Thursday, April 28, 2011

15 Months Old

Once again, I'm late posting an update on Shaylin.  I think I'll save the next one when she turns 18 months.

- Shaylin's vocabulary continues to improve.  Other than the words she was saying last month, she also says ball, duck, hi, hey, bye or bye-bye, Minnie, Elmo, baby, & book.  Best of all, she's saying momma finally!  And she says it a lot!  It might get annoying in the future but right now I can't imagine it would considering how long I've been waiting to hear it.  And this would be longer than just 15 months.

- She walks like a pro.  She tries to run but it's a short distance & then she falls.  She also does this cute little stomping action.

- Her dancing skills are improving.  She still does her booty bounce but also sways side to side or twists.

- She knows the sounds that a dog, cat, & duck make.

- She recently rediscovered her bouncy seat & loves to just lay in it or she'll get on her knees & bounce in it.

- Sleep is wonderful now.  I think we finally made it!  She takes one nap a day, going down by 1:30 or 2:00 & sleeps at least 2 1/2 hours but sometimes as much as 3 hours.  Bedtime is at 8:00 & she sleeps till at least 8am.

- At her 15 month checkup on Monday Shaylin weighed exactly 20 lbs. & was 30" tall.  Her height is still in the 50th percentile & her weight has bumped her back up to the 10th percentile.

- We recently switched her to a convertible carseat & installed it front-facing, mostly because we had difficulty making it feel secure while rear-facing.  However, I am considering trying the rear-facing again if we can get it to work.  This will be for a future post.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

My Easter Dilemma

Surprise!  A blog post from me!  I really want to blog more often.  I just get so busy or have nothing interesting to blog about. 

Easter Sunday is coming in just a few days.  Some prefer to call it Resurrection Sunday.  To each, his own.  Whichever you call it, it's the day we celebrate the resurrection of Christ.  There are also bunnies & egg hiding involved but there's no connection.  Nothing against it necessarily.  It's just the truth.  They have nothing to do with Christ.

It's very important to me & Jeremy that we teach Shaylin what this day is about.  We don't want her to think it's about a bunny or eggs.

Last year we didn't give her an Easter basket.  But she was only 3 months old so we didn't see the point.  We did get her a new dress.  Any excuse to get a little girl a new dress!

But now she's older.  She still doesn't grasp the concept of this time of year.  She doesn't know who Jesus is or what He did for her.  She does have another new dress, one that's much more frilly than last year's.  And today I'll look for new shoes to wear with it.

But then there's the rest of the tradition.  Do we do the basket & eggs & give her a stuffed bunny or baby chick? 

At one time, long before Shaylin came along, we had considered not telling our children about Santa.  We weren't switching the letters around to spell "Satan" or thinking Santa is evil.  Our fear (at that time) was that we'd be lying to our children.  We thought, if our children learn that we lied for years about a fat guy that gives presents, how would they believe us when we tell them about Jesus?  We finally decided that we wouldn't deny that part of Shaylin's childhood.  If she believes in Santa then so be it.  We just won't put more emphasis on Santa.  And when she's older & learns that there isn't a Santa Claus I don't think she's going to hate us & lose all trust in us.  Afterall, if she comes to a saving knowledge of Christ, it will have nothing to do with anything we ever say to her.  It will all be because of the grace & power of God.

But Easter just seems different.  Maybe it's because the idea of a rabbit (I imagine a giant one, like what you'll see at the mall) hopping around leaving baskets full of candy, toys, & that annoying "grass" just seems silly.  But I want those traditional pictures of my children dressed up holding their Easter baskets.  And I want to paint eggs with them.  Maybe even hide them.  But all just for fun.

So I'm torn.  Right now we probably still won't do anything this year since Shaylin wouldn't be eating any candy anyway.  But she's growing up & at some point we have to make a decision.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Kaylee

Kaylee is our first dog together.  We got her on Labor Day weekend in 2005.  Initially we were looking for a bassett hound.  But the cost for most bassetts is pretty high & we were about to buy a house.  So Jeremy was looking in the newspaper & found an ad for a Great Pyrenees/Anatolian Shepherd mix & for only $70.  I knew nothing of either breed but when I saw her I fell in love with her big white paws. 

Kaylee was the ideal dog for a first time dog owner like me.  Jeremy grew up with dogs.  My brother had a dog but I never left like Max was my dog.  House training was a breeze with her!  We can only assume it's because her first 10 weeks of life were solely outside so grass was all she knew.

When we first got Kaylee she weighed around 25 lbs.  We think she's around 100 lbs. now.  We haven't weighed her in quite a while because it's just too hard to pick up a dog that big.

The main reason I'm blogging about Kaylee is how she knows when I need her.  She's not a needy dog.  Being a herding breed she prefers being on her own.  But there are times when she will come & lay by me.

Almost 4 years ago we learned that we lost our first baby.  That day was one of the darkest days of my life.  I hurt badly.  And that night when we went to bed Kaylee didn't lay on her mat on Jeremy's side of the bed like she always does.  She laid on my side of the bed.  And she stayed there the entire night.  She knew something was wrong & it was her way of "helping" me.

And again last week she did it again.  There was a medical scare with my mom.  Naturally I was worried.  And as I sat on the couch holding Shaylin before putting her to bed Kaylee came & laid at the foot of the couch.

Kaylee certainly isn't perfect.  The shedding that goes on all year long & her constant barking at everything in the neighborhood are her biggest flaws.  But those rare moments of her comforting me make up for it.

Early Potty Training?

The other night while giving Shaylin a bath she was standing (she stands more than sits in the tub) & she started grunting.  I know that grunt.  I know what comes with it.

In Shaylin's 14 months of life so far she's only pooped in the tub twice.  The second time was definitely the funny one because she was sharing a bath with her friend Piper.  It made a quick end of their bath time fun.

Back to Thursday night . . . I had to act fast.  Jeremy was at work so I was on my own.  So I picked Shaylin out of the tub & sat her on the toilet.  She wasn't real sure what I was doing.  I just told her to go ahead & do it.  And sure enough she did!  My 14 month old pooped in the toilet!

Yes, I know it's normally a gross topic but this is always an exciting time for every parent, right?

I was just so excited that my idea worked.  Does this mean I'll explore early potty training now?  I don't know about that.  But it does get me hopeful that when we do start potty training that Shaylin will catch on quickly.