Twenty One Months

21 Months

• You really like going into your room and playing with the Little People Princess set that you have. You have most of the phrases memorized in your little 1 1/2 year old way of saying them. My favorite is hearing you say, "best day ever!" from Rapunzel. When the song part comes up, you will stand up and start dancing along with it.
• You are turning more into a girly girl each day. Dress up is becoming a regular event. You will sneak into Maggie's room, take off your pants and slip into one of her skirts. The big kids will also help you with the dress up box putting on tutus and high heels. You really like princesses and Minnie Mouse in general. Funny moment: we were walking into the school and there was a post of a black girl. You pointed at her and said, "Tiana? Tiana?" 
• Your language is really increasing. Two and three word phrases are common. You brought me a library book and said, "Peek-a-boo Baby". After your bath, you asked "Naked run?" and tried to run away. We have been working with you to say prayers and ask to be excused from the table. Both the "Ahem" and "excuse" is your favorite part and you say it so loud at the end.
• Maggie left out a sharpie out in the playroom. You were down there playing by yourself while I was making dinner. I could hear you play with something that made music so I knew you were fine. But then it got quiet for a long time. I went down there to check on you and you had colored over both the cabbage patch doll and Clara the Red headed doll. There is no way that is coming off. Thank goodness it wasn't the couch at least.
• Clothing has been a struggle with you lately. It is 20 degrees outside and I am lucky enough to get a shirt on you, but a coat throws you over the edge. 
• We went to Oregon for Thanksgiving this year. It was a quick trip but we tried to do as much as we could. We had breakfast at Auntie Annie's, went on a photo scavenger hunt at the mall, and decorated Gingerbread houses at Uncle Dusty's. You and Sunny played well together. Grandma had a big Nativity Snow Globe that played music that you fell in love. She gave it to you and every day you climb up on the piano bench to twist the knob to play the music.
• We have started the Christmas season. We drove up the mountain to cut down a tree. It wasn't your favorite thing to stand in three feet of snow with no gloves on (I had them for you but you didn't want to keep them on). You do like to play in the snow with the tonka trucks, though again you get frustrated with the gloves so they end up off our hands and then within a few minutes you start whining about your hands.

Twenty Months

20 Months

• Can I just say that you make the cutest little cat ever? Halloween was so fun with you. You definitely understood the concept that if you go up to someone and say "treat", they will give you a treat. I wasn't so sure if you would keep your ears on during the different parties, but with the distraction of all the candy, you kept it on. We first went to the Church's Trunk-o-Treat. It was dark and there was a bunch of people of the sidewalk. I forgot to pack a stroller, though lets be honest you wouldn't have stayed in it. Having you dress in all black became really hard to keep track of you. Thankfully I never lost you, just a lot of turning around, finding where you went next. We then hosted a Soup night with friends. I didn't have time to get you guys all dressed up before friends came over, so I put Maggie in charge of getting you ready. She put on the pink tutu outfit and attempted to put your hair in a bun. You loved it. For actually Halloween, we started the night off at the Nursing Home where all the residents passed out candy. You were a real hit there. Afterwards, we went to the city's party and then ended the night on Park Street. Since it gets dark here early, we started at 4:30 and were already finished by 6pm. We were able to go home and watch Toy Story: Terror Stories and be in bed on time.
• We measured you on the 18 month mark but just for fun the other day, I wanted to see how tall you were and you had already grown 1 1/2 inches in the two months. Holy moly, stop growing! You are wearing clothes that Maggie did wear until she was 2 1/2 years old. 
• On mornings where you wake up extra early, I will bring you into my bed and cuddle with you as you drink your milk (yes I still let you have the bottle). After you're finished, you will slide off the bed, run into your room and bring me back a book. I love this one on one time with you. You are getting to be quite the little cuddlier, which I love.
• Favorite things: Minnie mouse, the color pink, getting your fingers painted, pulling out all the cups and water bottles from the drawer, smoothies (you call them juice), babies, books about babies, and the baby show (little Einstein)
• This month you have gone pee twice in the potty and poop once. You are so proud of yourself when it happens. For the most part, you associate sitting on the potty with tooting. I am fine with that. I don't think you are ready though you want to be potty trained. When I am folding clothes, you snag Maggie's underwear and try to put it on. It is really funny.

