Contagious

That's what the doc says she is.  Contagious. 

 

 

She wasn't 100% certain, but said that she heard something in Vaiosina's lungs.  Pair that with her nasty cough and voila!  She's getting treated for bronchitis.  There was some redness around her throat, but the strep test came back negative.  The 5-day doses of Zithromax should (hopefully) get rid of the bronchitis!

 

She also can't go back to the daycare center until Friday. That means I'm off from work both days.  Although it's awesome that I get some time off to be with her...I'm missing a lot at work.  It's totally killing the workaholic in me.

 

In any case, the trip to the doc was actually a great one.  Where Vaiosina usually starts whimpering the second Dr. Simpson calls her name, she gladly went in and came out tear free.  Even bear-bear got the full treatment.  What a great pediatrician we have!

 

Well, this picture doesn't show Dr. Simpson, but a nurse who took Vaiosina's vitals.  Poor thing...doesn't she look miserable?  And tired?  After all, she did wake up at 0230 with a 102.9 degree fever.

 

While I'm at it, let me give you her stats (2 years, 1 month):
Weight: 28.5 lbs (75% percentile)
Length: 34 in (86% percentile)
Head: 48 cm
No change from her 2 year appt stats

 

And forget that she's wearing the exact same outfit she wore in the picture I posted of her yesterday.  Hey, I do laundry like a maniac around here!

 

Up until this morning, Malu had spent the last three days training at the top of a mountain in Berchtesgaden with his company and was essentially unreachable.  He didn't find out until this morning that she's been sick.  Stuff like this can be really stressful for a mom flying solo.  I mean, I was practically in tears when he finally called and I broke the news to him.

 

I think what gets me so emotional is the fact that he hasn't officially deployed yet and she's already getting sick.  I have a long way to go, but I've managed to get through unscathed so far.  Tired, but unscathed.  Nope, no panicking from this mama. I'm on a roll!  Let's see how long I can keep this momentum! 

 

Thank goodness for caring friends and an office crew that definitely has my back; not to mention the outpour of encouragement from family and friends through Facebook.  I wouldn't be able to do any of this without you!

 

Anyway, better get to bed.  Got a full day ahead of me and this girl keeps me on my toes even when she's sick!

 

Good night!

The Sunshine {Take 4} : Team Dance Class

Last week was the first day of Vaiosina's Toddler Team Dance class.  If you recall, she wasn't too thrilled last week.  I mean, she was nervous and she spent pretty much the whole time observing what was going on.  Yesterday was her second class and she was worlds better than last week!

 

She was jumping around, squealing, and dancing.  It was great.  At one point, she went to the front of the class (even beyond the instructor) and just started shakin' her little tail-feather.  I think the instructor was quite impressed too.

 

This picture is a little blurry, but what can I say?  Everyone was gettin' their groove on :)

 

 

Needless to say, I was a very proud mama.

 

P.S. I was also trying not to be a total stage mom, but that's kind of hard to do.  My excuse is that I have to capture this stuff for my mom to see.  Yeah...I'll stick with that.

 

With that, this is my submission for this week's installment of the Sunshine Project, hosted by Summer and Kim!

 

 

Thanks for hosting ladies!

 

 



Mobilization & Dance Class

Malu left yesterday to start mobilizing for his upcoming deployment.  Basically, he and his unit will be training and preparing to deploy overseas over the next two months. Back in the states, Malu would always mobilize at Fort Dix, New Jersey.  There was usually one four-day weekend closer to their departure date that they'd be released to visit family, go on a short trip, etc.  Here, although he is technically mobilizing in another German state, he's only two and a half hours away at Grafenwoehr.  This means, that when there's down time over the weekend, he may be able to squeeze in a few visits here and there. 

Additionally, next weekend the unit will host what's called a Yellow Ribbon event where all the unit soldiers and their families link up for a meet & greet and to connect with resources before the deployment.  Lodging is paid for, which is a nice bonus, and you get to spend time touring the area at which the event is hosted.  We'll be in Nurnberg!  So while it's not officially good-bye, I still had a hard time after he left yesterday.  I mean, this is pretty much the beginning of the deployment (which, including mobilization, will total 11 months).  And even though he's a few hours away right now, he's still not here :(

 

Somehow I manage.

