asks for a bow when she wakes up each morning too (but doesn’t leave them on long!)

Here she is on a Saturday morning in her new boots. She carries that pretend ice cream around and licks it.

These were from the Rangers game the day before school started.  She was VERY good.  Climbed around on us and the chairs, but lasted from the first through ninth innings with no fits, crying, or trouble…we even got to watch most of the game!

 

In going through pictures, I have noticed that it is hard to find any of her smiling.  I assure you, this is a happy child who smiles often.  I guess she just turns it off for the camera.  Just like how she won’t repeat anything / perform on demand.  She’s particular and stubborn, that’s for sure.  She is very good at obeying when I tell her to come here, or stop doing something, etc. 

We went to the beach last month, so there are more pictures- but I’m going to write a separate post about that!

Molly is so loved by her big bro and sissy that it is hard to describe.  She’s one lucky little baby sis!

Volleyball!

Shelby played in her very first Volleyball season this summer.

She learned about the game, improved a lot, and had a lot of fun! 

Her team was the Spikettes, and it was really (too) big for a volleyball team.  They had 12, which means SIX always sitting out.  Not a great amount of playing time.

For fall, they have split into 2 teams, and Shelby will be on a new team called Chaos.  We are looking forward to lots of learning and lots of playing time and fun!

The last Saturday of the season was “playoffs.”  They played 3 rounds, losing in the last round to take 2nd place for the season!

First and last day of school 2013-2014

Well, I found our missing camera after an entire summer without! 

Since school is starting in one week, it is timely for me to post LAST school year’s first and last day of school pictures!

Yep, Coleman had started wearing baseball pants to school every day.  Whatever floats his boat!

This is how we found him this morning after waking up on his own at 5:00 am, taking a bath, fixing his daddy’s lunch, and laying down to watch sportscenter.  He is laying in Molly’s pink chair on top of the ottoman, with his baseball glove on, fast asleep.  I love my BOY!

Tonight starts a new baseball season.  It is the first practice for the fall season…Jeff is coaching again, and we were able to keep a few players together.  I know Buddy is looking forward to it!

Molly at 18 months

Molly is 18 months already! (I wrote this almost a month ago but just go around to adding pictures and publishing!)

Her 18 month checkup was great!  She is healthy and right on track.

Her weight: 24 lbs (30th%)

Her height: 35 inches (above 98th%) 

Our long and lean girl is staying right on the growth curve she’s been on, except she grew like 2 or 3 inches since 1 year, and did not gain any weight. 

Molly is saying a lot of words, and is very smart.  She knows countless animals and can say their name and the sound they make.  She knows most body parts and can show us.  She loves to read books and she LOVES to watch her shows on Baby First TV (“Mooo” for movie.)  She still points to things and says “Dat dat” all the time.  (“What’s that?”)  She knows some colors (red, bue), she counts to THREE and it is so cute. “Wa, Doo, Ree!”  She learned this when she took swimming lessons, because we count to 3 before swimming to the edge, jumping in, going under, etc.  She HATED swim lessons, but they were very effective!  I am very impressed with what she can accomplish now.  She can swim (underwater) to the edge from about 4-5 feet away.  She can hold her breath for 10 seconds (or more!)  She loves to jump in off the steps and swim to me.  She can monkey crawl along the edge, though she doesn’t prefer to.  No more puddle jumper!  That is the hard part because I can no longer sit or lay by the pool and watch while Shelby swims with her with it on!  But it’s worth it that she learns to swim without the crutch of a floatie.  Next summer she will learn to swim the right way, with arms out and kicking across the pool.  Her instructor said that they do not swim horizontally at this age, and remain pretty vertical in the pool.  What she learned was the Infant Swim Survival techniques.

She climbs on EVERYTHING.  Up and down the stairs.  Every time I turn around she’s on top of the kitchen table, sitting on a barstool, or on top of the kitchen counter (climbed to from a barstool.)  At the ball field, she likes to climb all over the bleachers so I pretty much have to strap her into her stroller if I want to watch the game.

She is very opinionated.  She already knows the words NO (actually she says “No way!”) and MINE and uses them frequently.  She throws lay-out-on-the-floor tantrums when she doesn’t get what she wants.  She has become a finicky eater at home, sometimes only taking a few bites of dinner.  Though she’s always up for a snack/treat!  Of course.

She is a GREAT sleeper but has decided she doesn’t like bed time.  Instead of lying right down when we put her in her crib, she is now crying for a minute or 2.  No big deal, but it’s new for her to do this!  She is addicted to Mama and has stopped letting most other people hold her and love on her for now.  It’s just a phase.  When Mama’s not giving her what she wants, she starts crying, “Dadadada!”  When Daddy puts her to bed, she’s crying “Mamamama!”  Already working it!

Here are some phone pictures from June, because that’s all we take these days!

First trip to Chuck E Cheese:

Look at those LONG LEGS!

Chuck E came out and they were dancing to “If you’re happy and you know it.”  Her face lit up when she recognized the song and she insisted on being put down to join in the motions.

Such a little personality!

Sitting at the bar like a big girl.

Always lovin the hats, she puts one on anytime she sees it!

Family bike ride

Trying to make her point with a fit on the doctor’s office floor:

Playin and lookin’ like a giant next to cousin Nora.

Painting herself with dinner

Eating dinner with Nora:

Hiking at Cleburne State Park

Yesterday we drove out past Cleburne to drop Shelby off at girl scout camp.  We went a couple of hours early to take a little hike. 
It was hot but breezy. No sunburns, no chiggers, no poison ivy, no crying = success! It was fun and, as always, great exercise!

Coleman loves to be outside!  The second we get home he runs out the back door to jump on the trampoline or run sprints in the backyard, or out the front door to ride his scooter or hit balls across the street at the park.

He has been playing spring baseball on the Reds with his daddy and poppy coaching.


He is about to begin summer All Star tournament play in the next couple of weeks.  He is VERY excited about this.

In April I went with him on his 1st Grade Zoo Field Trip.