"Punkin Patch"

Nothing like the annual trip to one of the local pumpkin patches - so much to do...petting baby chicks (CAREFUL not to squeeze!), squealing at the rabbits, flying high in the tire swing and riding the horse solo were just a few of our favorites!!

Reese is getting quite sassy these days - and so we have begun our attempts to consistently practice "time out". Problem is...I think she likes it sometimes...and I quote "I sassy...I time out." She proceeds to place herself in time out and sit quietly until given permission to come out?!
Really...we aren't supposed to laugh?!?! So hard sometimes!!

Reese sings her ABCs, counts to ten, sings Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and knows her colors. Reading? Maybe next week :) We are truly amazed at how fast young children can learn!

Reese loves her friends at daycare and playing at the park. Last week despite 40 mph winds (by my calculation) and 30 degree temps - we were going up and down the slides at the local park. I think next time I won't bundle her so good, that way maybe she will want to leave when we do....

July

We had a surprise 75th birthday party in Kearney for grandma - all but two of the kids made it home. This is a photo of grandma with grandkids and great grandkids. So nice to see everyone! Reese had a great time with her cousin Connor - jumping on the couch, spraying the hose in the backyard (she would hold the dog water dish, he would fill it, she would dump it on herself and request "more please" and so it continued...too funny!) It was a rough weekend - with all the excitement it was easy for Reese to get distracted...running full speed in to the corner of a wall/cabinet and desk all within an hour of eachother?! OUCH! Sadly the photo (although not so pretty) does not even do justice to the raised bumps/bruises!

Milestones this month include - MORE words, MORE climbing, and MORE attitude! She enjoys looking at her books and stating "I'll find the penguin", meticulously thumbing through each page and screaching with joy when she finds the penguin (or kitty or cow or raccoon or whatever it is that she said she would find). She is officially asking "Why?" now...especially when she is told "no". I'll stick with what my mother told me as a child -"because mommy said so"...if anyone else has a better idea...let me know :)

Meltdown triggers - loosing the pink kitty or the pink golf ball. The golf ball is a new one - not sure what the attachment is but she loves to carry it around. Rick has a picture on his phone - her sleeping in the carseat with the pink golf ball still clutched in her fist.

Lastly a family photo - not very often we are all sitting down together...so not going to be overly particular about hair/smiles/etc. If eyes are open and nobody's head is cutoff - its good!

SO FUN!

Just a couple videos to share - I can not even start to describe how much joy Ms. Reese brings to our lives these days. At just 18 months old her vocabulary is limitless - she will try to pronounce about everything and has numerous words that she uses regularly. Just a few - shoes, medicine, puppy, outside, oh shoot, I get it, where'd it go?, more please, thank you, brush, wash, monkey, kitty, elephant. She is starting to put more two and three word phrases together - Sentences and paragraphs are likely soon to follow!! I keep a close eye on her when eating, she has a tendency to put as much in her mouth as her little fist will hold or as fast as her little spoon can shovel...yesterday her eyes were watering a little like she tried to swallow too much, the discomfort passed briefly and then she looked over at me and said "I choke, I choke" (in a matter of fact, calm, collected tone) Good to know the kid will let me know if I need to give the heimlich maneuver! I didn't even know she knew the word "choke"?!

Most recently she attempts to sing along with "Wheels on the Bus" and "If Your Happy and you Know it" - She requests "More...Bus" or "Happy". Car time is singing time - we even bought daddy a children's songs cd for fathers day. The more gestures - the better!

Reese is always BUSY and very happy most of the time. We did have a minor meltdown this week when I pulled her from the HyVee car shopping cart - it might have been broke but it was impossible to maneuver and I decided it wasn't worth the hassle when there were only 4 items on my list...She disagreed LOUDLY while flailing arms and legs - I smiled and continued shopping after I manage to stuff her flailing body into a regular cart. (PHEW!)

We do have one new issue - allergy testing confirmed a significant reaction to peanuts. Bummer...

Play, Laugh, Grow

What a joy to just sit and watch Reese explore her environment - after just recently attending a brain conference I am even more appreciative of what must be going on between her little ears these days! FUN FACT: At birth, cortical neurons (nerve cells that make up the brain) have approximately 2500 synapses (connections) - at age 3 they have 15000 (TWICE that of an average adult). Unfortunately, as we age - we simply loose connections that we don't use frequently....some people definitely loose more than others :) and those we do use become more interconnected...AMAZING!

What better way to appreciate the complexity of the brain than to observe a toddler as he/she begins to engage with their environment?! Reese is talking up a storm these days - mostly one word, sometimes two ("Puppies Outside"). At our last doctor appointment we were given glowing reviews - no need to age correct for this preemie, she is caught up in weight, height, head circum, gross motor, fine motor and language skills! She took her sweet time in the walking department and is still no pro, running is clumsy and uneven terrain is a challenge. However, she makes up for it in the talking department where she is in the 18-24 month category for vocabulary skills. This mommy and daddy will need to be VERY careful about what they say in front of "the sponge"

I am attaching just a couple videos - The first is Reese playing with the dog food bowl. She loves Maya's food dish and will not settle for any other dish (despite looking exactly the same?!) A favorite pasttime is loading the dog dish or empty one gallon ice cream pail with various toys and carting them around the house. Yes the kid owns about ten purses but would prefer to carry her cell phone, keys, and other misc items in the dish/bucket.