Nineteen Months

19 Months

• Sam's preschool is in full swing so that means twice a week, we get the mornings just me and you. I do try to get some cleaning done during that time, but I try hard to make sure that we have our special time. While the weather is warm, you enjoy going for walks in the strollers, we read books together, you enjoy getting pushed on the swings and sneaking fruit from the backyard. I really love having that time just me and you.
• We have been helping out in Maggie's class once a week. The first time, you were so shy that you stayed in the stroller eating your breakfast for most of the time. Since then, you have warmed up and explore more. I pack your backpack with snacks, coloring books, and board books. It is so cute seeing you walk down the school halls with your little backpack on.
• Your words are increasing each month. You are getting better at saying words to help you communicate your needs/wants. You say "sneak" when I am making dinner and you want to eat some of what I am cooking. You come up to me and say "bonk" when you get hurt and want a kiss. You say "stuck" with your foot gets caught up in the straps. My favorite is when you say "nah nah nah" when Daddy is wrestling with you and you are trying to get him to chase you.
• You absolutely love fruit. I probably have mentioned this before, but now that the second plum tree is ripe, we are back into eating 5 plums a day along with apples and pears. 
• We went fishing as a family and you were constantly moving. You were going up the hill, then down the hill, into the cooler for food, playing in the tackle box, back over in the plums, playing with the fishing poles, trying to touch the water, up the ramp, sticking your head over the bars, down the ramp, back into the food. This continued the whole time. It is rare that you just sit still.
• You are always dirty. It doesn't help that your nose has been runny for the last month or two, but since you are always on the go, you got dirt all over your hands and face, food in your hair and dripping down your shirt, and mud on your pants. It is rare for you to have a clean face.
• This post makes it sound like you are a bit wild, which is very true, but you are also so loving, kind, and just plain fun to be with. You run and give the biggest hug to whoever greets you at the day. I love the times that I find you jumping and laughing up in your crib after nap time. And I really love when you get one of your books and snuggle with me on the couch and read it together.

Eighteen Months

18 Months

• As you can tell from the picture, I had to cut bangs for you. I tried to hold off as long as I could, but after three weeks of trying to put your hair in a ponytail after Sam cut half the ponytail off, not even the little elastics will stay in and so you had these random strays in your face. I got so fend up with it, I them into bangs. Your dad came home and said it looked like a mullet. We have been working on having you keep your headband on, but until then, just keep smiling and distracting others with your adorable dimples. 
• Your language has increased so much. You can point out all your body parts and are working on animal sounds. You are still loud by nature, but I am figuring out what it is you are being loud about.
• We went swimming a bit since moving to Idaho.. I hasn't been a relaxing thing for me when I bring you because you don't like being held but aren't strong enough for the puddle jumper. Well the last two times that we went, you were finally able to figure out the whole puddle jumper thing and now will swim on your own. Yay!! You love jumping off the steps by yourself and slowly kicking your way back to the shore. You are by far our most independent child for the good and worst. You worked really hard at this whole swimming thing and it shows with how well you do as a 1 1/2 year old.
• Nursery time!! Honestly, you have been going to nursery for the past two months but I finally get to drop you off guilt free and not stay with you. Except the Sunday that you turned 18 months was Stake Conference so it didn't even matter. Until next time.
• Favorite things: babies, you love all babies-baby dolls, pictures of babies on my Instagram account, and real babies. You also really like the Little People Princess and has figured out how they play music on the castle in your room and will dance to their song. You love books and are getting better at sitting for a longer time and letting me read more of a variety (not just Little Blue Truck). You love coloring and have caught you multiple times drawing on your self. I have been trying to be more relax with you coloring but I have to be close because to you, everything is your medium. You love apples whole and will eat the whole thing, core and all.