 

Work and just everyday life just kicks right back in to gear and there's no room for moping.

 

Today was my first official day back at work after leave.  It was busy.  I still have tons of catching up to do.

 

Vaiosina also started her first day of the Parent & Toddler Team Dance class that I signed us up for.  For the next two months, she and I will spend every Wednesday afternoon (it's a 45-minute class) at dance class.

 

Today, she was very timid.  She was content to just watch for the first half hour.

 

 

I didn't feel the least bit bad.  With a class full of tots, it was hard to keep anyone's attention.

 

 

She didn't really warm up and start dancing until about the last ten minutes, but it was still fun.  I'm pretty sure that after about two classes, she'll start groovin' like she usually does when it's just us at home.  As a matter of fact, she was showing me some of the moves she learned while on the potty tonight.  It's going to be a great time for the both of us!

 

I decided that we'd treat ourselves to personalized pizzas for dinner.  Vaiosina loved making them!

 

You see?  Even though we're missing part of our trio, we make do.  We're just fine.

 

Malu had been telling Vaiosina for weeks that he'd be leaving soon and that she was going to have to take good care of me and that she is.  I'm so glad that she's here to keep me company.

 

I love you baby girl.

 

And to Malu...we love and miss you so much!  Hope that we get to see you when you catch a break!



Turning 2 @ School!

This morning, in the five minutes that it took for me to get Vaiosina on the potty, get her clothes and her shoes on, I must have said "Happy Birthday!" to her about a million times.  At one point, Malu asked, "gosh, how many times do you have to say it?"  I simply replied, "I'm going to say it all day long!"  Not sure about anyone else, but my parents always made a big deal out of birthdays.  And it's not like I had a huge party every single birthday.  It's just that they always did something to make the day extra special.  And that's just something I want to pass down to Vaiosina because birthdays are just that--special.

As I said yesterday, there were no big plans for today.  Malu and I brought some cupcakes for Vaiosina to share with her little friends at school.  You would have thought that we brought those kids the world with how they reacted to a few plastic containers full of chocolate cupcakes.  It was so much fun.

I decided not to care how dirty she got today and put her in one of her cute skirts only because it matched her birthday shirt so nicely.  Before getting to the school, I had Vaiosina saying, "Today is my birthday!"  It's the first thing she said to each person she passed by on the way to her classroom.

Our precious little lady :)

One of the teachers made her a little bunny birthday sign.  So cute!



The teachers had the birthday song playing on repeat in the CD player.  Vaiosina loved it! It's one of her favorite songs.

We were so surprised that she was able to keep her t-shirt clean.  The tables and floors?  That's another story.  Happy as a clam!



Her little buddies.  There were more kids on the other side of the room!

"More, please?" she asked.  Chocolate...always a crowd-pleaser.



What a lovely afternoon it was.

We took her out to dinner and opened a few presents here at the house. We were able to Skype with my mom, which made the day even more special.

Thanks to all of her teachers at school and for everyone who has showered her with gifts the last few days.  Thanks in advance to those who will continue to shower her with gifts over the next few days (because we are being told there are packages coming in the mail!)  We are so fortunate to have loving, generous family and friends. 



2 Years Old!

Our baby turns 2 years old in a few hours!  I cannot believe how fast time has flown by.  Our baby's not a baby anymore and I can't stand it.  Look how much she's grown! 

It has been an amazing year, although I've been horrible lately about sharing with you guys.  We've experienced lots of 'firsts' and have had so much fun along the way.  Vaiosina has her 2-year doctor's appointment this week.  Once I get her stats and a clean bill of health, I plan on catching all of you up on how much she's developed over the last few months.

Nothing big planned for this year.  Like last year, we plan on keeping it low-key this year, although I do have a little get-together planned at mid-month; somewhat of a combination farewell for Malu (he's deploying)/Vaiosina's birthday cookout.  I am, however, going to bring some cupcakes to her school tomorrow and Malu and I plan on taking her out to one of her favorite places tomorrow evening.

