Happy 16 Months

Sonja is now 16 months old!

It seems to be going faster and faster. I can't keep up.

We just went for her "15 month" checkup last week (we are a little behind) and she's doing well. She keeps going from a little under the 50th percentile in height and then shooting up into the 60th or higher, and her weight will go up and then shoot back down... so I think we are prepping for another growth spurt because she's 48th percentile in height and 58th in weight right now.

Sonja is a beautiful and sweet child still. She is very busy and likes to always be on the move. She loves harassing Puppy and eating Pizza (which brings me great joy as well).

Recently I have noticed that she can get her feelings hurt, like when her cousin Rex hits or shoves her (he's a baby... he doesn't really do it with negative intentions I hope)... she will get this really heartbreaking look on her face and her lower lip will stick out and then she bursts into tears. Oh man.. breaks my heart.

She has also grown fond of hitting recently (something I am desperately trying to break her of). She goes "Dat!" and then smacks me, or the cat, or any object really. I don't know why she started doing it but I don't like it.

But the good parts (and there are so many) definitely are worth the bad.

Honestly, being Sonja's mom is very very rewarding for me. Recently I was looking back through old facebook posts trying to remember when Jeff switched jobs and I found myself hating myself from that time. I just seem so douschy... self-involved, braggy, I don't know.. I just cringed a lot.

I think having her grounds me and it makes me see that a lot of the little things are not as important as I thought they were, and that I can enjoy life without feeling like I have to prove myself or my greatness or anything else.. because really it's not about me much anymore. There is a bigger picture. And I honestly enjoy myself a lot more often because I get to experience life with such a wonderful little girl.

Sonja now knows how to blow kisses and gives kisses and it is adorable. She also has "bye bye" down and is starting to learn "Hello." She says it when she holds my phone up to her head.

She can "brush" her hair, and likes to do it herself. She is also starting to get the hang of spoons and forks and does not like to be helped.

Sonja's Favorites:

- Puppy
- Her singing teapot
- drinking from a cup
- milk
- cereal
- trying new foods (she gets sick of stuff if we give it to her too often)
- going to the park and gymboree
- singing "chomp chomp chomp goes the crocodile"
- playing chase, peekaboo, and any other game where she can scare us or we can scare her
- playing with her cousins
- going to Nana's house
- Auntie Em babysitting
- Balls
- Snuggles
- Making faces at each other
- books

Sonja continues to learn new words, try new things, and get better and better at all sorts of things. She's getting pretty fast, she's starting to master climbing things, and she is pretty strong for a baby.

She loves singing, and will sing and twirl on command. She hates the word "no" and gets visibly angry when I say it. Usually because it accompanies her not getting to do what she wants.

We also recently purchased a sheep backpack with a leash on it and it has changed my world. I love it. It's the best way to give her a little freedom while keeping her from doing major damage to herself.

I love this sweet girl. I love seeing her grow and learn and just enjoy life.