Due to scheduling conflicts, Evie's 15 month check-up got pushed back to yesterday. Even though she's closer to sixteen months now, I still want to make note of her stats. Her growth is slowing down, which Dr. Stone said is perfectly normal for her age. She weighs 25 pounds, 2 ounces (80th percentile) is 31 inches long (70th percentile) and her [huge] head circumference is 18 and 3/4 inches (90th percentile). He said she looks great and is growing and developing right on track. I asked about her lack of talking, and he assured me that she is perfectly normal, if not even above average with all her "means" of communication. Side note: she has recently started saying "bye," but she says "die" instead, in a sweet little sing-song voice, thick with southern accent. It's the cutest death wish you'll ever get! :)
Dr. Stone was also proud of us for trying to stick to the 1000 year rule with Evie's diet (although we do make some exceptions!). I told him about what a picky eater she is, but he said to not give in and just keep trying her on things. Just the reassurance I needed. I feel pretty strongly about keeping Evie's diet free of lots of added sugar, preservatives and hormones. It's not easy, especially since I don't have the best eating habits myself, but I'm committed to trying my best to keep the food in our house as healthy and organic as possible. There, maybe putting it down in writing will add some extra accountability. :) On that note, and since I can't have a post without any pictures, here are some of Evie in her high chair.
This was the first time she ate eggs and french toast (May 19). I was so excited, I had to take a picture. I tried many many times before to get her to eat scrambled eggs! Now they are a breakfast favorite. Organic eggs (sometimes organic egg whites only) and whole wheat bread of course! :)
The first and hopefully last time Evie fell asleep in her high chair at dinner (June 5). Needless to say, she had not napped well that day at school. And it must not have been a very exciting meal. :)
Eating another breakfast staple this morning: organic whole wheat cheese toast and fruit.
All Done!
Let me down, please!
PS How cute is that pony tail with side swept bang?!
Now, when I get out the camera, Evie comes barreling toward me. She loves to look at herself on the screen, and she doesn't realize I have to take her picture first! She thinks it's pretty funny.
It's officially summer! And although Alabama summers are notoriously hot and steamy, we're still trying to spend as much time outside as we can. Ever since Evie discovered grass (and her repulsion thereto), I've had it in in the back of my head that I might have my work cut out for me in getting her to enjoy being outdoors. And our Spring Break beach trip, where Evie refused to touch the sand or get in the water, didn't make me feel much better about it.
Slowly but surely, Evie is coming around. She still won't put her bare feet in the grass, but she will walk on it with shoes on. And I've gradually gotten her to love our rock bed in the back yard. When I first introduced her to it months ago, she didn't want any part of it. Then she wanted me to hold her in my lap while I picked up some rocks for her to inspect. This quickly turned into a game of her pretending to eat each rock she inspected and me dramatically exclaiming, "no don't eat it!" Soon after that, she was grabbing the rocks herself, and then one day she decided it would be fine for her bare feet to touch the rocks. I would hold her hand while she bent down to pick up the rocks that she wanted to look at. And now she will sit in the rock bed all by herself, and she loves it.
And you already know she likes the pool, as long as you get all the way in with her. She also likes her sand box/water table. She really had to warm up to the sand! Like the rocks, for a while she only wanted to watch me sift it and rake it. But now she likes to do it herself. And she loves to get rocks from the rock bed and bury them in the sand. It is very exciting when we later dig one up!
And last but not least, she loves, loves , LOVES her swing. This is one thing she did NOT need to warm up to, and she has loved it since the day we hung it up (her birthday).
Evie is officially a toddler! Wednesday, June 6 was the turning point. That was the day Evie decided to start walking on her own, and she hasn't looked back. Don't forget, she took her first steps back in April, but she has been abundantly hesitant in making a practice of it. I'm not exactly sure what happened on Wednesday, other than the fact that her friend at school, Judd, had just learned to walk. Her friend, Joseph, however, has been walking for a couple months, and that hasn't seemed to phase her. Who knows! That child undoubtedly has a mind of her own.
She's still not really talking, further evidence of her stubborness, in my opinion. She calls everything "dat," but she does say "nah" for no and she knows the cow says, "moo" (although she refuses to do this one on command). She also says, "uck-uck-uck" for truck. She's a great non-verbal communicator. She says "please" in sign language, along with "all done." She nods and shakes her head appropriately, and she puts her hands up in the air for "I don't know." She also points to things when asked, and does the "come here" motion with her hand when calling someone (whether they're looking at her or not).
Of course, we think she's the cutest thing ever. It's hard to explain the feeling I get watching her toddle around. It makes me so overwhelmingly and irrationally proud!! Evie definitely has her moments, but she absolutely fills my heart with joy. I'm so thankful God let me be her mommy.