Can't say enough how thankful we are that God blessed us with this special little girl.  Best two years of our lives.  Can we just keep you at this age forever? 

Happy Birthday our little darling.  We love you!

The Sunshine Project {Take 3}

It's that time of the week again!  The Sunshine Project is something that  my blogger friends, Kim and Summer started with the specific purpose of allowing you to share what brought sunshine into your week with the blogosphere.  Cool, huh?  All you have to do is post and then link up on either of their blogs.  Easy enough, right?

No surprise...mine is about Vaiosina.

At the playground yesterday

And the things she's been saying these days. 

Every morning, I go in to work, sharing details about what Vaiosina said either the night before or early that morning (while getting ready for work/school).  It's been a while since I blogged about how much she's grown in the last few months.  I believe the last detailed post I made about her was at the 19-month mark.  She's about to turn 2 in 4 days!  I can't believe it.

In any case, she can basically repeat what you say and has learned a lot from school and other people.   She can sing tons of songs (in tune!) and has memorized lines from her favorite books and movies (Disney's Tangled is her most favorite). It's amazing and very funny at times.

Anyway, there's pretty much something different each week...sometimes each day.

One week, it was "not nice, daddy (or mama)."

Two weeks ago, it was "Awesome!" anytime she saw something she liked (pronounced "awww-tum").

She knows she gets a piece of chocolate every time she uses the potty.  So whenever she's done, she says, "I potty! Chocket pease?"

One night last week, I read her a Cinderella book then put her in one of her Cinderella-printed nighttime pull-ups.  It just so happens that all of her daytime pull-ups are Cinderella-printed as well.  Anyway, the next morning, I pulled out another set of Cinderella pull-ups to put on her and she said (sarcastically), "Rella again???".  Yeah...it's the only print they carry at our commissary (for girls, at least).  She said it for a couple days, every time I put on a new set of Cinderella pull-ups.  I bought her a set of the boys Cars printed pull-ups yesterday. 

Everytime she sees the Olympics on TV, she says "Dun-dun" for London and "The Eye!" because she went on the ride during our trip and loved it.

Last night, she was shaking one of her toys and sang, "Shake shake shake; shake, shake, shake...booty!"  Because she's heard me sing it before.

Last night, she also started saying "Oh man!" every time she dropped something.

And this morning, she called me by my first name.  "Uh-chelle! Buh-bye!" she shouted at me from the living room (my first name is Michelle).  Ummm...no baby girl...it's mommy!  But it made me laugh.

Tell me it doesn't make you laugh!  She's a riot.

Love her to death.

Another ray of sunlight...Malu will be home on Saturday!!!  Yay!!

The Sunshine Project {Take 2}

I hope Kim and Summer don't mind me linking up a little late for this.  They normally do this on Thursdays--shame on me!   However, I didn't want miss the opportunity to shed some light on what brought sunshine into my life this week! 

First, we returned from our trip to London on Monday.  You guys, I can't even tell you just how much fun we had.  What an AMAZING city!  Although we were only there for 2 days (actually, less than that), we saw so much.  I definitely plan on sharing the details very soon!

Second, we literally had a lot of sunshine this week, in terms of the weather.  The only downside was having to be in the office most of the time instead of spending time out enjoying it.  Not to mention, there is no air conditioning in most of the office buildings (or in housing) and 80+ temps with your full uniform kinda stinks!

Third, on Thursday evening, Vaiosina and I went out to dinner with some friends to a restaurant called the Schnitzelhaus.  This place serves giant schnitzel--the kind that covers your entire plate!  Dee-licious

Fourth, today was Vaiosina's first time at a movie theater.  I'd been contemplating taking her to see several kids' movies over the course of the past few months, but always worried she wouldn't sit still through it or would make a fuss.  I think I need to give this little girl a bit more credit because she did great!  She saw Madagascar 3 today and loved it.  Stayed awake through the whole thing, enjoyed popcorn, and snuggled with me for a little bit of it.  What a blast!  Of course...Bear Bear's gotta tag along.  He loved it too :)  (Sorry about the blurry photo!)

