Toddler This Week: 16 Months, Week 2

Your toddler is learning which of his tricks get a laugh out of you, and which bring your disapproval. He's studying your reactions, so now's a good time to start teaching right from wrong by cheering on "good" behavior (picking up a toy and putting it in the toy box) and frowning on "bad" (throwing the toy across the room). And don't forget to watch what you say and do around your child: Imitation is one of the ways toddlers learn socially acceptable behavior.

Even at this young age, your toddler is learning that he is rewarded with positive attention — hugs, laughter, praise — when he behaves in ways that people around him think are "right," and that he is punished or ignored when his behavior is "wrong." (What may really amaze you is how quickly your intuitive toddler learns that to different people right and wrong mean different things. A behavior that might elicit a frown from you, i.e., pounding a toy on the coffee table or pulling the dog's tail, brings peals of laughter from an older sibling.)

The social interactions you're most likely to witness now are basic — waving, smiling, playing peekaboo, and following simple instructions — but these are all first steps in establishing his personal social style that are learned through imitation. A 16-month-old is also able to initiate displays of affection and he'll give back what he receives. If you show affection with hugs and kisses, he will likely, too.

A newborn isn't able to differentiate between himself and his mother or between himself and any object he sees. Tasting, touching, smelling, and hearing what's in the world around him are ultimately what help him understand that he is a separate being. At about 16 months, your toddler understands that he is his own person, but that he can use you as an extension of himself. For instance, if he sees a toy that he wants but can't reach, he'll push you toward it and gesture until you know he wants you to hand it to him. Or, he may not feel comfortable walking up a flight of stairs, but since he's determined to do it anyway, he'll grasp your hand so you can help him.

At this stage, your toddler knows he is powerful and he is the center of his world. He uses your attention and amazement and appreciation of his accomplishments to attempt even more. He wants to succeed at everything he tries, though he often won't. You'll catch him attempting to carry objects that are far too heavy or unwieldy for him to handle, but he'll be adamant about trying. Rather than help him, admire his chutzpah and let him cry out his frustrations when he can't do something; he'll keep trying and soon succeed.

Giving him opportunities to imitate you at work, such as "cooking" in a play kitchen since he can't really make you dinner, will help cut down on the frustration he feels about being too little to do some of the things he wants to do and will also build his self-esteem. Toddler-sized tool sets, little play kitchens, or grocery carts are great fun for 16-month-olds.

-BabyCenter.com

I know, not a great shot of me, but Mila looks cute and I'm too lazy to crop and re-upload! :/

Gaby & Reuben in Town!

16 weeks and 3 days pregnant Our wonderful, bestest friends Gaby and Reuben were in town from Qatar today! They were literally in town for one day and they were really tight on time, but still made time to see us! What a wonderful way to celebrate Mother's Day and Gaby's birthday!!! It was the first time Reuben met Mila.

We met up in Aventura for dinner. As you can see, they are now BALD! Haha! I love this new look! They went to a spiritual retreat in India and were inspired to do this. For a guy to be bald, is one thing, but it's a lot harder for a woman to pull it off. But, honestly, I think Gaby pulls it off so well! I love her bald head! :) They'll be keeping it bald for 9 months, they said. I think they'll be starting a new trend!

I thought it would be fun to have a Mother's Day photo shoot with our Mommy friends!

I got a few of Mila as well!

And here's one of me that Lily took and edited.

My Baby This Week: 16 Weeks

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length . Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too.

Mila is 16 Months!

Dear Mila,

This month I can't tell you how happy I am! You've been signing "mommy"!!! The sign is tapping the side of your chin with your thumb and an open palm. You do it so well!! I am SOOOOOOO happy! Finally! You don't quite say it yet - but I'll settle for the sign at least!

Something funny you do is you'll bring me an empty back of crackers and then do the sign for "more"! So smart!

You also know how to point to different parts of your body. Whenever we ask you, "Mila, where is your nose?" You smile and put your finger up your nose! It makes us laugh so much! You know head, eyes (you poke yourself in the eye when you show this one, haha!), mouth, teeth, tongue, ears, arm (still working on this one), neck, tummy, knees and feet. You do them SO well! I'm always so impressed that you have picked up on it. It's amazing to me that although you only say a handful of words, you understand so much more than we're aware!

Your favorite song lately is the classic, "If You're Happy and You Know It". It's a great song for kids, but since it's in English and we're trying to encourage Spanish, I decided to translate it. (So now we sing, "Si eres feliz y lo sabes, aplaude! (Si eres feliz y lo sabes, zapatea! Si eres feliz y lo sabes di yupi!) Si eres feliz y los sabes, y tu cara lo demuestra, si eres feliz y lo sabes aplaude!") You love when it says, "If you're happy and you know it, stomp your feet!" You know exactly when to stomp! You've even taken it further - with ANY song you will now stomp your foot! You also like to swing your hips from side-to-side - such a great dancer!! Check out your awesome dance moves from our Mommy and Me music class: (Your friend Liam is the one in the Batman shirt and cape, LOL!!)

