Grace AnneMarie - 16 Months

This is the cutest little girl.  She waves at everyone - literally, she thinks she's Miss America and really with that smile, who could argue.  She actually gets irritated when people don't wave back if they are doing something like working or not looking directly at her when walking through a store.  I am not complaining of course, I love having a happy and outgoing baby! 

Sleeping - Going well most of the month but in the last week she's stopped sleeping well (or at all) in the afternoon) so I am thinking that she is imitating her eldest sister who did the same thing when ready to drop her morning nap.  I am giving it a few more days to make sure but I think the morning nap is about to come to an end.  She is still happy, even if she doesn't sleeping in the afternoon and the highlight of her day is hugging her sisters first thing in the morning and after naps.   Of course now I am late in posting this and for the last week she has slept both naps with the first one starting at 1030 and the second at 1430.

Eating - Grace discovered ranch dressing this month and has decided it is like manna from heaven.  She LOVES it.  She also enjoys most condiments: guacamole and sour cream specifically.  I am sure she would happily make a meal out of any of these. 

Playing - Everything her sisters do, Grace wants to be a part of.  This month she has specifically loved playing ballerina with her tutu and the Usborn Ballerina Book & CD we've been listening to.  She loves stacking toys, even just using the plastic cups makes her happy.  Solo play is going great and she enjoys just about all her toys in there.  I've been trying to ensure that she gets time to play outside with her riding toys and pushing her stroller around before we go for a walk as it occurred to me that her sisters going for a bike ride and me pushing her in the stroller doesn't give her much exercise.  She seems to like playing on those toys for about 10 minutes before she is ready for the stroller :)

Skills - Grace is a climbing crazy kid!  She loves to climb on everything and for the most part does a great job and has also learned to go down the slide on her backside.  She is learning to use her spoon very well, of course there is still a little mess but she enjoys it :)  Grace is identifying several body parts, head, ear, tongue, mouth, belly, nose.  Her speech isn't too well developed yet but I know she can hear and understand me so I am not too worried about it.  I have begun to be purposeful about singing to her during diaper changes and she really responds well to that.  After a week of Row, Row, Row Your Boat she was so cute in imitating the R sound.