Finally, thank goodness for Skype!  We got to chat with Malu today.  There's nothing sweeter than seeing your daughter kiss her daddy on the computer screen.  She even says "Muah!" when she kisses.  Too cute.  Less than a week and he'll be home!  So proud of all you do sweetheart!

Hope everyone's enjoying the weekend!

Bathtime Fun

Just having good, old fun in the bath tonight, although she doesn't really look it in this photo.  I swear...she was smiling just before and just after I took it!  I posted this on Facebook tonight and thought you guys would get a kick out of it.  Totally brings you back to the Little Rascals movie, doesn't it?  Oh, Alfalfa!

We're off to the United Kingdom in the morning folks.  London baby!

See you when we get back!

Easter 2012

This year, Sina was old enough to actually go out to do an Easter egg hunt.  She could have done it last year (although she wasn't quite walking yet), but we were late to the post-wide egg hunt and missed it all together.  Last year = mega-fail.  We were determined not to make the same mistake this year and actually made up for it!

The Easter bunny visited us twice on Easter morning!

After returning from our trip to Prague (which I'll blog about sometime this week), the adults (we spent the weekend with the Finch Family) stayed up until the wee hours of the morning stuffing zillions of plastic eggs for Sina and Madisen (their  4-year old daughter) to find first thing in the morning.  We also laid out their Easter baskets.

Imagine their surprise to find all kinds of eggs right in their rooms and all over the house when they woke up.  Sina went and grabbed the first egg she saw after I lifted her out of her crib.  As she grabbed the second and third egg, she said (still groggy from waking up) "more! more!".  When we went downstairs she loaded more eggs into one of her Easter baskets with her daddy's help.

I say one of her baskets because she actually had two--one my mom had sent her (this Hello Kitty one) and another one I'd purchased her and loaded with all of the goodies that my mom and Great-Grandma had mailed to her, as well as all the stuff I'd amassed for her.  You really can't tell here, but this basket was overloaded with candies, a stuffed bunny rabbit, Hello Kitty and Dora-shaped eggs, flashcard sets, books and stickers. 

Thanks so much to our families for everything.  I think it's safe to say that this girl is soooooo LOVED.

Madisen was nice enough to let Sina borrow a set of the butterfly wings she'd received that morning so that they could flutter about the house together.

The Finches had some friends over for an amazing brunch.  We had blueberry french toast casserole, a hash brown casserole, baked ham, deviled eggs, fruits, and other desserts.  Yum!

Sina actually managed to wear a dress that day, thanks to Mattie.  The weather forecast called for cold weather, so I didn't bother packing her a dress.  Mattie insisted that I put Sina in one of Madisen's old dresses just so she could blend in :) I really should put Sina in dresses more often because she was the cutest little thing.  I couldn't, however, get her to sit still in said dress to take pictures, but I did my best.  Here are a few pics of her, Madisen and Mackinley.

Sina and Madisen

Look at those big feet!

There's always time to read a book!

Figures that one of the cutest pics I have of her in the dress is in the kitchen.  I think she was looking for a snack :)

When she wasn't looking for a snack, she was playing with the magnets on the refrigerator.

Another favorite.  I should show this picture to people when the few of them try to tell me that Sina looks more like Malu than me.  Are they blind?  This photo screams mini-me!

Sorting some eggs.  We had to take those eggs and re-stuff them for later on.

Sina absolutely adores Mackinley (and babies in general).  It's so cute to see her get in their faces to say hi to them and then caress them so gently.  I'm so thankful that the folks at school taught her early on to handle babies with care.  This will definitely come in handy when she becomes a big sister...whenever that may be :)

Sina, Malu and Madisen, also known as the Scooby Doo Gang.  I can't remember who is what character when they play, but I think Malu is Fred.  I would have made him Scooby, but hey, it's not my game.

Sina and Daddy.

I hate that I didn't get a picture with her that day :(

After brunch, we went over to another house to do another Easter egg hunt.

There were five kids total, but enough eggs for fifteen.  Since it was cold out, the eggs were hidden indoors.  While the other kids (all were older than Sina) ran furiously around the house to pick up eggs, Sina was more preoccupied with the toys.  Malu and I simply scooped up five or six eggs for her and just let her be.

