Life with a 16 month old....

Hi!!!! Yes, we're still here, and we have been busy! Today Ursula is 16 months old and has been home for 4 months. Can you believe it's been 4 months already???? I know I can't. To start with, this week has actually been the worst week for all of us, Urs has been sick since Tuesday and her daddy and Gammie have been sick too. She started out with a runny nose and sneezing the week before and I attributed that to teething, since her molars seem to be bothering her. Then on Tuesday, she was feeling out of sorts and started running a fever, which has been going off and on since then. She has been on Motrin and the doctor couldn't really find anything but a little redness in her throat, so she thinks it is viral and did give me some Amoxicillin, that Urs has been taking since Friday. I do think she's finally feeling a little bit better, but now we have some other issues to work on....since she hasn't been feeling well and has been irritable and clingy, we bent the rules a bit to comfort her. We have given in to her more than usual and even let her sleep with us a few nights. So now we are back on our regular family rules and sleeping schedule...I think she liked it better the other way :)
Whew, who said being a parent was this tough???? Your poor little girl is upset and doesn't feel good, so you want to make her happy, right? So, sure, it's understandable if she isn't very nice to the dogs, or if she wants to throw her toys, or if she wants us to stay in her room until she falls asleep or maybe even sleep in our bed. Now, we are the bad parents because, since you're feeling better, you now have to be nice to the dogs, it's not nice to throw your toys, and you have to go back on a sleep schedule. Boy, life is rough.
Ok, now onto nicer things. A few weeks ago, Ursula and I were able to get together with a friend of mine and her daughter, who live in New Jersey. We don't get to see each other very much and it was wonderful to get together for a few hours so we could catch up and the girls could play. I've attached a few pics below.
We also went to our first MY GYM class. This is a place for kids and their parents to go to interact with other kids in their age group and spend an hour climbing and exploring and having fun with all of the gym equipment they have there. Ursula is in the Waddler group, which is for kids aged 14-22 months. I think she did ok for her first time, she did well in the individual time, but had some issues when it was time to sit with me and participate with the group. She just wanted to keep doing her own thing, but I think after going a few more times and getting into a routine, she'll get it.
Ursula is going through a very independent stage. She wants to do everything on her own and doesn't need help. She has started throwing tantrums and making noises I've never heard from her before (some grunts and groans and screams...sounds like something off the Sci-fi channel :) She also loves to help us with anything we do, she loves to help with the groceries (she can carry a full size laundry detergent in each hand across the room, Steve believes she has superhuman strength ;) she loves to help us feed the dogs (see pics below) and her favorite thing right now is throwing things in the garbage. Usually it is actually trash that she is throwing away for us, with our supervision, but every once in awhile, we have to do random checks as she likes to surprise us by dropping a toy or stuffed animal in there as well. The other thing we have to watch is that the trash stays in the can, we sometimes find her peeking in and stealing something back out. It's nice to have such a ready helper, but we have found we need to add time to all the regular chores we do...throwing one piece of paper in the garbage could take 15 minutes, as she has to walk very slowly to the can, swing the lid and peer in for awhile, I guess making sure the conditions are suitable for the paper, and then holding it over the edge for a few minutes as if saying a final goodbye, then finally dropping it and checking to make sure it actually went in there. It was really cute the first few times, but we really need to get more done in a day :) Same with the groceries...we sometimes have to put the same items away several times as they mysteriously make their way back out of the cabinet or into a different location. Please let me know if any of you need some help with these things at your house, I'll be glad to bring her over ;)
She's learned how to say the words cheese, ball, Pup Pup (one of our cat's names...I know, weird name for a cat) and we've been practicing "trick or treat", which is coming along, kinda sounds like "de de de". She also says her version of "row, row, row your boat" and makes noises to identify things like: lawnmowers, buses or trucks, and dogs. She learned the sign for cookie and we're going to keep trying to add one or two here and there. The signing has been a big help to us in understanding what she wants, she tells us when she's hungry, thirsty, sleepy, when she wants more and when she's finished. She seems to totally understand us when we talk to her, which still amazes me after such a short time. She helps to put away her toys and knows where they go too. We're also starting to be able to read an entire book to her...up until this point we could keep her attention long enough for a page or two, so it's fun to have that bonding time with her now.
So, that's it for now...enjoy the pictures!

