Lovelies in my Life : The Butterfly at 15 Months

So much is changing and so quickly. This little butterfly is a toddler now and she's gone from baby to big girl in the last 2 months. We're sleeping through the night more regularly and nursing much less (the plan with that is to sort of go with the flow, as I've always done, but I'm thinking at this rate she'll have weaned come 18 months). And she loves to eat big food with us, like dipping her chips in the salsa to mimic everyone else. A messy, messy process. And tacos with spicy meat, fries with ketchup, cereal with milk, sandwiches with all the fixings. Just no apple sauce or anything resembling baby food mom! So disgusting. :)

She loves to read with me and we've figured out the grab a book and back up my little bum into someone's lap. And she listens patiently, whereas the boys gave me alternate versions of turning the pages before I could say the 2nd word or closing the book 4 pages in and moving on to the next. Scarlet likes to read through one and then get another and we'll read for what seems like ages. She loves those Babylit books by Jennifer Adams, all the sweet classics and with the coolest illustrations. We have Romeo and Juliet, Wuthering Heights, Alice in Wonderland and Pride and Prejudice. They really are fantastic mamas! Check them out. On this occasion we were reading her fairy book, as we really have to do our part to keep educated on all fairy creatures roaming about our gardens.

We're thinking about transitioning to one nap thought haven't altogether mastered that yet. At the moment it's one long one and a power nap come 4pm. But it's leaving us with an energetic party animal at 8pm and by party animal I mean, tiny human jumping on my bed and laughing giddily with her brothers, like we're hours away from bedtime rather than late to it.

She's added a few new words to her repertoire like ball and juice, though refuses to call "duppy" by name but prefers to use only her squeak (and point) where duppy is concerned. And she loves to play with tiny toys, the kind that she's not supposed to touch on account of her choking on them. Like the houses from our Monopoly board game, or the Angry Birds from Parker's set, or the Hello Kitty figurines at grandma's house. The more miniature the better. And she wants to hold them all at the same time till her hands are stuffed full, and if one should make the unfortunate decision to fall, she'll be very mad at it! She's also climbing up and down stairs now and on all furniture, high or low, with a very agile swoop off to the ground. No more messy falling. We're a ballerina in training and life is now about being graceful and elegant thank you very, very much.

And last but not least, she LOVES the trampoline. We go out each afternoon, with or without brothers, and we play our "Hot Summer Hits 2014" playlist. And if the boys are there we sit on the edge and watch them take turns doing flip after ninja flip. And if they're not there, then she'll run across the trampoline to the other side with a huge grin on her face. And then turn around and run back to me, sometimes with a humongous fall and other times not. It's the bounce and the toddler run plus that drooling smile that's just so amazing. We both belly laugh but for very different reasons. Scarlet, cause it's so much stinking fun being buoyant and free, and me, cause it's so funny to see her … buoyant and free … and so chuffed with herself. As if she is the only one on the planet who can do that and in fact, is even the owner of that wondrous trampoline and that iPhone playing her favorite song and that entire yard and also, this mama. It's all hers you guys, all hers.