I'd say that all in all, Sina's first official Easter was a hit!

Thank you God for blessing us with so much, especially wonderful times with wonderful friends, and love and support from our families across the miles.  Thank you also for the gift of salvation through the death of your Son, Jesus Christ. 

He is Risen!  He is Risen indeed!

Happy 20 Months!

Vaiosina is 20 months old today.

**Tears**

This was her at the zoo last weekend.

We were at the same zoo this time last year.  She was 8 months then!

I can't believe how much she's grown!

We're going to celebrate by doing Easter up big in Prague!

We love you so much baby girl!

Hope everyone has a blessed weekend!



One Sweet Day

Malu returned after a month-long training event on Saturday afternoon.  Sina just about died when she saw him walk through the door.  I mean, she screamed as she ran to the door to greet him.  For the first few minutes, she wouldn't let him go.  She'd hug him, then look up to stare at his face repeatedly as if she didn't believe he was really here.  It was so precious.  We knew we didn't have much time to work with; just over a day, in fact.  He actually left yesterday for another TDY (business trip), so it's just me and the mini-me again this week.

However, Sunday with Malu/Daddy was a fantastic day!

The weather was absolutely perfect, so we spent a lot of time outside at the playground.  When Malu's around, I feel so much more at ease as far as Sina is concerned.  Up until that day, I was killing myself going up and down the slides with Sina because I didn't think she could do it on her own.  After all, she wanted to be on the "big kid" playground as opposed to the one nearby made especially for toddlers.  I mean, this playground is high up and the thought of her falling freaked me out.  But then Malu shows up and all that goes out the window.  He encourages me to let her try it on her own.  And you know what?  She's great at it.  He showed her how to climb the ladder on her own.  It totally freaked me out...but she did it!!!

We also spent some time shopping at the PX.  Sina kept pointing at our sunglasses curiously and I'd forgotten that she had a pair in her diaper bag.  I pulled them out and she put them on.  She loved them, whereas months ago, she didn't want anything to do with them.  She didn't even want to take them off when we got inside the PX.  Isn't the picture of Sina and Malu adorable?

After the PX, we went back to the playground before dinner.  After dinner, Sina and Malu did a little crafting and made caterpillars out of egg cartons.  It was quite messy, but tons of fun. 

So even though we had just a short amount of time together, I'd say it was time very well spent!

Lucky for us...Malu returns on Friday afternoon, so it won't be too much longer.  And we intend to do this weekend up big, as in a trip to the zoo!

Happy Tuesday to All!  Thank God this week is just whizzing by!

P.S.  I finished the Hunger Games and am on the second book now! 

Happy 19 Months to Vaiosina!

Our baby girl is 19 months old today!

What a complete and utter sweetheart she is!

Mommy and Daddy love you so much, baby girl.

A review of this past month will follow shortly!



What A {Love}ly Day!

Just thought I'd take a moment to tell you guys how great our Valentine's Day was yesterday!

First off, the night before, I made some heart-shaped, chocolate-covered rice crispy pops for Sina's teachers at school, and sent along some store-bought treats for her little friends at school.  I was inspired by a post on this awesome blog and received lots of positive feedback on how they turned out!

Looking back on my childhood, I can only remember getting Valentine's from friends at school when I was in the first grade.  I remember making a card box and then collecting cards from friends in class.  Sina's not even two, and is in a toddler room at daycare, and already received her first few official Valentines.  How cute is that?  She came home with lots of candy that mom and dad will have to eat!

I was feeling the love all day at work too.  I mean, it was raining Valentine's Day candy and treats all day long.  At work, I'm an Executive Officer to one of the primary staff officers for our Command.  Executive Officers are always dubbed "XO", so how cool was it when one of my senior officers dropped in with a basket of treats his wife made saying, "XO, what's with all these treats I have here with your name on it?"  Get it?  Tons of the treat bags were labeled "XOXO".  Yup, that's me, a bundle of hugs and kisses :)

We didn't have any big plans to go out for dinner.  We really just wanted to spend the night at home relaxing.  So, I whipped up a wonderful dinner for all of us.  Chicken Marsala....yummy!  Click here for the link to the recipe I used.  Since I couldn't find Marsala wine anywhere, I used some white wine I had at home.  I served it up with some sauteed brussel sprouts.  Dee-licious!

