Month 14 Update

Z hit the 14 month mark the Saturday before Easter. Since I took a little blogging hiatus and missed her 13 month update, I've sprinkled in some pics from the last two months to make up for it. :O)

Age: 14 months
Stats: About 21 lbs & 30 ¼ inches

Clothes: Oh boy! Such a mish-mash! Everything from 3-6 month leggings (which are now capris - perfect for spring!) to 12-18 month tops (some of which are a bit big on her still). She's also wearing size 3 shoes, and she loves having her shoes on. All you have to say is, "Let's put on your shoes!" and she'll double-time it to the chair to get her footsies suited-up.

Favorite Foods: strawberries, blueberries, grapes, PB&J, cinnamon waffles, smoothies, noodles, grilled cheese with steamed kale inside, Cheddar Bunnies

Favorite Words: No "real" words yet, but if I say "ta-da", she will sort of repeat it, sounding something like "ya-daa" in her sweet little sing-songy voice. She also has a distinct sound for when she sees a dog (which is often when we are out for a run/walk), but I haven't got a clue as to how to spell it. And, although it's not even a word, she loves to make a surprised sound. (You know the one, where you suck in air, mouth open, eyes wide?) Turns out, I do that a lot with her and my little copycat has picked it up. Guess it's time to lose the f-bombs before she picks those up, too!

Favorite Activities: Stroller rides, listening to music & dancing, watching for squirrels, birds, and doggies out the windows, "reading", swinging at the park, playing outside, brushing her teeth, peek-a-boo, & walking all over the place (our house is pretty small, so she's mostly walking circles around the dining room table). Z also loves watching Sesame Street any time Murray or Abby are on screen. I think Murray may actually be her favorite monster.

Least Favorite Activities: Going down for a nap, being in the grass, not getting to do something she really wants to do. We've reached the stage where she will turn out that bottom lip and start the waterworks. Such drama!

Signature Moves: This kid can power squat better than any CrossFitter I've ever seen! She also just started turning circles, and has the best dance moves. She does her own version of the running man that cracks us up every time! I just wish I could get it on video, but the little snot sits down every time I get the camera ready. The stinker!

Milestones: Walking, walking, walking!!! Z took her first steps the first weekend in March, the day after her daddy got home from a business trip (perfect timing!). And then she took a breather. I guess she wanted to be sure she was really ready, cuz when she started up again about a week later, she was walking like a pro! Totally skipped that wobbly Frankenstein stage and went straight to total awesomeness. Sure, she walked mostly sideways for awhile, (we think because she honed her walking skills by going in circles while holding on to the Zany Zoo box), but she seems to have gotten over that and only uses her sideways skills when they're needed. For a while, she giggled every time she walked and had her hands up in the air. She totally knew that this was a big deal!

We knew our kid was gifted, but even strangers have commented on how well she walks. Huge sigh of relief for us, given that motor development is a key issue for kids born with a tethered cord. (You can read about that here.) Walking was the last motor milestone for Z to accomplish and she knocked it out of the park!

These days, she spends most of her time ignoring her toys and just walks circles around the house all day, usually with a book in her hand. When she needs a break, she'll plop down wherever and "read" for a few minutes, then get right back up and walk her circles again. It wears me out just to watch her!

It's been so crazy to see how much Z's grown up in these last two months. She's starting to feel like a kid to me, and this may be the best age yet. She can follow directions (Simple stuff, like "go get your milk" and "roll the ball to momma", but absolutely nothing as advanced as "don't eat the dog's food!"), entertain herself, throw little tantrums (certainly not the best part of the day, but a sure sign that baby tuna is growing up), and have full-on conversations, though just not in English. It's clear she's go a lot to say - Heaven help me when she really starts talking!

You can blame the horrible quality of this photo on the iPhone's front camera.