Violet at 15 months

My sweet little darling girl is 15 months old now! She is definitely a toddler now, which is proven daily by her shenanigans and mayhem. Violet likes to be on the move; she rarely sits still for longer than a minute or two. Her curiosity causes her to investigate every little noise or flash in her peripheral vision. Exhausting? Yes. But I'm so thankful for a little girl who wants to discover the world around her.

One thing Violet is not very interested in is eating! I'm like, "who is this child and how is she mine??" as this concept is a little foreign to me. She will eat greek yogurt each morning along with some dry cereal (Kix, Cheerios, etc), applesauce or something pureed from a pouch for lunch along with some veggie sticks or snack, and then dinner is generally another pouch of something. She does enjoy grapes and cantaloupe, which we try to keep on hand. We offer her our food all the time and she pushes our hands away or gives it back to us. Sometimes she will surprise us and down some italian sausage, chicken, or noodles. But it is rare. We are hoping her interest in food will heighten to a healthy point. :) At her 15 month check up, she weighed 6 oz less than her 12 month checkup (she weighs 19 lbs even now). The doctor wasn't overly concerned but wants me to bring her back in a month to check her weight and make sure it's going up. She is 31" tall which makes her 19th percentile for weight and 50th percentile for height).

Violet is now starting to try to run a little, especially thanks to her new kicks from Grandma. We had a fun day at the mall getting her measured and picking them out. She will clap, give high fives, and wave goodbye. She is saying lots of new words, which include: Dada, doggy, baby, ball, bite, hi, me. She still refuses to say Mama, which irritates me a bit, but I still know I'm her favorite person, so it's all good.

This month we went on our 6th annual trip to Hocking Hills with friends to spend a relaxing weekend together. We had two babies this year, Luke who is 9 months and belongs to our friends Ryan and Jenni, and of course Violet who is 15 months. They did great and even endured a hike to a cave. We had wonderful food and fellowship all weekend!

We are so looking forward to warmer weather and the ability to get outside. This will be Violet's first summer where she is free to explore the great outdoors! Can't wait to experience a new season with her.

Here are some recent examples of destruction and mayhem (not including the unraveling of toilet paper, emptying of tupperware cabinet, emptying of drawers, littering of toys in random places around the house, and my personal favorite, the unfolding of an entire load of laundry while mama is not looking.)

Stuffing tissues back in the box after she was caught.

Why not dump these all out so I can get them all?

Someone read to me!!

another dumping of snacks

Playing at the cabin

A little stinker!

Big girl shoes and ponytail

More playing at the cabin

Hiking in Hocking Hills

Hocking Hills 2015

Wore my camo!

Violet and her "maymee" (Lambie) her favorite lovey

Checking out the bees at the doctor's office

Testing out toddler beds at Ikea!

Don't mind if I do...

Pint-sized frying pan

She will still snuggle with Daddy

Walking to the nursery at church

Check out my new big girl shoes!

My favorite playmate!

A happy morning girl

I found Corynne's old stash of sunglasses. They're mine now!!

Ready or Not...

It's official! We are expecting a baby in September. Whaaaaat??? This is insane!  I wanted to record my feelings while they are fresh so please bear with me.

We definitely had the desire and had planned (as much as one can plan) to have another child. The news wasn't entirely surprising, but also wasn't completely planned. The past year with my sweet Violet has been the most exhausting, exhilarating, and exciting year of my life. When Violet was born, I came alive! Being a mom is something that I feel incredibly privileged and thankful to experience. There is absolutely nothing  more amazing to me than bringing a little soul into the earth to care for and love. So when I found out that we are having another one? First reaction: utter joy, gratitude. Second reaction: holy moly.....!

Thinking about having another was both terrifying and comforting at the same time. Comforting because I know what to expect. Terrifying because I know what to expect. :)

I understand that it won't be easy and I'm ready for the challenge. The Lord has given me the strength and endurance to handle this past year and I trust that He will provide what I need for the next 18+ years!

trepidation personified

we will work on this...