We all exchanged gifts during dinner, Sina included.  She received a teddy bear and a new movie (educational, of course).  I got Malu a Vitamix.  He'd been wanting a blender for a long time and I wanted something that would last for years.  Let's hope the Vitamix is exactly everything it's supposed to be, because it cost a pretty penny.  I have to admit that I've been wanting it too, so we can pretty much call it a joint V-Day gift.  I personally didn't want anything big for Valentine's Day seeing how the sewing machine I wanted so badly a few months ago is still in its box in our room and the fancy-do camera I got for Christmas has barely been used either.  Still, Malu got me the Breaking Dawn, Part I, movie that I wanted as well as some chocolates (hmmm....do you think we have enough chocolate to last us the next few months?).  The movie was the perfect close to a perfect evening.

After dinner tonight, I put the many cards received from friends and family from all over on top of one of our bookshelves in the living room.  It's a lot of cards!

We feel so blessed to love and to be loved.

Happy Wednesday Everyone!  Tomorrow is our Friday.  Another long weekend.  Woo hoo!!!

Giggles

Not sure what's funnier...Sina's giggling or Malu pretending to be a kangaroo.

Those giggles are enough to melt your heart.

Happy Friday everyone...it's officially the weekend here in Germany and ours is already off to a great start.  After a pretty good day at work, we all went to dinner in town, ate a very hearty meal (that will most likely last us the entire weekend--love leftovers!), and then came home and cuddled up to a pretty decent movie, called Abduction (starring Taylor Lautner).

We don't have anything lined up for the weekend, mostly because we're all still trying to fully recover from our illnesses (Malu won't admit it, but he's coming down with something too).  Plus, the weather's been kinda crappy lately.  People I work with told me this is the coldest it's ever been in years this particular winter.  I mean, we've experienced single-digit temperatures the last week.  I'm so ready for spring!

Anyway, it's getting really late, so I'm going to stop for now.  Good night all!

Happy Saturday!

~18 Months~

So I got sick AGAIN.  Same thing, only this time, I got sinusitis, which was what pretty much put me out.  I was so sick, I missed two days of work this week.  I spent so much time in the last couple days just trying to get some rest that blogging has just fallen to the wayside. 

Anyway....this post is not about me!  It's about Sina turning 18 months this week!  Can you guys believe it?

I'll probably save the details about this past month for another post.  Today, I thought I'd share pictures from Sina's 18 month well-baby appointment.  The last time Sina saw the doctor was at her one-year mark.  Since then, she'd visited the doctor twice for bronchitis...so, she knows the clinic very well.

Let's just say that Sina IS NOT a fan of the clinic...or the doctor (even though Dr. Simpson is as sweet as can be), whether or not shots are involved.

As soon as the nurse called her name to take her vitals, the tears started flowing.  I think I've said this before, but it was very reminiscent of visits to the vet (or Pet Smart) with our dog Lucy, who knew exactly where she was with one sniff, and usually bolted for the door immediately thereafter.

Good thing mommy daddy was there.  She latched onto him for dear life.  The nurse took her stats:

Weight - 25.2 lbs (63rd percentile)
Length - 32.9 in (81st percentile)
Head Circumference - 18.9 in (85th percentile)

See the change from her one year appointment!

She cried even harder when Dr. Simpson showed up with her stethoscope and really cold hands.  It was then that we found out that Sina has an infection in both ears that we're now treating with antibiotics.  Poor baby.  We didn't suspect a thing!  Aside from a cold that snuck up on her sometime last week, she'd been her usual, happy-go-lucky self.  I actually think I jinxed the poor girl because I had just raved to a friend about how she'd never had an ear infection and look what happened.  Next time, I'll keep my mouth shut!

Aside from that, she's on track in terms of her physical, mental, and social development and we couldn't be happier.  I guess we happen to be doing some things right :)

I'm looking forward to this weekend.  Hopefully, I'll be able to spend time updating this blog!

Happy Friday everyone!!!

