Sixteen Months

Madeline is wanting to explore at this age. To put it in her words, "I go, go, go!"

She wants to run all over the house and is interested in learning to climb up and down the stairs.

She is starting to say lots of two and three word sentences: I jump, I good girl, I the baby, I sweet, Thank you, Alright, Aw man.

She can also tell you exactly what she wants which is so helpful! We don't have to guess what she wants. She will not only tell us eat or snack but also what she wants to eat. If she's hurting she's able to say all her body parts so that's really helpful too. Plus saying pee pee or poop to let us know what kind of diaper we're in for.

Madeline loves following Anna Claire, coloring, board books, emptying containers and filling them back up, running, dancing, climbing, Kitty and Pop.

She can use a fork and spoon well, take her shirt off, put her dirty clothes in the laundry hamper, right a book and turn the pages correctly with board or paper pages, can almost be trusted with crayons, fall down and get back up with no tears, blow kisses, go "shhh! Shhh!" with a quiet finger, and count to five with help.

Our New First Aid Kit (and other products we've replaced with essentialoils)

I've been wanting to write this post for a couple of weeks now, but what's been stopping me was my own skeptisism on how I would handle fever and fussiness if I tossed our favorite pain reliever and fever reducer in the trash, in favor of oils I hadn't proven to treat those yet.

Well, yesterday I had that opportunity. For those of you who don't know Baby Madeline, she is a very happy, easy-going baby. Fussiness just isn't something we have to worry about at our house (Flashback to 4 years ago, her sister was a completely different story. We considered buying stock in the pain reliever/fever reducer.) 

Anyway, Madeline was abnormally fussy and shoving her hands in her mouth. I looked up and read on teething and fussiness and saw it as an opportunity to prove we could live life without that bottle of fever reducer/pain reliever. 

Within 5 minutes after applying diluted thieves to her gums, diluted peace and calming to her chest and diluted cedarwood to her feet, we had this child:

And I have testimony after testimony of success to offer up of oils we've tried and had results, and products we no longer use/need/buy! I won't do that here, but plan on starting a separate blog for EOs soon. (Please comment below if interested in following my EO blog so I can be sure to add you.)

I am not able to list the products we no longer use, so I will list the generic uses:

Pain reliever/fever reducer

Cough and cold medicine

Pain reliever (cramps)

Allergy meds

Prescription pain reliever

Face wash

Antibiotic gel

Baby lotion

Wrinkle cream

Lotion

Moisturizer

Eye makeup remover

Under eye cream

Dark spot/age spot treatment

Wart remover

Anxiety and depression meds

Doctor visits

Meds prescribed at doctor visits (there have been no doctor visits)

Oral pain reliever for baby

Hand sanitizer

Prescription and OTC meds for back pain  and jaw pain

And I will add more as they come to mind!

I was so concerned about the initial investment into this life change, that we wouldn't be able to afford it, but so far I am seeing a savings which totally blows me away.

I truly believe in trying to offer the healthiest lifestyle I can provide for my family, and as I learn better, I do better. 

I feel confident too, knowing that I am equipped with the right resources to treat my babies in an informed manner, and that I am using the highest quality EOs.

If you are interested in doing the same, this is where I started, but only make that decision after doing your own personal research. http://yl.pe/9rn

100 words?

Madeline had her 15 month check up this week and dr. Roads was in disbelief that she can say over 100 words. 

I even doubted myself as I spit out the words until I got home that night and made this list:

Cat  

Dog

Cow 

Duck

Pop

Pink

Blue

Green

Pig

Book (10)

Eyes

Ears

Nose

Elbow

Teeth

Hand

Cheese

Banana

Elmo

Olaf (20)

Dora

Shoe

Yuck

Up

No

Yeah

Mama

Dada

Uh oh

Hi (30)

Go

Moon

On 

Minnie

Color

Tongue

Egg-y

Bow

Hair

Eat (40)

Hat

Ball

Bubble

Umbrella

Snack

Apple

Open

Back

Nap

Oh boy! (50)

Aw man!

I ok.

