My Own Little Hourglass

I am once again behind on my blogging and for good reason! We have been SO BUSY LATELY!! Not to mention that Bennett Grace is in to everything. All the time. Every single thing. Her current obsessions are hats, balls, stuffed animals and dolls, animals, and Gigi.

She is so freaking smart it blows my mind. I know she's my child and I'm totally partial but in my head she's a two foot tall genius. She walks around the house naming everything she sees. I can not even count how many words she says and how many things she points out. It is to the point that not only does she repeat back what you say when you say something like "can you say sprinkler?" But she has started walking up to things I didn't even know she knows and calling them by name. My favorite thing is when she makes connections in her head when things are the same, like her dolls eyes, her eyes and my eyes, etc. For example today she was playing with my ponytail and she said "hair" and "OooooOooooh pretty!" (Copying my mom of course!) then later when she was playing with a rocking horse at my mom's house she touched it's hair which was made of yarn and said "hair!" and smiled at me. Then tonight when Sean was changing her diaper she looked at his arm and pulled on his arm hair and said hair and just beamed! It cracked him up so much.

She also is in this busy body phase. She pulls everything out all the time. Drawers, cabinets, toy baskets, blankets, you name it. It is hard to keep things clean for sure. She also runs. Literally runs. I feel like I should be burning major calories chasing her. She loves to play or should I say demands to play "OUTSIDE!! OUTSIDE!! OUTSIIIIIIDE!!!" We are working on patience, asking nicely not screaming and saying please and thank you. Reasoning with a toddler is more difficult than I imagined, however she has started learning and she actually seems to be understanding when i talk to her so apparently it is working.

We took our first weekend trip away and she stayed with Mimi and Pop. We are also transitioning to our summer schedule so she is splitting days between Mimi and Gigi. I CAN NOT WAIT UNTIL JULY so that I can finally get a few full days with her. I can't believe this time last year she was only just over a month old. Mind blown. I don't think I really ever appreciated how fast time goes by until I had her. She is a physical representation of time for me. She is ever present and ever changing. My own little hourglass.

Here's a few pictures from the last few weeks :) Now on to catching up on all of your blogs!

Happy summer my little blogger friends!

Dear Bennett Grace (1 year!)

Dear Bennett Grace,

Sweet girl, mommy and daddy can not believe you are ONE! It is amazing to think that one short year ago we were waiting anxiously for you and wondering what you would look like and what your voice would sound like. You never cease to amaze us. You are a little sponge, soaking up everything around you all the time. When you walk over to us and reach out your tiny arms to be picked up, we melt. We love you so much sweet baby.

Here's a little of what you are doing at one year old.

-As of your one year old check up on April 23, 2013, you weighed 19lbs 5 oz. (40th percentile) and were 28 inches long (10-20th percentile)!
-At your one year old visit, Dr. Soong asked if you had started saying any words and you said "I see you" right back to him, Mommy, Gigi and Dr. Soong laughed and he said "I guess so!"
-You are still wearing size 2 diapers and 9-12 month clothing with a few 18 months too! You wear a size 2-3 shoe.
-at one year old you still only had 2 teeth! Both on the bottom.
-you started walking a few weeks before your first birthday and by the time your party rolled around you were moving everywhere! Your daddy says you speed walk or run!
-your first birthday party was a pink theme and you had your very own smash cake. You loved it! You also had tons of guests and got lots of great presents :)
-your favorite toy is currently a stuffed pink polka dot puppy dog that you have aptly named "puppy". You love him so much, it is precious!
-you say more words than we can count. People always comment on how well you can talk. We joke that it is because your Gigi talks to you all day and your Mama talks to you all night!
-your favorite foods are cheese, bananas and sweet peas.
-you switched to whole milk at 1 year old and you love it! You have 18 oz a day, 3 meals and 2 snacks. You feed yourself most of the time and are learning to use a spoon. You like to pack your cheeks full of food like a chipmunk :)
-you are into everything! You head straight into the "no no zones" shaking your head no like you know you are going to be in trouble!
-you love to pull things out and sort them. You stack things and transport them from place to place. You also love putting small things into bowls or larger toys and carry thing them or pushing them from place to place.
-you are so thoughtful with your playing. We can really see your thought process.
-you love to pick up and carry things that are way too big for you or are close to your size.
-you love to play with the puppies, Jackson & Olivia.
-you also love children. When we are out shopping you say hey to everyone and waive. If we pass a child or baby, you squeal and say BABY!!
-you are so curious. You ask "what is it" or "who is it" constantly.
-you love hats! They remind you of Papa D. You excitedly say hat!!!! And we tell you to put on the hat like Papa D. You put it on and smile. If Papa D is around, you try to find him to show him your hat.
-you have more clothes than any child we know.
-you love to give kisses and hugs. You also love to be tickled and to show people your tummy.
-you have the best smile and laugh!
-you love to climb in and out of things and love to go up and down the stairs. Papa D taught you to go go down the stairs and get off the couch backwards on your tummy so that you can get down safely.

Sweet angel, in our wildest dreams we could have never imagined how much fulfillment you could bring to our lives. You make everyday more fun and interesting. We are so proud of you every single day. We can not believe how fast you've grown and how smart you are! When you stop playing to give us a hug or kiss, we melt. We can not wait to enjoy this next stage in your life and watch you grown. We love you so much sweet baby.

Love, Mommy & Daddy