~17 Months~

Sorry I've been out of the loop these past few days you guys.  It's been a busy few days and certain members of our household, myself included, have really been feeling under the weather.  I actually had to force myself to do this post, despite being tired, since I'm falling way behind!

This video was taken at our friend's house over the holidays.  They're fortunate enough to have a basement with a playroom, where Malu spent a lot of time playing with the kids (he's such a big kid at heart!).  Malu coached Sina into becoming a "monster" that he and "Scooby Doo" (our friend's daughter, Madisen) were trying to hide from.  She learned how to scare people!  She absolutely loved it, if you can't already tell.  A few times, I'd peek through the little window and could see Sina just waiting for the right time to come out and "scare" me.  Cutest little monster ever.  In a previous post, I mentioned that Sina does her "crazy eye" look, which you should have seen in this video clip as well.  These are just indicators of how bubbly her personality is. You can probably tell that she's growing like a weed, right?

Folks, our baby turned 17 months last week! 

I'm going to quickly run through some quick facts in the interest of time...since it's getting late and I have another long work day ahead of me.  Let me see just how much I can remember from her 16th month.

Stats: 

One more month and she'll be seeing the doctor for her 18 month appointment.  Thus, we don't have any good stats.   But remember me mentioning being sick?  Well, Sina's the other one who's been sick.  She'd been battling a chest cold for over a month and we finally decided to take her to see the doctor last week, who diagnosed her with bronchitis.  Poor thing. After a few days of antibiotics, she's sounding a lot better.  Anyway, Malu was there when they recorded her stats, but he forgot to write them down.  He remembered, however, that she weighed in at 25 lbs! 

She is wearing size 5 diapers and clothes in sizes 18-24 months are starting to get a little snug.  Some of the clothes my mom sent her in size 3T fit, although sleeves are still too long in said size.  A huge disappointment--I bought a lot of clothes from Carter's in size 24 months for Christmas.  After one washing, they're already snug.  So note to self when buying from Carter's--buy two sizes too big!  Shoes?  She's wearing size 5 or 6, depending on the brand.

Words/Communication:

Her vocabulary continues to grow by the day.

(Old Words/Phrases):

I'm already missing Christmas because she'd get so excited every time she saw our Christmas tree.  Luckily, there are still lighted Christmas trees throughout the installations around here, so we'll get to hear her say "Tee-tis-tee" for Christmas tree until someone decides to take them down.

"Ho ho ho" was also said every time she saw Santa Claus

"Thank You" or "Tee tee", everytime she's given something.  She loves hearing "You're Welcome" in reply

She's been saying "More" for months now too, only she says it "Mo-yee"  

"Hot" is "Dot" and when she's cold, she signs it.

"Purple" is "Bopple", so is "Apple"

(New Words)

She says "Mine"

One time after dinner, she said, "I finsh", when she was done

"Door"

"Raisin" is "Ree-see"

"Snack" is "Knack"

Food: 

This is the first month we'd ever seen her start to get picky with food.  A few times, she refused to eat chicken, rice cereal, applesauce and some other foods that I can't remember at the moment, but know that she previously loved.  Malu and I just remember it catching us by surprise.  She now eats the sweet parts of her meals first and then afterwards decides if she's willing to eat the rest.  The sweet parts of her meals are fruits--bananas, grapes, apples, and peaches.  At least her sweet treats are healthy!

She loves to snack, mostly on her raisins, baked mini Goldfish crackers, string cheese and fruits.  However, we have to hide her snack cup because every time she sees it, no matter if she just had a snack moments ago, she'll cry like crazy for it.

Naps/Sleeping:

She still takes her one afternoon nap, on schedule, for 1-2 hours.  She's had a rough time falling asleep at night the last few weeks, but we attribute that to her bronchitis and teething (oh, and us trying to wean her off her binky at night).

Firsts:

This past month is the first time we'd seen her react adversely to teething, especially last week.  The last of her canines are currently cutting through and it's made it difficult for her to fall asleep at night.  Anbesol and Tylenol have helped a little bit the last few days.

