18 Months: Lots to Say

“The way we communicate with others and with ourselves ultimately determines the quality of our lives” - Anthony Robbins

A rare, quiet, still moment in the life of this 18 month old

Fiona is now 18 months old and has A LOT to say!  Her language skills have grown exponentially over the last month.  She now accurately uses more than 20 words - with new ones magically coming out of her mouth every day.  Our gal continues to grow physically too - she's now in the 85% for weight and 90% for height.   We were proud to get a parenting gold star at her 18 month check-up.

Other notes from this month:

• Fiona's current favorite song is the ABCs.  She asks for it by name, saying "AaaaBeee, mama".
• Dancing has become a new, super-fun activity.  Fi readily stomps her feet, claps her hands, twirls , and makes a toddler-style fist pump whenever music starts playing.
• Is teething ever going to be over?  She's currently working on all 4 canine teeth at once.  Ugh.
• Fiona is now the loving mommy of her first babydoll. She loves this little thing -- and occasionally smothers it with her deep affection.



Swinging at Trinity Park with Daddy



Dancing in the kitchen while wearing ALL of my "bracelets"





Because, really, what outfit is complete without my trike helmet and purse?

Fiona with her baby



Snow Days

"Nearly all the best things that came to me in life have been unexpected, unplanned by me.” - Carl Sandburg

With three snow/ ice events already under our belts here in central North Carolina, we're learning to expect the unexpected!  This week, we enjoyed two and a half snow days -- somewhat tricky given the working parent / closed -preschool shuffle, but ultimately wonderful gifts of extra playtime with our girl. 

Planning snow day activities for a young toddler requires a bit of creativity!  This week we cooked together (we loved these yummy, healthy oatmeal cranberry cookies -- and Fi did a GREAT job standing on a chair next me, monitoring her spice jar & measuring cup!), visited our favorite museum's sanity-saving indoor playground (a Daddy-Daughter date while I attempted to get some work done), created lots of art, and eventually ventured outside:


Little Picasso

Showing Daddy what we made while perfecting her detached, artist look

Family Love



Decided to turn Fiona's obsession with babies into a snow day collage...which she promptly ripped to shreds two minutes after completing it!



After a long, icy walk through our neighborhood, Fiona ran around on our deck (the only place not covered in ice!) and found immense joy in playing with an old salad greens container.  Simple pleasures.

17 Months: Wild Thing

"Wild Thing,  I think I love you...." - The Troggs

Mommy & Fiona enjoying the snow at Duke Park on December 26

Fiona is now 17 months old and is a wonderful wild thing in full swing! Whether running through the house at top speed, climbing all over us during our morning playtimes, investigating every nook and cranny of any room she's in, or fearlessly riding her rocking horse, our girl is ALWAYS on the move. 

This month her personality has really blossomed in a new way.  She's curious, kind, funny, talkative and always ready to laugh.  She's also really developing her independence and testing boundaries with her parents -- as evidenced by the recent minature teeth marks on my cheek!

The biggest excitement from the past month has been Fiona's fascination with The Potty.  At the risk of embarrassing my little girl for years to come, I'll simply say that she's very into mimicking her parents and has successfully tested out the little potty she received  for Christmas on several recent occasions!  We're not holding our breath that we'll be done with diapers any time soon, but we're happy about this development none the less.

Other notes from this month:

• Fiona's vocabulary is growing daily and new, unprompted words are surprising us all of the time. She also seems to be learning a few colors. Just this week she successfully named "blue" and "green" items.
• Fi knows nearly all of her body parts and can point to them on herself and others when asked.
• She also knows lots of animal sounds and endlessly entertains her parents with them.
• Teething seems like a never ending process for these poor little kids! She now has four molars and is working on two more bottom teeth.
• Fi has a voracious appetite for reading (much to the delight of her English major mother).  Books continue to be a huge part of her day.  Ryan and I can now recite by heart the vast majority of board books we own. 
• One thing Fiona is NOT wild about: Being Messy.  Our gal HATES to have messiness on her high chair tray or hands - and gets completely freaked out when she finds specks of dirt on the floor (which is quite often - hey, we're working parents who's cleanliness standards have fallen significantly since Fi entered our lives!).  Wonder where she gets this Type A-ness? 

Christmas 2010

“Happiness is not a brilliant climax to years of grim struggle and anxiety. It is a long succession of little decisions simply to be happy in the moment.”  - J. Donald Walker

Christmas 2010 was filled with family, food, and fun!  We loved every moment of this season.

Prior to December 25, we traveled to South Carolina for a mid-December Christmas with the Fehrman family. Fiona quickly learned how this present thing works and enjoyed opening her presents, Mommy's presents, and Daddy's presents. We know that she will love the the sand and water table that Grandma and Grandpa F got for her -- as soon as it's warm enough for her to actually use it!

Fiona excited about Christmas morning #1

Meeting her new stuffed black bear from Grandma & Grandpa F.

Playing Santa while enjoying her grocery cart.



Christmas weekend, we enjoyed our first Christmas in Durham (hooray!) and hosted the Schryer family.

Fi's Christmas dress was wonderful find from our favorite kids consignment shop: The Red Hen

On the afternoon of Christmas Eve, we went to the Children's Service at Duke Chapel. This lively, festive 3pm service is truly designed around kids and will certainly be a new tradition for our family.   Fiona loved her special Christmas dress (even if she did have to wear her usual Stride Right shoes with it because her frugal parents refuse to buy dress shoes that she'll wear once), dancing in the aisle to the sound of singing voices, and making her way through the children's bell-ringing processional with Gramougie.

Following the service, we enjoyed a tummy-warming Christmas Eve dinner of homemade butternut squash soup (HIGHLY recommend The Joy of Cooking's version!), traditional fondue, delicious salad, Holiday Cranberry Rum Cocktails, and the wonderful results of Aunty Holly's Christmas cookie-baking marathon.  Fiona went to bed with the sounds of Grandma F's recorded voice reading her The Night Before Christmas...

....and then Santa came!

Fiona loved the Cozy Coupe that Grandma and Grandpa S helped Santa bring.  From the moment she saw it on Christmas morning, she knew just what to do.

Christmas Day was filled with delicious food.  For breakfast,we enjoyed Marmalade French Toast Casserole, Vegetable Cheddar Strata, and mixed fruit salad with vanilla yogurt and lime dressing. Dinner was a delightful feast, which we all helped prepare:

Dill Shrimp (a Schryer tradition that I can remember eating every Christmas!)

French Onion Soup Stuffed Mushrooms

Gingered Pear and Brandy Cocktails

Sea Scallops with Shitake Mushroom and Champagne Sauce

Truffled Lobster Risotto

Citrus, Red Onion, and Pomegranate Salad

Beef Tenderloin with Duxelles (for the meat eaters in our family)

White Chocolate Tiramisu Trifle with Spiced Pears

Cranberry Upside Down Cake

By the end of dinner, a White Christmas was upon us - and by Sunday morning, the ground was covered in more than 4 inches of beautiful snow.  We took advantage of this rare opportunity to take Fiona on her first sled ride.

I would not change a thing about celebrating this most meaningful of holidays throughout the last month. We started a few new traditions, we stayed in the moment and on budget, we helped others, we enjoyed family, we rested, we sent letters to friends, we sang carols and decorated our house, we cooked amazing food, and *we*(meaning I) didn't stress (at least not as much as I have in the past!). Amen.