Zia: her 15th, 16th and 17th months

I really, really wish I was doing better at keeping up the blog. Babies change so damn fast. And P says the greatest things these days. But by the time we all turn the lights out, scanning emails or posting pics on Instagram is about all I'm in the mood for most nights. Any extra energy some night? Well, that goes to reading about blueberry bushes for the backyard or how to build a sandbox or finding a new recipe for our crazy diets... (Long story short, Daddy, you might wanna get the Instagram app to get through the next few months, but I'll do my best ;)

So her 15th, 16th and this, her 17th month. How to sum? Z is huge. Seriously. Last night Superman said she seems a lot bigger than one and a half and I so agree. There was a period a few months ago, at about 15 months, where there was Lots of Shrieking. She had ideas, but getting us to implement them, well ;). But her language has exploded and she is making herself pretty clear these days. And she appears to understand absolutely everything we say. *And* she has already learned the power of a well placed "please." Especially *her* pleases. Omg. She spans about 5 octaves as she says the word, ending in the most impish grin imaginable. Even P is putty.

That and the power of the "wink." She fell head over heels in love with her cousin in Florida. Yah, he's in his twenties ;). And while I applaud her first choice, I was equally appalled that she was so smitten so young. (P has yet to really get a good crush going.). She would just gaze at Josh, or follow him, or sit on his lap, or wink at him. It's a double eye wink, something she picked up from Gramps (who actually manages a normal, single eye wink;) that she then started using on Josh. She has asked for him every day since we've returned to Oregon (having made up a sign for him;). She signs him and horses and love and bye bye and car and airplane and there are lots of words mixed into this story of longing.... And then she repeats the whole thing again.

But that sums her up, really. She is a communicator. A serious storyteller. I've teased Superman for years that I need an external processor in my daily life and, well, I got one. She is STILL telling the story of how she broke the window upstairs. If she falls down, she reenacts the trauma, looking at her listener and jabbering away, telling exactly what happened, fake cries and facial expressions and all. She also reads body language really well. Something my resident males seriously fail at ;). And she eavesdrops. Just because she looks busy stacking those blocks in no way means she isn't listening to Everything you are saying. And will then suddenly pop up and interrupt excitedly to add to the conversation. With the boys? If I don't have eye contact and they are already doing anything, I can safely assume they can't/won't/don't hear a word I'm saying :)

Sooo, I'm trying to think of favorites at this age.... Bananas. Avocado. Bacon. Ohhhh she loves bacon. You should see her face when she sees bacon. Meat (and fruit) in general is a fave for her, but bacon, it holds a special spot in her hot hands and heart. Honey. She got a taste and thinks it is Amazing :) And ICE. She is positively obsessed with ice. In fact, she became so obsessed with it in Florida (where there was an - omg, Zia! - ice making machine!!!;) that I thought she'd lost it and gone all OCD on me. Seriously, she was waking in the middle of the night, screaming for it. Begging for it alllll day. Um, no, total idiot of a Mama. No OCD, she was just getting a bunch of molars and so smart that she was self medicating.

What else.... Dancing. Music. The stuff calms her soul so fast it's silly. With P, all ills required nursing. Emotional, physical, just out of sorts, the kid had to nurse. Z does not. But she does need movement. If basic bouncing/dancing doesn't do it, I start singing a song and she will Instantly lay her head down on my shoulder and stop sobbing. Sometimes I can get her to go to sleep at night by singing rather than nursing, too. Mind boggling to me :)

And she loves people. I've mentioned it before, but I'm still so surprised at the total difference that I'll blather again, she is suuuuuch a people person compared to P as a baby. (Are the constant comparisons getting old yet? Too bad - I find them fascinating and, obviously, can't say any of it out loud;) When Superman comes in the door at night she ruuuuuns through the house crooning this throaty "Paaaaaapaaaaaaaaa!!" and flings herself at him. She was (mostly) fabulous heading out the door with my folks in Florida, going for gator rides or walks to the horses. Despite having seen not nearly enough of my brothers in her short life, she was thrilled to be held by her Uncles, diving into their arms. And she happily warmed right up to her Aunt Maria, perching on her lap our last night, full of smiles. (I can't wait for the Schultz onslaught this summer. She will be in heaven with all of the visitors.) She is still obsessed with her Aunt and Uncle and baby Cousin next door - and last, but not least, her brother.

This has been the biggest area of growth in the last three months. She has gotten bigger, stronger, more balanced and more verbal so that she can now run with the big boy. And this makes them both So Happy. Usually ;). Their games are getting more two sided (think wrestling matches), rather than just P entertaining her. And so his appreciation for her grows, and thus his want to play with her and its just a lovely circle to watch. Usually ;). The new thing in her 17th month has been following her brother's instructions. A game Phoenix finds endlessly fabulous and that I have to sometimes walk away from :).

For example. "Zia, Zia, say 'Diiiiiiiiieeeeee! And run after me." So she grins hugely, screams Die and runs, chasing him while he giggles and shrieks and skitters through the house. This, this will go over so well on the playground when she sees some unsuspecting little first born toddler and scares the ever loving patooey out of him.

So we (P and I) occasionally chat about what seeds are helpful to plant, and what seeds are Not.

She is getting so competent and helpful, too. I use the word helpful in a loose way, here, but really, she loves to "help." To help get her self dressed, with her shirt on backwards and her pants on the same leg. She loves to take her nap-time diaper off and put it in the laundry room. And then she typically helps by pressing the buttons on the washing machine while she is back there, leading me to find stalled loads later that day... She loves to help clean the floor, spilling her sippy all over and then grabbing whatever fabric she can find, maybe even my sweater, to wipe it up. She loves to help take clothes out of the closet when she sees me organizing and create her own methodology that Should Not Be Interrupted or Changed. She likes to help weed the garden, occasionally including the beets. Well, you get the idea. She watches us work and mimics her heart out :). I find it unbearably precious. She tries So Damn Hard. Phoenix was consistently frustrated with these well intended mistranslations of life for a while, angrily correcting her, but he's starting to chuckle at it these days, too.

Because its hard not to. In fact, the other day he was telling her how frustrated he was with her, using words she doesn't know yet, ahem, and when he finished his frustrated sentence she beamed the biggest grin at him... and told him she loves him.

Obviously, he forgot he was mad :)

And that brings me to my last updatey thing for these three months. She is unbelievably full of hugs and kisses and love. Hearing her sweet little voice say "I love you" kiiiiills me.

Oh. And zippers. That's the big thing this week. She Loves Zippers. Maybe it's good I only update occasionally so that we are saved such banalities ;)