I'm going to make the familiar plea of many parents- I need time to slow down! My babies are not lil babies anymore and I realize that a little more every day. Whether it is just noticing how long their legs are, how mature their faces look (seriously, this is a thing, they aren't the little gerber baby faces any more!), or how smart & resourceful they are when it comes to getting into things I don't want them in, my girls are full force toddlers now. Granted I still like to call them babies and always will, but they aren't my five pound peanuts!
Some how 16 months looks a lot different than 14 months to me. Their coordination is getting better every day. They are fast little girls, believe me, I have chased them a few places and they can definitely take off and go!
I haven't weighed them recently but I know they are getting bigger. They are still described as long and lanky but they have cute lil baby bellies :) Last week I took all of the 12 month clothing out of their closet besides the carters stuff (it runs large at that size) so they are wearing 12-18 month clothes almost exclusively now. The carters stuff fits but it's getting short length wise which isn't surprising since last month they were 31" tall and that's the beginning of 18-24 month clothing! If I had to guess I'd say the girls are around 22 pounds each, which is still petite for 16 months but they definitely aren't fragile looking. They are strong, healthy, active girls.
Ellie Jo is really into her books right now, often when she's given the freedom to do whatever in the playroom she will sit down with her books and read them. It's the sweetest thing ever to see and really makes me happy to think that she may share my love of reading. Charlie loves books too but they aren't her first choice in the playroom, she'll sit down with them or bring me one to read her but it's not like Ellie Jo. Charlie is still Miss OCD with her toys- she'll take the rings out of a bag and then put them back in, or move all of the push toys to one side of the room and then re-arrange them. She's a riot to watch! She definitely loves her legos right now, she'll bring me the bag so I can open them, and then she'll sit and stack them up. I find myself watching her just seeing her thought process. They both put so much thought into things it seems, and with such serious little faces!
On a less serious kind of note, E&C both LOVE to dance! They've been doing it for a while but now they definitely are getting some moves down. Charlie is a big twirler; she twirls till she gets dizzy and falls over. Then she gets up and does it again! Ellie Jo does what we call "fast feet" (it reminds me of an old basketball drill I used to do) and swings her arms back and forth. They both just love to move and laugh.
Of course they need music to dance but luckily they have that covered since they both have figured out how to use my iPhone! Ellie Jo even "talks" to Siri sometimes on her own. Too smart I'm telling ya, too darn smart ;)
We're still working on the talking thing... The goal is 5 words spoken or signed by 18 months. Ellie Jo is now saying mama, dada, nana, and baby. She can sign uh oh (not technically a true sign though), she knows "no", and she does "all done". Charlie stills says mama but last weekend we heard her say nana a few times! Hopefully dada comes soon and she'll use 'nana' with more frequency! She does the same signs as Ellie Jo and I'm working on the sign for 'drink' with them so they will stop whining and pointing to their cups or mine when they are thirsty.
Nana retired last month so we've been spending some quality time with Nana during the weekdays now. It's nice to have another adult around and to have an extra set of hand while running errands! Nana also helped out a lot baby-sitting last month while I had some appointments...
On the girls' 16 month birthday, after 7 interviews & 2 presentations, I was offered a position as a Research Consultant with a legal research company. I won't lie, it was not an easy decision, but we feel that it is a good fit for us. I am excited about the position and the opportunity I have been given it's just I hate not spending every moment with the girls... But that's the decision we had to make. Obviously the money helps in many ways (we are still paying those pesky student loans from law school!), the girls need the opportunity to be socialized, I probably need the mental stimulation that comes from working, and this kind of position does not come along every day. I will be working full time but I am based out of my own home and have flexibility with the position. At this point it appears that I will have one day that I am definitely in home all day doing administrative work and probably prep work. Then I will be scheduling meetings throughout the rest of the week for presentations with law firms in the KC area. Our plan right now is to have Nana watch the girls a few days a week and have a nanny in home the other days. That way the girls are here when I am and with the person Scott and I trust to care for them like we would when I am not present. So fingers crossed, prayers sent up, and taking a deep breath, because I know this is a good thing for my family, it's just hard not to think of being with my babies all the time. But I am incredibly blessed that I have been able to spend so much time with them, many women don't get that opportunity!
So besides being almost a week late (and I am a week behind in blogging therefore!), this was the girls' 16 month in review. Another month older, smarter, and more loved!
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