Lately, your Daddy has decided to be bold and to let you start walking outside more. I'll be honest, I'm not crazy about this idea. I'm afraid you won't want to be in your stroller anymore and with another kid on the way, I don't know how I'd manage it! But your Daddy insists you need to explore - which I agree - I just hope that doesn't mean that you'll abandon my preferred way of transportation!

Walking from the apartment to the car

Walking around the mall

You're now starting to be interested in feeding yourself. Kind of mixed emotions on this one. It's great that you want to do it, but the mess you're making can get pretty crazy. Lots for mommy to clean! You get food all over your high chair, the floor, your face, your clothes, your hair! I cringe at the thought of you feeding yourself, but I guess, how else will you learn? LOL!

After feeding (or attempted feeding!) yourself, your new favorite hobby is climbing. On everything. You love to climb on the back of the sofa and peer over the top to the other side. I'm a little nervous you'll topple over and fall back there! You'll try to climb onto the sofa, you'll try to climb the dining room chairs and even into your toy boxes! You get into everything!!

One of your favorite games, is one your daddy invented. We have these magnetized trains that link together and you'll chase them around and around, and you just laugh and laugh! You get so caught up with chasing that the train will be BEHIND you and you're still running forward. Mommy and Daddy get a kick out of playing this game!

Chasing the choo-choo!

Finally caught them!

I think G2 wants to play too! Do you see him/her popping out a little in this picture? :)

You're such a happy little girl. You love being silly. Here's a video of your adorable laugh!

Mommy and Daddy love seeing you happy. We hope you always stay that way. :)

I love you!

Your Mommy

Toddler This Week: 16 Months, Week 1

Where, oh where, has your baby gone? You have a full-fledged toddler living with you now. Walking and running still top the agenda, but take note of how complex your child's movements have become. When she crosses a room, she'll squat to pick up an interesting toy or stop to stack some blocks. If she's particularly ambitious, she'll figure out how to push a stool or chair over to the kitchen counter so she can climb up for a better look — all the more reason to make sure your house is as childproof as it can be.

Your toddler is still likely to explore her surroundings the way she has for the last few months — grabbing random objects, inspecting them closely, putting them to her mouth, banging them on the floor. But you'll also notice that she likes to challenge her physical limits. She knows she can walk, so she wants to try to carry a heavy load, like a box of blocks, while she's at it. She's confident that she can climb up onto the sofa, so she'll want to push a chair to the kitchen counter to climb higher and investigate what's up on the counter tops. If you haven't already done so, now it is essential that you childproof your home. The kitchen can be a particularly dangerous spot, so get into the habit of cooking on the back burners of the stove, turning pot handles inward and out of reach of groping hands, and locking up any dangerous cleaning products and medicines rather than leaving them out in the open.

If your toddler is willing to let you test her physical prowess with her, try this silly game recommended by child development expert Marilyn Segal, author of Your Child at Play: One to Two Years: Hold her hands and show her how to squat down. While you're moving up and down, chant:

"Bend our knees, and down we go
All the way to the floor.
Up, up, up, we stand up tall,
And now we squat some more."

If your child isn't walking with ease, or is hardly walking at all, try this activity, which developmental experts use to help children gain confidence on their feet. First have your child stand with her back to a wall; move back so you're about 3 feet away from her. Hold out a hand and have her reach for it, taking one or two steps to get to you. Guide her back to the wall and do it over and over again, occasionally stepping back so she has to take more steps to reach you.

Your 16-month-old is becoming more adept at using her hands and fingers. She may be able to stack two or three blocks into a tower, and will delight in immediately knocking it down. When you read books, she'll insist on turning the pages for you, and by now may be capable of turning one or two pages at a time instead of simply flipping from front to back. If you hand her a crayon, she'll know exactly what to do with it, but will probably scribble on anything that's in front of her — books, furniture, and walls included — so "coloring" is an activity that you'll probably want to monitor closely. She may even be able to insert a round block into the proper hole on a board with various shapes.

This is a great time to introduce finger painting. You can make your own finger paints by mixing 2 tablespoons of white flour with a little water to make a thin paste and then adding a few drops of food coloring. To make painting extra easy for a young child, have her paint on waxed paper taped to a table in the kitchen or outdoors. Put a blob of paint down on the paper and show her how to slide her fingers around. If you want to save her creation, press a piece of regular paper over the waxed paper and peel gently away; hang to dry.

-BabyCenter.com

Baby G2 Belly Picture: 15 Weeks

Seems like the belly keeps growing, huh? I feel like I'm at that point where I don't quite look like myself, yet I don't quite look pregnant. I've still been feeling a bit yucky and nauseous. A lot of burping that's been grossing me out. Yuck! I can't wait for this part to be over. :(

4 Year Wedding Anniversary

Happy anniversary to the love my life! We were married 4 years ago today, but we've been together for the last 7 - wow! I'm so very blessed to share my life with you... I can't imagine being anywhere else but by your side. You're my best friend and I love you with all my heart. Looking forward to many, many, many more years together. I love you!