We made a first attempt to wean her off her binky.  She doesn't use it during the day while at school (it's not permitted), but she would use it during the day (on weekends) and then at night.  After a little over a week without it, we caved.  We hit a breaking point one evening when she decided she was not going to fall asleep until about 2 a.m., pretty much kicking and screaming the entire time.  Fail.  She gets it only at bedtime now, but we'll be making another attempt soon.

This past month, Sina visited Christmas Markets for the first time.

First (and hopefully the last) time getting bronchitis.

Yesterday, Sina let me know that she had gone to the potty in her diaper.  I see potty training commencing in the very near future!

Others:

Oh my goodness, this girl is so cute and playful and clearly loves to entertain.  She'll spend a good amount of time showing Grandma Ruby and Grandpa Mati how to do the "itsy bitsy spider", how she dances and says certain words.  She also showcases her array of funny faces, including the "crazy eye" and her new Macauley-Culkin-on-Home-Alone "surprised" look.  Skype is a wonderful thing!


She loves to hang out with me in the kitchen and I'll bring out pots and pans for her to play with.


She's become somewhat of a exhibitionist.  She likes to take her pants off and has, on occasion, unfastened her diaper.

We continue to reinforce good habits, like being polite, i.e. saying "please" and "thank you", or at a minimum, signing both.  And then trying to break bad habits...she likes to touch faces, but sometimes too hard, like she's almost slapping.  It hurts!  She also gets defiant and does things even though you tell her not too, like running along our sectional.  No bueno.

She still insists on doing everything on her own and instead of asking for help, gets frustrated when she can't do something.  Like yesterday, she was crying, almost screaming, about the fact that she couldn't get a cap on a bottle, or another day when she couldn't open a cabinet door.  That's when being independent gets messy.  On the other hand, I like how when we enter the house, she instantly starts unzipping her jacket, takes it off and hands it to me so that I can put it in the closet.  I like how she brushes her own teeth, combs her own hair from time to time; how she likes to pick her own outfits and sometimes puts her own lotion on her hands and arms.  Miss Independent for sure.

When she's awake, we never get a break.  This girl is active.  My friend, Mattie, commented that she didn't think her daughter was this active at Sina's age. I didn't know whether to be pleased or petrified.  If she's active at this age, what's she going to be like at two?  We're constantly looking for things to keep her occupied.  She loves drawing, reading, music, playing outside (when the weather's decent), and she's quite handy with the apps on my Nook Color and now my iPhone.  Needless to say, this girl keeps us on our toes all day long...it's exhausting.

Tacking on to the active piece...she can climb stairs like no other.  I think I'll be having permanent back problems because of it!

Anyway, the 1.5 mark is just around the corner and she'll most likely be moving to the toddler room next month :(

Sina...we can't think of anything or anyone that brings us more happiness than you.  We love you so very much!

Thank goodness it's a short week for us--training holiday on Friday.  We'll be joining our friends, the Finches, again for a weekend in Garmisch.  There will be skiing involved, which means SNOW!  Can't wait!

New Toys!

Sina got some really cool toys this year for Christmas.  Thanks so much to our families from all over who continue to spoil our little girl!  Actually, the mail is catching up at our consolidated mail room on post, so more packages (as well as Christmas cards) continue to pour in.  We feel so loved!

Anyway, I took a few pics/videos of some of the toys Sina is totally diggin'!

The first...a cool Disney Princess ball tent from her godparents, Charisse & Jacques, and their little boys, Joshua & Justin...

After Malu set it up in her room, he called her in.  Her reaction was priceless.  I mean, I'd never heard her squeal so loud!  I didn't catch the squeal, but I got this video clip.  Sina's new thing is to yell "Ah la la, Ah la la!" when she's really excited about something.  Translation--"I love it, I love it!" or "I love you, I love you!," when she's excited about someone.  It's so adorable.

The second...a piano mat from my sister, Rosalynn.  Noisemakers are always a winner!

Got a cute video clip of this as well.

We haven't opened a few other toys she received because, frankly, we have no room!

Not sure everyone heard, but yesterday, we found out that Sina has bronchitis, although you wouldn't know it because she's still carrying on around the house as seen in these video clips!  Please pray that she gets better soon though!