The second video is Reese and her daddy playing with the sign language flash cards we have. What started as merely a picture game has now apparently turned into a pop quiz game....daddy takes it a bit more seriously than Reese :) Mommy thinks they are both silly and prefers to read books!

Lifetime Fitness

So we joined a new gym (for Reese OF COURSE!!) - In an effort to get her involved in water classes (I don't believe they can be called "lessons" just yet) we joined our local Lifetime Fitness Club. Classes are scheduled to start early April - but we thought an introduction to the pool might be helpful. These photos are actually of her second time in the pool (forgot the camera the first time and REALLY it was enough of a struggle just trying to oraganize just the pool item essentials for the first trip - water diaper - check, swim suit - check, snacks just in case -check, sippie cup to go with possible snack - check, lotion - check, towel - they have those, gym card - check, dry clothes -check, bag for the wet clothes -check, etc.) Needless to say - camera was toward the bottom of the list and didn't quite make the cut! We do love the gym and are excited to have more "family time" together playing at the pools this summer!!
Talking up a storm - and taking a few steps (10-15 at most). We are enjoying every new stage of parenting!! Reese's only issues have been with her skin - she struggled with eczema last summer and we're afraid its back. She also had a recent issue with irritated skin around her eyes - poor thing looked like she had been in a knock down, drag out brawl! Looking better now but we are going to be especially careful in the pool - get her buns in the shower ASAP after getting out! Pool chemicals and sensitive skin don't go together well.
Reese still sucks her thumb whenever she is upset, hungry or getting ready for bed.

BIRTHDAY PARTY

Ok -I admit I was a complete cheat and HyVee was worth every cent! We ordered cocktail sandwiches and a pasta salad. I picked up chips & pop there to. They even filled up the party balloons while I shopped and help me load everything into the car. HOORAY FOR HYVEE!!!

The Friday night before the party I had my first experience at Nobbies - YIKES that place has every choking hazard imaginable!!! I picked up the plates/utensils and some party favors there (probably all stuff I could have gotten at HyVee).






We celebrated Reese's birthday on her due date - Feb. 7th. We were blessed with a BEAUTIFUL day and lots of friends and family! Rick has worked so hard on finishing our basement and now we actually have room for entertaining! On a side note - I sent Rick out to get a cardtable and after much deliberation he bought a pool table. They actually finished putting it all together an hour before the party started...not EXACTLY what I had in mind...but it seats 9 comfortably and provided afternoon entertainment for the adults once the birthday girl went down for her nap (or should I say sugar crash?!)

Reese's hand eye coordination improved with each bite of frosting - faster, faster, faster!!

We were sure to invite potential suitors (from left: Kellen Ivey, Reese, Grayson Kraus). Kellen turned one in mid January and Grayson turns one the end of June. What great fun to have friends with kids the same age - always someone to consult with!

She loves the cell phones!

Giddy up!

Oh how she makes us laugh!

Crawling on the mom to get to the camera!

Reese loves to ride her Poknee. It actually straps to your thigh for the ultimate horsey ride or as Reese demonstrates - it can be used on the floor. She rides it foward, she rides it backward, she hugs it, and she squeezes its ear to hear it gallop, whinney & neigh. The day this video was taken - Reese was wearing a skort home form daycare (her clothing had apparently been soiled). So I find it especially amusing that she is riding her horse in a skort?! Funny girl!

no time for photos!

Not officially walking just yet (mom is in no hurry - dad is making her practice daily). For now - I have time enough to intervene as she is pulling up to get to things out of reach....

We learned that climbing actually comes before walking?! Silly girl LOVES to climb up into/onto everything! She proceeds to stand, bounce, dance and then whine when she is afraid to climb back down. With a little supervision she is learning to dismount solo.

Her much needed toybox arrived in the mail. We ordered it before Christmas but it was on backorder. Her old toybox (see Cruisers box in the background) was not quite doing the job!

New use for old toybox!

I haven't taken nearly as many pictures this month compared to before. Sadly - the majority of recent photos I have are of her in the highchair (the only time she is willing to stay still!!) As she is getting more mobile - she simply does not have time to pose for photos.

Fun things - we are really enjoying this age. Reese is able to sign "more", "eat", and "milk". She is officially done nursing and has taken to her sippy cups with no battles! She has gotten a bit picker about eating...sometimes mom or dad will pretend to eat what she has in an effort to entice her. Often times - she will pretend right back and then put the food back on the tray!

New Years Resolutions...

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Take time to be thankful for and enjoy all of our blessings!