Seventeen Months

17 Months

• We are staying with Grandma and Papa Matthews for a few weeks. You are having a hard time warming up to Grandma, but Papa is usually awake early in the mornings and will get you from your crib and give you your bottle of milk in the morning, so you really like him. 
• We have gone swimming a few times at the Brigham City Pool. The water is still not your favorite, but Dad put you on the slide and you really liked it. If you climb up to the slide by yourself, you will stop right before in the tunnel and cause a big traffic jam. We had to send Maggie up there to push you down. But if Dad just sets you on midway on the slide and have you go, then you really like. The second time we went there, I took you on the big slide with me and you really like that. You just want to be big so bad. You don't like being held but you can't really even walk well in the water yet, so it is a real struggle right now.
• You have loved going outside and getting pushed on the swings. You also like trying to ride the tricycle and follow the big kids around.
• Other things we did while we were in Utah-we went to the cabin for a few days, you had a late night at your cousin's house, we celebrated Caroline's birthday, and just hung out at the house.
• We made the official move this month. I knew the trailer was going to go slow and you aren't the greatest on rode trips, so I stayed the night with you at Aunt Laura's house after Caroline's party and we woke up early the next day and went as fast as we could to Grangeville. You did really well for just being you in the back with no movie (though you don't really watch movies at this age). Grandma and Papa drove with Dad and they are here for a few days to help with some projects. You are starting to show more interest in books and by the end of the week, you were a bit more warmed up to Grandma because she would read you books.
• The cherries were ripe when we got you and you love them so much, you eat the whole thing, pit and all. So not only do you have diarrhea but all the pits are in the diaper with it. Yuck!
• Overall-you are still a spitfire of a girl, running all over the place the moment I set you on the ground, you love the Little People Princess and baby dolls, you give some really good hugs and are still really obsess with water and milk (constantly drinking something). We love you so much.

Sixteen Months

16 Months

• We had swim lessons this month. I signed you up for ducky diaper class, but honestly you were more interested trying to get into other's bags than playing in the water. They have the small slide that I thought you would love, but you have never loved going down slides. The game that you did like was sitting on the edge throwing in all your animals in and then I would hold your hands while you walked around to collect them all.
• Uncle Tommy invited our family to go boating. Your dad is really nervous having you on boats because you are all over the place. So we took turns playing on the beach with you. It was fun swimming in the water with you, digging in the sand, and eating way too much twizzlers. 
• Well, this was the big month-moving. You are so young that seeing all our stuff get boxed up or sold wasn't too hard for you. I will miss our South Ogden House because it was our first home, where we played in the back yard, planted a garden, and most importantly, brought you home. 
• Our new house is really big. The stairs god straight down, which scare you to go down. However, your bedroom is on the main floor and I have found you playing in there by yourself often. The backyard is so overgrown that we haven't really been able to enjoy it yet.
• Fourth of July was this month. We had all the Matthews cousins come over. We rented a bounce house with water slide and pool. You were a bit young for that but once all the big kids left, you sneaked in the pool part and splashed around. We had burgers for dinner and stayed up late to watch the fireworks at the park. I was worried having you stay up so late, but you were loving it. When the fireworks went off, you snuggled up to my side, amazed at the colors.
• Favorites: food-blueberries, green beans, black beans, pizza, edamame, and anything sweet; book-"What Do You Say?" the book Sam got from the doctor's office; you love your lovey Ramona and water from your sippy cup
• Words-mama, dada, book, no, pup, dog, horse, uh oh spaghetti oh, water, all done, thank you, the piggy sound
• Overall, you are such a spunky, independent, fun girl. You love your siblings and really look up to them. You love tackling Sam and sitting next to Maggie while she reads you a book.

Fifteen Months

15 Months

• You are walking now!! It took a lot of chocolate chips to motivate you to do it, but now you are 100% walking. It makes playing outside so much nicer because your aren't dragging your pant knees through the mud and not scraping them up on the cement. Don't get me wrong, you still get plenty of dirty outside, your outfits are just handling it better.
• Being outside is still your favorite thing. You love the sandbox and playhouse. One day, we striped you down to your diaper, turned on the hose, and made a mud pit for you and Sam to play with the trucks in. You guys were out there for about an hour. It shows that you spend more time with Sam because you really like to play with cars and trucks.
• You are still a picky eater, but I feel like we are turning a corner on it. Just tonight for dinner, you ate all your broccoli. I gave you ranch to dip it in and that made the difference. Some of your favorite food include pbj, green beans, peas, grapes, raisins, black beans, and strawberries. 
• One o'clock church has been rough lately. We took away your pacifier right when we got home from California and it is so hard to get you to fall asleep at church. This last Sunday, I finally brought the ergo with my and just walked around the outside while talking to Grandma Price on the phone. I can't wait until we change to ten o'clock church in Idaho.
• Let's talk about that pacifier. It should have been taken away around your birthday, but I really wanted it for the California trip (which was really helpful). When we got home that night, I had to throw them all in the trash for my sake. I was nervous that if it didn't go in the dumpster, I would cave and give it to you. You didn't nap well that first day, but after that, you have done well. Though for about 2 weeks afterwards, whenever you saw another baby with one, you would try to steal it.
• We took you guys to the Aquarium in Layton where you can touch most all the animals. You really like touching the lizards and actually remained clam when the birds were surrounding us.
• You aren't saying too many more words, but you understand a ton more. I ask you to "Go get Millie's book" and you will go get one of your books to cuddle up with me to read. Your favorite books are Little Blue Truck,  Blue Hat Green Hat, The Foot Book, Where is Baby, and the Pride and Prejudice book. I will also ask you to get your shoes, and you will go to the shoe box and empty it all out. 
• You really are into everything. You will push the chair around and climb up onto it. You can climb onto the couch and get onto the side tables, you sneak into your sibling's closet and make a mess, you grab the crayons from the drawer and color on the floor, sneak into the baking drawer to eat chocolate chips, throw all the pillows off the couch, scatter all your books across the livingroom, and still will get into the bathroom to pull out the contents in the drawers and play in the toilet. It is exhausting just listing it.
• Swim lessons started this week, but I will talk more about it next month once you have done the two weeks of it.

