14 months with Gem!

Our little baby girl is a changing...

Even though she is our second child and she took her time starting to walk, it was still just as amazing and thrilling to witness her take her first steps.  One of the best milestones this past month! Janie's steps are few as her silly sideways crab crawl is still her preference but there are times she will get up and show off her moves.  Like last week at playgroup when we we just getting ready to sing our welcome song, Janie stood up and walked toward the center of the circle.  The group quickly noticed and was cheering her on.  For the rest of circle time, she kept showing off in the same way!  It was adorable!  The month ahead is sure to be interesting as she continues to use her new walking skills. 

Janie is really learning to love playgroup.  We attend most Wednesdays and have been going since Clara was 8 months old.  Now I can whole-heartedly say that Janie loves it just as much, if not more (right now) than Clara does.  She gets into the hand motions of the songs and seems to have figured out the routine.  When the clean-up song was sang the other day, she quickly seated herself next to the kids and I swear she said "snack," the next activity!  She is old enough to really get in on the parachute play, both in shaking and at the end when we give the children a ride.  She has a couple of friends around the same age, Rhiona & Emma, and we had our first Toddler Time playdate with them recently.

Even more than taking her first steps, Janie's communication has continued to take off this month!  She can be choosy about when she talks, but we are learning to have mini conversations with her.  They usually are about what she wants to eat or do, but it is clear that she understands what we are asking and gives her preference.  For example, tonight at dinner:

Are you hungry for food, Janie?

(she makes sign for food and please.  Sometimes she will say the words too)

What would you like to eat?

Nan-na

Would you like carrots?

No.

Would you like peas?

No.

Would you like banana?

Nan-Na, (making sign for please)

Lately she REALLY likes bananas, muffins (she calls cake), cheese, yogurt and spaghetti.  Other things seem to be hit and miss, and when I say hit, I mean hit the floor!  Man-o-man, can this kid make a mess with a Ritz cracker!

 When she is tired Janie will ask for a ba-ba or milk, or say night-night, which is also what she calls her soft Little Giraffe blankets that she sleeps with.  She has had some great sleep in the past month, too!  Some she has slept through the night, but others she is up at 2 am happy and ready to party.  It just isn't consistent but are blaming the bad nights on being sick or teething (still only have the 5).  Going down for naps has become a lot easier.  Some days she will take two naps, but on days where we have to go get Clara from school there are times her schedule gets thrown off and she will have a day or two with just one nap, but at least they are for longer stretches.  She wakes up happy from her naps and loves to be greeted by Clara.  She gets so excited to see her and bounces up and down in her crib.

Janie's growth seems to be very consistent.  She wears 12-18 months clothes, even some 18-24 pieces, but we are having to pack up most of the 6 -12 month things and the second time around it is just as hard.  Somehow after Clara I knew we'd use them again, but that may not be the case this time around. 

With as timid as our little Gem is about walking, she is really quite brave when it comes to climbing.  She has learned to crawl up the stairs very quickly and often thinks of it as a chase game when she makes a break for it and gets up a few of them.  She also loves the little climber and slide we have in the bonus room.  It did not take her long to climb up the slide and then just recently has started doing the ladder-like stairs.  I turned my head the other day and she was up on the kid table trying to climb up to the kitchen counter.  I think Clara was 2 1/2 before she ever tried that! 

Really, Janie's drastic difference in personality from Clara has created most of our parenting challenges, as well as the highlights in raising her.  We anticipate that she'll approach something one way and yet she always surprises us.  Honestly, before Janie arrived I had fears about raising sisters and how to foster their own sense of self and uniqueness, but the more we get to know Janie, and Clara, I realize that is the least of our worries.  From the the tips of her blonde hair to her particular taste is toys and foods, she is already beautifully unique... and fascinating to her Mommy & Daddy!