Having fun with my new friend...
All of us together...
A few pics from MY GYM class...
Helping to feed the dogs(with mixing spoon in hand)....
Having fun outside....
Daddy, I can do it by myself....
What do you mean I can't jump off of here?

I know, I know....

Has it really been that long since I've posted? Well, let me just say, it's not for lack of trying. You see, I have been trying to figure out how to post a video and I just can't seem to figure it out. They don't seem to have "Uploading Video for Dummies" anywhere! So, instead of seeing a video, I'll try to catch you up on all that has been happening....hopefully video will come later.
Since my last post, we have had another play date with our friends from Pottstown and we had a great time! They came to our house for a bit and showed Ursula how to really play with her toys (more on that later) and we went to ZooAmerica at Hersheypark too! We enjoyed a nice Labor Day weekend with family and friends with a cookout and Kipona, a large outdoor Artsfest downtown on the riverfront.
This weekend, Gram (Great Gram to Urs) went back to Pittsburgh and will probably not be back until Spring....we'll miss you Gram!!!! I'm interested to see how Ursula reacts when she goes to Steve's parents on Tuesday, Gram has been there to play with her for the last 8 weeks and now she's gone home. I think they really enjoyed each other and we hope she comes back soon!
A lot has happened in such a short time...Ursula is finally getting her 4th tooth on the bottom (she's only had 3 for the longest time, now it will look even) and her molars are starting to sprout too! She definitely has a lot going on in there! She now loves to brush her teeth and would do it 24/7 if we let her :) She is constantly running to the bathroom and signing (in her own way) that she wants to brush her teeth. I only hope the interest continues into her teenage years :)
Ursula had her 15 month checkup last Wednesday and gained a whopping 1 pound, 1 ounce! That means she is now tipping the scales at 18.5lbs now...I really don't think she's going to have a future in Sumo Wrestling. She did, however, grow 1 1/4 inches, which is actually a little more than average growth for those 3 months, Yippee!!! She really likes her doctor, even after he gives her 2 vaccinations :( , which is a pretty good thing. He is very satisfied with her development and was impressed by how well she is doing after such a short time home. He even gave her a stuffed bear to take home....told you she was special :)
Now, back to the part about her learning how to use her toys...when Ursula's little Guat friends came to visit, one is 2 weeks older and one is 11 months older, they were loving her little slide/jungle gym/ball pit toy and were climbing all over it, every which way. Up to this point Urs would only ask to be put in the balls and be taken back out when she was done. Needless to say, when her friends were somewhat "showing her up" on her own toy, she had to take notes and get on the ball (no pun intended). She studied every move they made and was soon following suit, climbing up the slide, over the bars in and out. This actually was a good thing for us, since she wasn't "getting" Mommy and Daddy trying to show her how to do it and talking her through...Duh! The only downside to this new learning experience is that is has sparked a whole new trend for her...she now climbs anything and everything! I was actually just getting used to the fact that I could be in one room and be pretty sure she was safe and sound...not any more! One of her new "favorites", that she hasn't had an interest in the whole time she's been home, is the dog's water dish. She thinks it's fun to "stir it" with her utensils, take her stuffed animals "swimming", and if nothing else is available, it's just plain fun to splash your hands around in it too! She has actually received a time out for this new antic, and that was yesterday...I'm going to go on thinking that it worked and my parenting skills are up to par because she didn't go near it once today. Just let me relish in that for a little while....I do know tomorrow is another day :)
Another new thing she is "trying out" is tantrums. If she doesn't like something, she'll just plop herself on the floor and throw a mini-fit. I say mini since she is finding out that we either don't pay attention to her, or we may even walk out of the room, to which she just gets back up and moves on with her life. Steve said to me the other day "I know that she's a good kid...but I think we're going to have our hands full with her". Cute.
She's starting to say more things if we ask her too and even sometimes when we don't. Example: In the car the other day, I'm behind a lady at a red light. The light turns green and she just sits there. I, being the patient person that I am :), say "Gooooo!" which was followed up by a faint "Ooooo" coming from the back. Now my car is pretty sound proof, so I don't think my voice was echoing...well, you get the point. At least I didn't say anything bad!
So, that's some of what's been going on here....enjoy the pictures and I'll post more soon...really!

A few from my play date....Later that night....
I'm a fast learner!
Some random daily antics....Labor Day with a friend...This one makes Daddy laugh :)
Hangin with Daddy at Kipona Trying on his shades....