Fourteen Months

14 Months

• This month, you have learned so many new signs and words. You can sign all done and more. You can say mama, dada, pup, out, book, all done, and more. We finally have been able to get you to take a few steps but only when we bribe you with chocolate chips. You have discovered where I hid the chocolate chips and I found you the other day sneaking some.
• Some of your favorite things include playing outside (mostly the sandbox and playing with the bikes), sneaking into the bathroom to make a mess and splashing in the toilet, eating breads like muffins, pancakes, and waffles, wrestling with daddy, playing with the Little People Princesses with Maggie, and going for walks (especially when I let you hold Mowgli's lease).
• The big exciting thing that happened this month was going to California and visiting Disneyland. We took off Tuesday morning and drove all the way down in one day. You weren't the best car rider this time. We needed up stopping four times. At one of the stops, you had been fussy for about 30 minutes before we could fine a place to pull over and when I went around to get you, you were giving me the "all done" sign. We switched your car seat around so you could watch the movies, though I don't know if it helped at all. We stayed at a hotel that was right across from Disneyland. We woke up bright and early on Wednesday and spent the day at Disneyland.We were able to take you on a lot of the rides, which you really enjoyed. In any of the boat rides, you really wanted to touch the water, which almost led to you fall in. You were such a champ all day. You didn't mind being in the stroller a bunch and was happy all day despite only taking one 30 minute nap. The grossest thing was the fact that when we were waiting in line, you would lay down on the ground and lick the old gum, slurping from puddles, eating other people's fudge brownies, and sucking on anything metal. Gross! We ended the night with you falling asleep on the Winnie the Pooh ride and was knocked out for the rest of the night.
• The next day was suppose to be a rest day, but the weather was good and Friday was suppose to be crazy, so we decided to go for it and go to California Adventures. We got there early and went straight to Cars Land. There were more rides that you were not tall enough, so Dad and I took taking you around getting your photo taken with the different characters while the other took the big kids on ride. Again, you were so happy even though this was the third day in a row where you only got one short nap.
• On Friday, we had a late check out from the hotel so we spent five hours at the pool. You were able to finally get a good nap in while the big kids were swimming. When you woke up, you joined them by the pool. They had a pirate ship with slide and splash pad. It would normally fill a whole day, but we decided that we had time to squeeze in a quick beach time. We drove to Huntington Beach and spent the evening building sand castles, jumping in the waves, having a sand fight with dad, and bury your body. Again, you flopped down on your belly, rolling around in the sand. Since we weren't planning on coming, we weren't prepared with towels or anything, but you guys were good sports. We headed over to Aunt Sandy and Uncle Birch's house that night. 
• Saturday was a bit more relaxed. In the morning, you were able to take another nap. Once you woke up, we picked up lunch and went to visit Grandma Peggy. It was nice to see her. You were pretty tired at that point, so it was a bit harder to keep you happy and not get into whatever mystery items were under her bed. We came back to Birch's where we went swimming in their pool and you met a few of your second cousins. We left Sunday, stopped at Emily and Joey's for dinner and to pick up Mowgli.

