Block Party

The name of the game is “Build a tower of blocks before Raelyn can demolish them.” ;)

The last week or so we have been building a lot of block towers. Raelyn loves to see a tower and then knock it down and laugh. This morning she even handed me the bag of blocks as if to say, “Come on Mom let’s get to building!”

Sometimes I’ll even build towers with “hidden” messages while she is napping. When she wakes up and I bring her downstairs her face lights up when she sees the new towers that need demolishing.

The last few days she has even tried stacking a block or two before knocking down the towers. But for the most part, she enjoys watching me build and laughs hysterically when she knocks them down.

8/52 homemade pizza

There is nothing like watching your child experience pure joy while eating your own homemade food! At least this is true for me. Last Sunday, I made a homemade pizza for Raelyn and I and she loved every single bite.

Dear Anonymous

When you guys comment try to remember to put your name somewhere please. There are a few comments from the last post that I still haven’t figured out who wrote! :)

Thanks,

Mgmt

7/52 self portrait

22w5d

This one’s for you, Mom. Ugh!

Our Little Walker

Raelyn has been taking steps and “cruising” around the furniture for some time now, but last week she really took off. She has been walking all.day.long.everyday! It’s hard to keep up with her. It’s as if she is suddenly seeing the house in a different light. She loves to walk in circles from the living room, to the kitchen, around the hall, and back to the living room. She’s fun to watch, but oh boy it’s tiring. ;) I can’t wait until the weather warms up and we can start walking around the  yard together. She’ll have a lot to explore out there this spring when all the flowers start to pop up.

6/52 icy conditions

Our street has been a sheet of ice for almost two weeks now. Mark decided one night this week to pull out his hockey skates and use the icy road to his advantage before it all melted. I think he felt a little bit like a kid again out there on the ice!

12 Month Stats

Today Raelyn turns 13 months old but she had her 12 month well check last week before our trip.

Raelyn’s stats:

Weight: 19 lb 12 oz (22%)

Height: 29 inches (37%)

Head circumference: 17 inches (5%)

She also handled 3 shots like a tough girl. ;)

Dr Rob said that around 1 year they expect some lag in weight gain because of the increased mobility and activity. I’m attributing part of it to the stomach virus she had the week before her appointment.

He was pleased with her language skills and that she meets the 3 word “requirement” at age 1: mama, dada, duck. She also babbles a ton. Her babbling often sounds like full sentences and I notice she uses the same sounds as if they are real words to her. I just wish I understood her language! ;)

Just for fun, let’s take a look at all of her stats for the past year (weight | height | head circumference).

Birth: 6 lbs 14 oz | 19"
1 week: 6 lbs 14 oz (22%) | 19" (22%) | 13" (8%)
1 month: 8 lbs 8 oz | 20.75" | 14"
2 months: 9 lbs 15 oz (31%) | 21.5" (23%) |14.25" (4%)
4 months: 13 lbs (38%) | 24.5" (60%) | 15.5" (12%)
6 months: 16 lbs  (52%) | 26" (61%) | 16" (8%)
9 months: 19 lbs 13 oz (57%) | 28" (51%) |17" (19%)
12 months: 19 lbs 12 oz (22%) | 29" (37%) | 17" (5%)

Don’t you just want to kiss those puckered lips???

Long Weekend on the Beach

This was the perfect week to spend a few days on the beach! After being closed up in our house for 3 days, thanks to the ice storm, Raelyn and I flew out to meet Mark in Marco Island, FL for a long weekend.

The resort was fabulous and very kid friendly! Here we are our first morning getting ready to take a stroll on the beach. We were excited to share our love of the sand and sea with Raelyn.

 

Daddy had to get back to meetings, but didn’t want to miss Raelyn’s first time to see the ocean. :)

She wasn’t so sure about getting her feet wet though.

We played in the sand awhile when Daddy went back to work. Raelyn didn’t mind the sand on her skin and even tried chasing the seagulls!

We spent the afternoon at the children’s pool, where the water temperature was regulated.

Saturday Mark had more free time to spend with us. We started off the day with another stroll along the beach.

She held on tight when she realized daddy was taking her out into the water!

 

After a mid-morning snack, we all headed to the pool for some splashing fun.

Raelyn and I enjoyed a peaceful (and cloudy) sunset together, while Mark attended his final work dinner.

We enjoyed a special mini-vacation just the three of us. Raelyn may not remember her first vacation, but we’ll have photos to prove that she did indeed have her very own vacation with mommy and daddy pre-brother. ;)

Plus it was awesome to get out of the frozen tundra, even if only for a few days!

5/52 eating sand

Raelyn’s first experience on the beach was a success. She was hesitant at first but after feeling the sand between her toes she decided to take a bite!