My Baby This Week: 15 Weeks

Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam.

Toddler This Week: 15 Months, Week 4

It may be embarrassing when your toddler throws a full-blown screaming fit in the middle of the produce section, but rest assured that other parents feel your pain. The most useful response is to take your child out of the store (even if it means leaving a cart full of food behind) and sit with him in the car or on a bench until he finishes crying. When the storm is over, your child will feel close to you and happy again. And you can take some comfort in knowing that eventually your child will outgrow this behavior.

First the bad news: Your toddler's temper is easily aroused. Now the good: His displays of anger or frustration are generally short-lived. Of course it may seem like your child picks the absolute worst times to throw fits — in the middle of the grocery store, at the airport in front of your mother-in-law — and it's up to you to experiment with ways to handle the flare-ups. One reason that children seem to fall apart in public is simply that they're overstimulated: Unfamiliar people, bright lights, and loud noises all at one time can be too much for your child to handle. When you're out and about trying to run errands, your toddler knows he doesn't have your full attention, which is what he wants more than anything else — and will do just about anything to get.

You can often head off meltdowns during errands by staying emotionally connected to your child as best you can, despite all you have to do — which will make errands more fun for both of you. Making up a game like "I see corn flakes, I see ... you!" and then giving him a big nuzzle as you put the box in the shopping cart will head off his frantic feeling that you're putting your attention everywhere but on him. But tantrums are inevitable — every child has to blow off steam sometime. And children struggling through the peaks and valleys of physical and emotional development may need to blow it off every day.

You may have to try several tactics until you find a way of dealing with tantrums that works for you. Try picking up your child and holding him quietly until he settles down — don't yell at him or try to pin his arms down, which will only make him more frustrated. Pick him up and move him to a spot where he can safely have his fit on the ground or in the car, while you sit warmly by, reassuring him that you love him. If you're at home and it's too hard for you to stay and listen to him cry, simply leave the room.

If your toddler's fit attracts attention from other adults in the vicinity, you're likely to be embarrassed, but your child will pick up on that, too and he may increase the intensity of his tantrum. Your best bet in a public setting is to grit your teeth and smile while you take your child away from the scene.

One of your most important jobs as a parent is setting limits for your child. At times you may feel like a broken record, but the next time you see your toddler starting to do something you've asked him not to, watch the process. For instance, he'll start to climb onto the dishwasher, which you've asked him not to do several times, but will keep an eye on you the whole time. While you may think he's simply being defiant, he's actually testing you, and waiting for you to step in and say, "Stop, that's far enough."

Try to remember that many of your 15-month-old's seemingly defiant and destructive behaviors are related to his overall development. When he uses a crayon to scribble on the coffee table, he doesn't know that he's ruining a piece of furniture, he's just enjoying his budding fine-motor skills. And when he refuses to go to bed, he's simply aware that being with you is so exciting that he doesn't want to sleep in case he misses something. Establishing routines, like a bath and book before bed, and giving him ample opportunities to test out skills like "drawing," will help make this period less frustrating for you.

-BabyCenter.com

Easter Bunny Visits

Mila didn't have a good night last night and today she woke up with a fever again. We gave her some ibprofin and she seems better. I think it might be teething. We'll see how she is over the weekend, but for now, we're just going to stay home and take it easy. The Easter Bunny made sure to visit to cheer Mila up!

Woo-hoo! It's Easter!!

Eggs had chocolate (for mommy!) and some stickers for Mila!

Found another one!

She gets angry when she can't open the egg!

Cool toy in her easter basket! It even lights up!

Playing with the filling in her basket.

Easter Bunny came and left mommy a basket too!

Mmmmmm! Chocolate!!!

Starting to feel sick again... my poor baby!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter from Mila! I took these a few weeks ago and I designed these adorable little cards to go with them. Love how they turned out!  :)

(If you click on them, you can see them bigger.)

More Wicked Fun!

I had such a great time with Spencer seeing "Wicked," that I thought it would be a great idea if my sister Cathy and I took my mom to see it for Mother's Day. However, tonight was closing night and Mother's Day is still two weeks away! So we decided to give her her gift early and got the tickets. Cathy nor my mom had seen it. I was so excited! They loved the show and it was so nice to spend some time with them! :)

Reinacting the Playbill... heehee!

Spring Festival

We went to the park with Aunt Blanca today. There was a great Spring Festival going on and there was even a petting zoo! Mila saw chickens and lambs for the first time, then we went to the playground and she went on the swings and down a slide. (Notice how Dolly never leaves her side!)

There was lots to see and do, and she didn't seem to protest, but didn't really seem to be having a ton of fun either. Later on it turned out she had a fever! She has a molar coming out, we think it may be that. :(