20 months

I took Kins to the dr for her 18 month  20 month appointment.
21.8 lbs (25-50%)
head circ. 46cm (25-50%)
height: 30 1/4 in (10-25%)

She got her scheduled shots as well as a flu shot. Since we go to a small school and my schedule has increased, I want to keep her protected and healthy.

Recently she has added these voluntary words (even though she repeats everything you say):
-scared
-yuck
-ewww
- help
-no way
-bandaid
-tissue
-towel
- named her babies and bear (Ellie, Emily, Abby, and Kara)
- she can put 2-3 words together explaining what she wants (Kinsley milk, daddy bite candy)
- good
- daddy
- she's been saying rock, walk, stroller, hide, and a few others but I think I forgot to note them
- medicine
- rug
- cool


She likes to hide and then start calling her name when she wants us to come find her.

Her favorite things to do are go on walks, play outside, color, play kitchen, do puzzles, run, play baby dolls, and take baths.

She's getting more independent and doesn't want you to help her when she's embarrassed. If she falls and you help her up against her will, she will lay back down and do it herself.

We need to start working on how we are going to apply punishment for this toddler stage of insistent "no's" and wanting to hit.

She imitates everything and she is a natural nurturer. She loves to cuddle her babies, rock them, feed them, change their diaper and show other friends how to do it. She doesn't like it when I pretend to cry or if she thinks my feelings are hurt.

She love's singing and dancing-- especially to Taylor Swift.

Our house has had 2 or 3 showings this month, so we are finally getting some interest now that the holidays are over. We are still planning on building in Mint Hill so we are just being patient and looking to God for direction.

19 months!

I can't believe it's been 19 months! She's becoming more and more like a little girl and less like a baby! So sad.



Things she's saying now...
yuck
run!
go
hide
pink, red, blue, green, yellow, purple, brown, orange
1, 2, 3, 4 ,5
A, b, c, d yay!
color
towel
mess
all gone "gol gone"
heart "hawt"
art work
cleaning
fake cries like a baby "waaa, waaa"
please
thanks
ma'am
earring
cookie
walk
bath "baff"

She's starting to develop more of her own thoughts. I ask her what she wants for breakfast (without giving any options) and she says "bagel" or "juice". I ask her what her favorite animal (again, without options) and one day she'll say "cow", one day she'll say "roo" (kangaroo), and sometimes a "baaa" sheep. She has started saying some actual animal names, but mainly sticks to sounds like "woo-woof" and "baaaah."

She LOVES to color. Every day she wants to pull out the roll of paper, take her clothes off and color with markers.  She wants Gray to draw a heart and me to color wherever she points. Hopefully she'll enjoy her Christmas gift ;)

Thanksgiving with MawMaw Snider 2012:

We had a photoshoot with my friend and fellow photog Lauren Cardwell. She did our photos last year and I was so happy when she was able to do them again! You can see the sneak peek here. But here are a couple of my faves.

In the car she likes to read books and sing. Over our trip to Raleigh she liked to sing "Baby it's cold outside" over and over with Shuggy.


She was spoiled rotten during Raleigh Christmas. 2 down, 6 to go! Aunt Lauri bought her a million outfits from "Matilda Jane." Never heard of it but absolutely DIED when I saw. I am seriously doing a whole photoshoot in every outfit (the first one is below ;).  OBSESSED. On the way home Gray bought a storage box so I could empty out her closet to make room for all of it! ha!

We put our house on the market about 2 or 3 weeks ago. That is SUPER hard to keep looking perfect and clean for potential showings with a 19month old. She is very good at putting things back, though.

She is loving school. She never cries when I drop her off and when I pick her up she is always happy to show me what they were working on. She brought home a lot of "art work" and handmade ornaments.

Follow me on instagram @bporter95 for more pics!

18 months

It's almost thanksgiving and yesterday our baby girl turned 18 months! This time last year she was just a little chunk sitting at the table in her bumbo eating a cranberry squeeze pouch for the first time.

What she's doing

-voluntarily gives kisses
- tries to count and say her abc's
- fav things to watch: bubble guppies ("bubble"), baby einsteins ("nines"), and veggie tales ("bob")
- claps and sings at the right time in songs (i feel like this is genius!)
- wants to find foxy's food and feed her one piece at a time.... and has a huge interest in carrying the water bowl from room to room
- such a helper doing laundry and dishes
- LOVES to read books- one day her teacher said they read about 40 books twice! ha
-LOVES baths (will ask for duck and bath after dinner)
- coloring 
-she'll take all the bows out of  the canister and put them back a million times and say "yay" after each time
- skipping
- definitely a momma's girl
- closes her eyes and bows her head when we say grace before dinner
- At night she will either say "bed" or point to her crib (around 7)... and we lay her down, kiss monkey, kinsley and baby monkey, then do eskimos to each, then we say bye and wave all the way out the door
- she has 10 teeth
-size 4 diaper
- 12-18m in clothes (except H&M runs big)... she can still fit in 12m but the arms and legs are getting shorter
-21.4 lbs is what Gray weighed her this morning
-long attention span
- known as the FASHIONISTA at school
- I'm a proud momma when I hear how great she is and how advanced she is at school- the teacher is always surprised at how much she can do and how well she obeys
- When I pick her up she yells "mommmmma" and then "walk!"- because she loves to walk down the hall (as all the students are looking out their classes saying "awwww" then head out to the Lion statues and give each one a kiss
- loves our phones and baby apps- especially "bees" "gaff" and "ducks"
-going to the mall and throwing pennies in the fountain
- getting a free cookie at harris teeter
-kinsley and foxy must be watched when food is around
-she finally warmed up to the grandpas and great grandpas
- sings along with songs (knock knock, little light, happy and your know it, B-I-B-L-E)
- ride a little pony on my leg while I'm editing
- SUCH a mommy's girl- daddy says I'm the shark and she's the fish that follows?
- Fav new animal "roo"... kangaroo (from the animal app on my phone)
- calls women with gray hair "maw maw" whether it is really hers or not
- now men with gray beards are "santa" ha! i laughed hysterically at harris teeter when i realized that's what she was calling this random man

What we're eating:

- i try to cook as much homemade things as i can or buy 5-ingredients or less products- the new whole foods is awesome!
- bagels and creamcheese
- roasted tomatoes
- homemade pizza with goat cheese
- organic whole milk- finally got her to drink plain instead of vanilla
- stoneyfield yogurt
- whole wheat
- justins peanut butter
- apple butter
- eggs