I feel like life has been going by faster than I can keep up with for the last month or so. My little Sadie is growing up so fast and I want to just take a minute to record some of the things I am loving so much about her. Before I know it she will be in a whole new stage of development and I don't want to forget a single thing.
Sadie is somewhat growing out of the take-everything-out-of-the-cupboards-just-for-the-thrill-of-it phase and into the I-wonder-what-I-can-do-with-the-stuff-I-find-in-the-cupboards phase. She is learning the purpose behind different objects. She loves using the pots and mixing bowls in the kitchen as containers for various trinkets she finds, like puzzle pieces or clothespins.
She loves to push things and is especially delighted if those things have wheels. She just got a little stroller and baby for Christmas and loves to push it around. She got a walker for her birthday months ago but she is just now really getting into it. She'll just push it through the apartment, looking around and getting mad when she pushes herself into a corner she can't get out of easily.
She got a Cabbage Patch doll from her grandparents for Christmas and she adores it. She sleeps with it, carries it around with her, tries to make it fit in the stroller that was built for a smaller doll, gives it a binkie... It's so cute to see her taking care of it.
She is beginning to notice things that mommy or daddy do and likes to copy. She can reach the bathroom counter and likes to take my hairbrush and put it against her head like she's brushing her hair. She finds the spare toothbrushes and likes to practice brushing her teeth (even though she hates doing it for real at bedtime). She tries to sing along to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star at bedtime (if she's not too sleepy) and sometimes does a singing copy game with daddy.
She isn't saying much yet consistently other than "dada" and "mama" but we've heard her say words like sock, shoe, cheese, and all done. Chris will swear she said touch-down once during a football game. Unfortunately we've only heard these other words once so it's hard to say if she actually said them or if it was just babble that sounded like a word we wanted to hear. Who knows.
She can point to her nose, hair, eyes, and belly button. She waves, gives high fives, and makes the touch-down sign.
She has lots of teeth: 8 in front (4 top, 4 bottom) and has at least 3 molars poking through, possibly more. She is very private with her mouth and doesn't like to show what's going on in there.
My favorite thing that she does nowadays is give spontaneous hugs. I'll be washing dishes at the sink and she'll come over and hug my leg. Or after changing her diaper or putting clothes on she'll stand up on the changing table and put her little arms around my neck. It melts my heart every time.
If you ask her to do something, often she will do it. Well, perhaps not often, she has to be in a helpful mood. But she understands commands like "Go get your shoes" or "Put that in the garbage" and if she doesn't get that sneaky grin then she'll usually do it.
Someone told us this week that Sadie has "a sweet disposition". Chris and I looked at each other skeptically and smiled. After further thought, I decided that she really does have a sweet disposition. But she also has a very mischievous side and sometimes does things just because she knows it's naughty. When you tell her "No no Sadie" she'll grin and shake her head back and forth. It's really cute and makes it hard to be mad at her.
Most of the time she is super sweet. She loves to share and plays really well with other kids. She is definitely a little social butterfly. She is rarely more happy than when she is playing with friends. It makes me wish she had a sibling to play with. ...Someday Sadie, someday.
She loves to read books and can entertain herself with them for some time. Perhaps she will be like her parents in this way.
I am so in love with my little girl. I love this age (16 months) and all the adventures it holds. She is learning new things everyday and I can hardly keep up with her. She is happy and curious and busy and makes life wonderful. Though I never really vented about it, this is such a change from when she was about 10-12 months old. I felt like she was fussy all the time and I was constantly stressed. Raising kids sure is a roller coaster, but I'm happy to ride it out.
