Random time to do a post about Gretchen...19 months...but I feel like almost overnight she went from a baby to a toddler. She is a complete delight to us, though she is starting to show some stubbornness, opinions, and defiance. :) She is 19 months old, and for so long she stayed a baby, but now here she is a toddler, walking around, talking more, growing up each day, and I can hardly believe that she is closer to the age of two, and that by the end of the summer we will be celebrating her second birthday.
I know I wrote just a few short weeks ago about her, about my sadness of watching her grow up. But now that she really is growing up and doing new things every day, it has been so happy and fun. To see her progress, in leaps and bounds, is so rewarding. I suppose it is not all bad watching a child move from baby to toddler...there are many perks. :)
Here are some things about Gretchen that I never want to forget...
*She currently does not like wearing clothes. For the last several days, when we go to get her from her crib in the morning, she has one arm out of her pajamas. She refuses to get out of the crib until she has undressed herself. This means I have to do the zipper on her pajamas, but then she wants to finish undressing completely unassisted. She eats breakfast in her diaper only, even though she tells me she is cold every time I put her in the vinyl covered high chair. :) "Cold!" she says. :) She then wants to remain in her diaper the remainder of the morning. Though the last few mornings, she insists on wearing Rachel's swimsuit and nightgown...at the same time. Swimming suit first, nightgown over the top. She tries to undress herself again after her nap, but we can usually derail that plan by getting her outside. Though she has successfully turned a shirt completely backward and put her arms through the holes during her nap time. :)
*When we are outside she always wants to be wearing Rachel's Sofia the First helmet. It is hilarious. The helmet makes her walking much less coordinated, but she pushes through. When she is just standing in place, she sways a little bit to compensate for that heavy helmet on such a little head!
*Gretchen has figured out how to sit on our big wheel bike and how to shuffle her feet along to make it move. She loves it! This week she is trying to master Rachel's scooter...not quite as easy as a bike...especially since she has only been walking a few weeks!
*She sleeps with three blankets and five to six stuffed animals. She loves her Aiden and Anais blanket, that always comes out of the crib with her after she wakes up. She just balls it up and holds onto it while we snuggle and while she sleeps. Her favorite stuffed animals are Lula, her cougar, a brown bear Bridget gave to her for Christmas, and a tiny little blue bear. She loves to kiss, hug, snuggle, and pat her animals. The way she says Lula delights us all. She completely changes her voice to say it. She frequently hands each object to us, one at a time, before we can get her out of the crib. It makes for quite an armful!
*Gretchen loves lotion and chapstick. When she wants my lotion, she holds one hand out and says, "Peese!" It is the cutest. But as of late has also become a stall tactic of hers before naps and bedtime. Clever girl!
*She continues to be a picky, picky eater. She basically lives off of toast, yogurt, milk, juice, water, granola bars, and z bars. Any cheese or fruit we get in her during the day is just a bonus. She continues to shun all pastas (why?!?!). She LOVES chocolate and Easter was a true delight for her!
*She has just started dancing, just in the last few days. She loves her toy table because it plays songs, so she'll hit the button and stomp her feet and move her arms. Hello. The cutest. I need to get it on video.
*She adores Richard! When he was in Texas a couple of weeks ago she asked for him multiple times a day. One evening we Facetimed with him and it just about broke Gretchen's heart. She kept holding her hands out to him and her lip would quiver because he wasn't picking her up. When he gets home from work she quickly walks to him and exclaims, "Dada!" She asks for Dada every morning, and is always delighted to find him at home on the weekends.
*Gretchen blows kisses, then waves good-bye, and says "Bye-bye!". She does this when actually saying good-bye to someone, but she also does this between me and Richard when she wants the other one to help her. Like if I am holding her before putting her to bed, she will reach for Richard, he will pick her up, she'll look at me, blog a kiss, wave, and say "Bye-bye!" She will also do this if I find her doing something she knows she shouldn't be doing...like playing with Richard's deodorant! Clever again!
*Current common words are: dada, mama, Bridget (breezet), Doke, walk, shoes, coat, ouch, get down, please, love you, lula, love you, bye bye, cracker, thank you.
We adore this girl!
*Gretchen loves lotion and chapstick. When she wants my lotion, she holds one hand out and says, "Peese!" It is the cutest. But as of late has also become a stall tactic of hers before naps and bedtime. Clever girl!
*She continues to be a picky, picky eater. She basically lives off of toast, yogurt, milk, juice, water, granola bars, and z bars. Any cheese or fruit we get in her during the day is just a bonus. She continues to shun all pastas (why?!?!). She LOVES chocolate and Easter was a true delight for her!
*She has just started dancing, just in the last few days. She loves her toy table because it plays songs, so she'll hit the button and stomp her feet and move her arms. Hello. The cutest. I need to get it on video.
*She adores Richard! When he was in Texas a couple of weeks ago she asked for him multiple times a day. One evening we Facetimed with him and it just about broke Gretchen's heart. She kept holding her hands out to him and her lip would quiver because he wasn't picking her up. When he gets home from work she quickly walks to him and exclaims, "Dada!" She asks for Dada every morning, and is always delighted to find him at home on the weekends.
*Gretchen blows kisses, then waves good-bye, and says "Bye-bye!". She does this when actually saying good-bye to someone, but she also does this between me and Richard when she wants the other one to help her. Like if I am holding her before putting her to bed, she will reach for Richard, he will pick her up, she'll look at me, blog a kiss, wave, and say "Bye-bye!" She will also do this if I find her doing something she knows she shouldn't be doing...like playing with Richard's deodorant! Clever again!
*Current common words are: dada, mama, Bridget (breezet), Doke, walk, shoes, coat, ouch, get down, please, love you, lula, love you, bye bye, cracker, thank you.
We adore this girl!