Cup

Animal

Poop

See

Bye bye

Seat

Cold 

Coat (60)

Baby

Zip

Moo

Meow

Ha ha

Bear

Hot

Sip

Map

Jump (70)

Night night

Sleep

Alright

Path

Chair

Kitty

Sissy

Whoa

Cool!

Beep beep (80)

Spoon

Mickey

Donald

Toe

Feet

Down

Open

Puff

Hurray! 

Yay! (90)

Yellow

Purple

Three

Five

Close

Bath

That

Kite

Cake

Off (100)

Fifteen Months

I posted a few weeks ago that this month has been a vocabulary explosion for Madeline. Even the past few weeks has Been unreal. 

She can now say: eat, "nack" (snack), cat, pop (what she calls grandpa), kitty, cat, cake, elbow, bow, shoe, tree, cheese, nanya (banana), "gook" (book). And I'm sure I'm leaving a bunch out!

Madeline has also learned how to blow raspberries. See pic below. 

She is running now (so cute/oh dear). 

Madeline loves Mickey Mouse clubhouse or anything with mickey. The clubhouse she got from Santa is one of her favorite toys now and she's not a big one on toys, usually preferring books or stuff.

She's interested in coloring books and crayons but would rather walk around the room holding the crayons. She has figured out how to mark on the paper and is good about not marking on other things (so far.) working with her on keeping out of her mouth.

Madeline loves meal time, riding in shopping carts, her daddy (big time Dada's girl), Dora, Olaf and Frozen of course, her little stuffed leopard "cat", board books (especially the Karen Katz books and Lullabye Little One is coming into favor which was ACs fave).

Favorite foods right now are cheese and nanya. She also will eat up steak, hamburger and shellfish.

Madeline also transitioned to the one year old class at church this month and to the chicks class at the red barn. She's doing great in both! 

No longer wanting a bottle during the day which means no more pumping at school for this mama!

Talking so much!

I was planning to wait until Madeline's 15 month birthday to post on this but we have entered a vocabulary explosion, that if I don't do it now, I'm afraid I'll forget all the cuteness!

As of today, she can say lots of character names. And when I say "say" I mean people close to her understand what she's saying. Strangers would perceive it as babble. She can say mickey "ih-ee!" Dora "ora!" Olaf "oh- wah!" Sofia "ee-uh!" Amber "mm-Ber" and Anna "Anna!" We know she's saying them because she makes these sounds each time she sees the characters

She can also meow like a cat and say several body part words clearly. She can also read these words since they are YBCR: ears, eyes, and she will open her mouth and say "ahhhhhh" for mouth, tongue or teeth.

Fourteen Months

I don't know which skill to start with since both are great accomplishments.

Madeline can read! I shouldn't be surprised because her sister also started recognizing words at this age and I know Your Baby Can Read works!

What was cool with Madeline was that Larry and I both got to witness it at the same time. We were just sitting in the family room watching her play and she crawled over to her word cards and began to flip through them. She picked up "clap" and began to clap. She picked up "wave" and started waving. 

Later she picked up her words book and said "hi" for "hi." She pointed up for the word "point." She saw the word "mouth" and pointed to her mouth, grinned real big and said "ahhhhhh!" 

She also did this for the doctor yesterday when she asked to see her mouth which made the doctor's day!

Madeline can also walk! She can walk across the room and back, turn around without falling, and smiles all the way, feeling so proud of herself. 

With her being our last, I'm in no hurry for her to grow up, but I'm relieved that we won't have to worry about her walking on her knees at recess or patch her pants like we did for AC who was a very late walker at 18 months.

Loves: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, American cheese,  hugs, teething tablets, dancing, music, shoes, bows, Yo Gabba Babies app, YBCR cards and books, board books, going bye-bye, Red Barn teachers 

Dislikes: teething, when a family member leaves the room, talk radio, shirt over her head, diaper changes 

The manicurist

Anytime Madeline is nursing or falling asleep on the Boppy, without fail since Madeline was about 6 months, she will dig her fingernails under mine the entire time, unless I sit on my hands. I've tried everything and she will find those hands! #determined