Fifteen Months

My sweet Belle turned 15 months old on Sunday! Every day I see her looking less and less like a baby and more like a toddler. It astounds me to watch her grow! It also entices those bittersweet moments to wash over me from time to time as I vacillate between sadness that her infancy is over and joy in watching each new stage unfold. I just pray that the moments...the details...the sound of her giggle and twinkle in her eye as she smiles, the sound of her tiny feet pattering across the floor, or the way she tucks her head into the crook of my neck when I rock her before bed...that all those things etch themselves into my mind and that I will not forget. It saddens me to think that one day, I will likely forget those details. I have with Luke. :( Things I swore I would for sure remember have now been washed away over time. **sigh** So I guess this is why I blog, no? To keep a written account of our days and moments.

Thinking of all this spawned the thought that I should check Luke's baby book to see how my kids compare to one another over time. They are such different kids that I'd venture to guess that there are more discrepancies among them at this age than similarities, but let's see.....

At 15 months, Luke had been walking for over a month and a half, and could, in fact walk backwards. :) Ellie...well...she's on that road but the going is much slower! :) LOL!

At 15 months, Ellie has several words......duck( dukkkk), shoes (shoosh), choochoo, uh-oh, mom, dad, milk, dog(sounds more like duck than dog, but it's dog for sure!) , good girl (she tells Tess this all the time!), cracker (cacker), banana (nana) and probably a few more that I can't remember. Luke had about the same. :)

At 15 months, Luke weighed 21 lbs 9 oz , was 30 inches tall (25th %tile) and had 8 teeth. Ellie weighs 21 lbs 12 ozs, is 31.5 inches tall , and has 6 teeth. Ironically, they are very close in size, with Ellie just being a tad taller (75th %tile) than her big bro!

At 15 months, I remember Luke being so physically adept while rarely showing interest in the quieter activities like looking at books or watching a baby video. Ellie, on the other hand, is not so physical, but LOVES to flip through books and will sit for brief periods of time to check out what big brother is watching on TV.

At 15 months, Luke was not really a cuddler. He would let me snuggle him before bed, but that was it. Ellie LOVES to be near me...preferably IN my arms, tugging on my pant legs or on my lap at all times. She smiles in the car if I reach back to hold her hand (yes...I can feasibly and relatively safely do this while driving) and gently strokes my hand! She's a cuddle-bug! And I LOVE every second of it! :)

Both have always been excellent sleepers! (Praise God!) Ellie still naps twice a day for me! Yay!!!

When it comes to food, Ellie is a chow hound, often out eating her brother (seriously!) and adventurous in the food she is willing to try. She still really hasn't met a food she hasn't liked!! Luke, on the other hand, has been a picky, bird-eater since birth. It's a wonder sometimes how he grows!

Luke had a lot less hair at the same age as his sister does....

Apparently, they both loved hats around this time too, because in looking back for a picture of Luke at 15 months, I came across this one....

And just yesterday, before I ever thought of writing this post, I took these of Ellie...

She's such a cutie! Just like her hat from Grandma says! :) Here are a few last photos of her that I took a couple of days ago, just for fun!

She loves to peek at her 'button' and is showing it to me here....

Just a couple of final details, lest I forget them! Ellie has a MAJOR shoe fetish! Since the time she became mobile and could get herself to shoes that may have been around, she has gravitated towards them. At first, she munched on them (eeww!), but now, she will find her shoes and hold & snuggle them to her chest. She will also try to put them on her feet! Because she is constantly wanting them, at times I try to sneak them away so I don't end up loosing one of the pair. As soon as she realizes they are missing, she will start to whine and if she sees them resting on the stairs behind the baby gate out of her reach, she will fuss and cry until I either completely remove them from sight or give in and let her have them! AND...her shoes are the first thing she asks for when I get her up in the morning! Before I even scoop her up out of her crib, she is usually pointing at her closet and saying "shoosh! shoosh!!" Silly girl!

She also has an affinity for airplanes. She takes after her grandpa in this area! She LOVES airplanes and will somehow manage to see the smallest, quietest airplanes in the sky well before any of us do! If she sees one, or even just hears one from inside or outside, she will point to the sky and whine a little (in a 'hey, mom...look' kind of way.). It's a little crazy to us how persistent and perceptive she is in finding them! But I like that she not only shares grandpa's looks, but also one of his loves!

I love you, my sweet Ellie Belly! You are one of my deepest joys in life!