Ariah--15 Months

So when I started stroller strides last year I met a group of moms that had 15 month olds. At the time those kids looked like big kids. And now here I am with a 15 month old of my own. And my perceptions were all wrong--she's still my baby, not a big kid. But she continues to change every day! We go in for her 15 month check up next week and I have my fingers crossed that we've hit the 20 lb mark so I can turn her car seat to face forward in the car!

Her vocabulary continues to grow each day. Some new words she's picked up this month include belly, shoe, duck, and no. She's very fond of using the dreaded 'n' word! She makes sure to tell the animals what they are not allowed to do (according to her 15 month old mind) by shaking her finger and saying no-no-no-no at them! It is quite cute, I'll have to work on getting it on video.

She just got another tooth this week, and it looks like the last 3 (besides her 2 year molars) are on their way down too. YAY! Almost done.

She started her gym classes at the Little Gym this month and absolutely loves them. She climbs over everything, swings on the bar, and can walk the balance beam with my help. One downside...I think it is contributing to her desire to climb up everything now! We were at a friend's house the other day and I looked over and Ariah had climbed right onto their glass coffee table! The little squirt.

Every day is a new adventure!

Happy Father's Day!

I realized how blessed we are in the "dad" department when I went to buy our Father's day cards this year. There were so many people to buy for! With Ben, our dads, our 3 grandpas, my Godfather, and Ariah's godfather...there were quite a few cards in the cart! Very special!

Our Father's Day was wonderful! We are so lucky to have our amazing daddy's so close that we were able to spend time with both. We celebrated with the Reeves in the morning over brunch and then had dinner at my parents house in the evening. Ben picked out some new shades for Father's Day and of course got treated like a king...he didn't even have to change one diaper (okay, so that's not really much different than normal) but he had a great day! We love all the dads, grandpas, and godfathers in our life!!

Ariah--14 Months

It has been another exciting month for little Miss Ariah. All four of her molars came in, which she wasn't too thrilled about! Hopefully we're done teething for a bit since we've worked through 6 new teeth in the last month and a half.

She's still enjoying swim lessons, but I think we're going to stop for a while and work on everything we've learned on our own. She has gotten really good at kicking, holding on to the wall, and swimming to the wall and grabbing on. She doesn't like floating on her back all that much, but we're still going to practice since it is so important!

Since we're stopping swim for a while, we are going to try out the Little Gym. Knowing how much she loves to climb, I think she'll have a great time!

She is getting very good at the words she already knows and has been working on some new words/sounds this past month. She's now saying "uh oh", "all done", "push" (for the swing...although most people wouldn't be able to decipher this one :-), and my parents noticed yesterday that she's starting to say her name. It sounds like she's trying to sing it...with all three syllables very clear. I've never noticed her doing this, but we've already heard her say it twice now since my mom mentioned it last night! Amazing!

She's very in to playing outside these days, despite the heat. She loves to play in the dirt, water the flowers, move rocks around, swing, play in any water she can find, chase the cat, anything she can find to do outside!

Another change this month is her attachment to Blankie. She's always been very attached to Blankie, and it comes with us everywhere. But these days we can't go more than 10 minutes before she does her sign for "where's Blankie?" I don't mind having Blankie around all of the time, but it gets a little tricky when Blankie needs a wash or when we are somewhere (like in the pool) where Blankie can't come!

Here are some cute pictures from the month. She had a blast looking at herself in the mirror with sunglasses on!

May Weddings

This past month brought two more fabulous weddings. Lindsey Palmer married Dylan Miller on May 2 and Betsy Lawson married Derick Kurdy on May 23rd. Both weddings were absolutely beautiful and tons of fun! It's always so much fun to see old friends at weddings that you haven't seen in years.
Our next weddings are in October...can't wait!

Betsy Lawson and Derick Kurdy

Lindsey Palmer and Dylan Miller

Ariah--13 Months

This month didn't start out all that well, but it got remarkably better :-) Ariah was sick for a week or so with a stomach bug, and not very pleasant (I can't say I blame her as Ben and I both got it too and it wasn't much fun.) Then I took her bottles and formula away, which she didn't like all that much, then she got two new teeth! That's a lot for a baby in a couple of weeks! But things worked themselves out toward the end of the month, and she's a much happier baby now! She's eating all sorts of new food (since she's forced to eat, rather than rely on formula!) She hasn't really taken to whole milk yet, but I think that'll come eventually.

She is communicating more and more every day! She has several new words this month. She learned "up" rather quickly when she was sick because all she wanted was to be held :-) (It comes out more like "ut", but she's been working really hard at that 'p'!) She also started saying "more" but that one comes out "mo mo mo". It's really cute! She is also saying "hi" and "bye bye" more. But she's still selective about who she gives those to. She was happy to say "hi" to all of the animals at Petsmart the other day, but wouldn't give the cashier the time of day. Daddy consistently gets a "bye bye" on his way out the door now!

It is amazing watching how much she actually understands now. When I say "let's feed the doggies" she will go and pick up Copper's dish and bring it in to have me fill up. Everyday is something new!

This month also brought her first airplane ride to Virginia. She did pretty well considering we flew for about 5 hours. We bought her a seat and were SO glad we did, as you know she is quite a wiggle worm. I was so worried about the whole trip, but it all turned out great!

Here are some pictures from the month....

'Tis the season...for weddings

We have come to the point in our lives where all of our friends are getting married...so brings a year of six weddings. (I know I know, Ben and I are a little off schedule :-)

I absolutely LOVE weddings. The pure joy and love that surrounds the celebration can not be matched.
In the last couple of weekends we have had the honor of attending two weddings. The first, which was a friend of Ben's from high school, was in San Diego, CA. The second was a close friend from law school and was back in Charlottesville, VA. It was so fun traveling to both weddings and seeing old friends. Back in Virginia, I got to visit my old school and see my students and colleagues. It was wonderful seeing everyone and introducing them to Ariah! We also got to see a bunch of our old law school friends.
We had a blast at both weddings--they were so beautiful! Our next two weddings are in May and we can't wait!!

Pam Bishop and Matt Adwell

Scott Dorfman and Leigh Schottinger

Ariah--ONE YEAR OLD!

Ariah's First Birthday--she loved the cake

So Ben and I officially survived the first year of parenthood. What an amazing, fast year it has been. We have had so much fun watching Ariah grow and change each and every day. We're looking forward to another fabulous year of firsts!

Ariah has become quite the walker in the past month (in fact, I think she is trying to run now :-) I was a bit nervous about having a mobile child, but it is actually quite fun. We can do so many new things now. She loves playing outside and going to the park. She climbs up the steps and loves the slide. Although I think the swings are her favorite. She got a sandbox for her birthday and could spend all day scooping the sand out and filling up all her buckets. We also started swim lessons, and she is definitely a fan of the water. She kicks her little legs as fast as they'll go. She doesn't mind going underwater, but mostly just likes to splash and kick.

She is picking up new "tricks" by the day :-) One of my favorites is blowing kisses. She gets her hand to her mouth, but doesn't follow through yet! She will say "Hi" and "Bye Bye" occasionally, but not consistently. Every day is a new adventure!