14 Months!

Oh Maeve, you are so stinking adorable! 

I've wanted to take your picture with this setup since you were born, and like many ideas that get shelved due to lack of time, it finally came back around and got accomplished!

Here are a few tidbits about you at 14 months old...

You give the most amazing, arms-thrown-around-the-neck-hugs

and smack on the mouth kisses

You walk, run, tumble, climb and crawl like a champion.  We have found you on top of play tables and climbing the outside of the staircase, in the bathtub and on top of chairs, benches and the fireplace hearth, just to name a few of the predicaments you've gotten into this month. We are now a completely gated community, and nothing is safe!

Your teeth are just KILLING you.  I can see the lump where your right, top eye tooth is coming down, and it's a beast.  If it weren't for Motrin, we wouldn't get any sleep at all.  As it is, you're awake and screaming the second it wears off.

Whenever you are teething, you get a wicked stuffy nose.  Whenever you get a wicked stuffy nose, you are prone to gagging.  Whenever you gag, you vomit.  Therefore, whenever you get upset in your crib and start to cry, you gag and vomit.  Luckily, you usually stand at the crib railing and vomit on the same place on the rug each time.  So we now own a new Bissell Spot Bot and have learned to put a towel on the floor when we put you to bed each night.

You still loathe your crib and refuse to go in it for naps.  So you nap in your swing from 11-2 every day, and will likely be in it until your feet drag on the floor.

You're not a huge fan of food.  Frankly, we don't know how you are growing with what little makes it into your mouth.  You refuse to let us feed you 95% of the time, you eschew purees in pouches, and throw most solids on the floor or hide them under your bottom in the highchair.  Your 'favorite' foods, if only the ones you refuse the least are string cheese cut into bits and yogurt.

Youre not a huge fan of drinks either.  It's taken us until now to get you to drink a 4oz bottle of milk, only because I started lacing it with vanilla instant breakfast.  Any other beverage gets thrown on the floor after two sips.  We've got quite the collection of sippy cups!

You say BABY perfectly and repeatedly.  Other words that have snuck out when you weren't paying attention and that haven't been repeated are Benny, shoes, Jack, wash, and all done.

You can hum the tune to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, which is amazing because your brother Ben did the very same thing at the very same age!  

You love "Old McDonald Had a Farm" and know the sounds that all these animals make;

Dog (ah ah ah)

Elephant (brrrrrrr)

Monkey (ee ee ee)

Cat (ooow, oooow)

You LOVE books and would be content if someone would read to you all day long.  Lift the flap books (rip the flap books?) are your favorite.

You love your babies and rock them and feed them, and give them their Motrin after you've had yours and sneak off with the dispenser.  You put them in their carriage and take them on walks.

Two things that never fail to calm you when you're fussy; playing with water and getting dragged around in a laundry basket.  Every time you see a laundry basket, you want a ride!

You are really starting to understand us!  When you were fussing this week I asked you "Do you want a tubby", and you ran across the room and threw yourself into my arms!  

When we forget to lock the trash can you love stealing trash out to play with, and putting toys in.  

When you fall and hit your head, you repeat the incident in slow motion to show us and then rub your head and pretend to fuss.  Sometimes you do this when you didn't actually hit your head, but you just thought you might!

You LOVE playing with Jack, Molly and Ben.  Your favorite 'game' is "I'm gonna get you!" when someone pretends to chase you and you run away and laugh like crazy.

You're still nursing, but only before bed and during middle-of-the-night wakeups.
(I don't think it will be long before we are done, and though I'll miss it, I sure will be glad to have my hormones chill out for the first time in two years.)

The most important thing to know about you at
14 months is that we all still love you to pieces!