Thirteen Months

13 Months

• One of the big news this month is that you can now have milk! We were suppose to do allergy testing, but in the middle of teething, I gave you Zurtec to help with your runny nose. I forgot that I wasn't suppose to give you any meds for a week beforehand. So we had to postpone the testing to the end of the month. I decide to at least try giving you milk and nothing happened. In fact, your diarrhea has gotten better. So we decided to cancel the testing and I have felt so good about that decision. The sad thing is since we have catered to your meals for a while, your good eating habits have gone south. We are working on that now. If I give you something you don't like (usually meats), you feed it to Mowgli. Well at least Mowgli is well fed. 
• I didn't record your stats from your one year appointment, so here they are. Length: 2'9". Weight: 21lbs 9 oz. They puts you in the 60th percentile. You have dropped in percentile, which is what your sister did, so we are not too concerned. 
• Let me tell you how your birthday went. On Sunday before, we invited all the northern families over for dinner and cake. You loved being able to stay up late with the big kids and eat a bunch of cake. Your cousins were so sweet to bring you some presents. You got a my little pony, some bath toys, and some fisher price learning toys. On your actually birthday, we started by going to the doctor's for your appointment and a bunch of shots (so sorry), took a big nap, played at the library, and then did dinner, cookies, and presents. Maggie and Sam were so cute in picking out your gift. They picked out a Minnie Mouse outfit. Your dad and I got you one of those popcorn pushers and a new rider toy for outside. It was really fun to see you get excited to rip paper and just be so happy.
• A rough time this month was having you get three front teeth in one week. You were so snotty, had a rough time sleeping, and wanted to be held all the time. I appreciate all the extra cuddle time with you, but I am even more happy that it is other for now. That front tooth was a beast.
• You are not wanting to learn to walk. You can walk while just holding one hand. You can walk while holding on to your push toy. But you do not enjoy any of it. You would rather crawl. Once if see that walking will lead to running, which is so much faster than crawling, which leads to even more mischief. 

One Year!!

One Year

Dear Millie,

This birthday is a big one. You are changing from the sweet, sleepy baby that we would rock to sleep into this spunky, giggly, loud toddler that would stop moving. I remember when your dad asked me if I wanted a third kid. Oh no, we have one of each and for selfish reasons, I wanted to be done. But how grateful I am that Dad, Maggie and Sam all begged for you. You are truly a light in our family. You may get into more mischef than the others have, but for some reason, it is super cute and funny when you do it. You have always been this chilled baby, but now I see that you really are independent, love others, curious, determined, cuddly little girl.

I love how you try to make others and yourself laugh. Like your brother, you truly enjoy life and want to share that sunshine with others. I love how you love Maggie and Sam. You try so hard to wrestle with them, get them to play peek-a-boo with you, and imitate them in their silly antics. I love how fond you are of Mowgli, smiling while saying "pu pu pu" for puppy. I love how excited and loud you get when daddy walks through the door. I love how you snuggle into my neck when a stranger tries to say hi, but will try to sneak a peak at them, giggle, and snuggle again. I love how we have the early mornings together, snuggling on the bed, looking through old videos, and tickle attacks all before the craziness of your siblings waking up.

I hate to say goodbye to your baby chub, rocking you to sleep, toothless grins, and having you lay perfectly in my arms. But at the same time, I am excited to see you learn how to walk, learn new words, figure out your favorites, and explore every more new things, and become the young women that you are destined to be.

I love you so much. My life has been more rich because of you. Happy Birthday sweet one!!!

Love,
Mom

Eleven Months

11 Months

• This has been more of a quiet month. Your sister has been sick so much that we have stayed home a lot. You don't mind, you get great naps and roam all over the house.
• You learned how to crawl up the stairs for better or for worse. We have a baby gate for the stairs going down because that would really hurt for you to fall down the wood stairs, but the half flight up is free game. I thought you were getting into trouble on the main floor, but now that you can go upstairs, we have entered a whole new game. We have to keep the bathroom door and my room door shut at all times. There has been so many times that I have walked into the bathroom with q-tips scattered all over the floor, the toilet paper unrolled in a big pile on the floor, the trashed scattered and you either sucking on the toilet bowl brush (so gross!!) or splashing around in the toilet like its a swimming pool (nasty!!!). My room has books and I have a page or two ripped out of my Book of Mormon now. But also it has been nice. As long as the legos are picked up, your brother and sister are pretty good with letting you play in their room. You like to sneak up there and play cars or pull out the dress up clothes out of the drawers.
• You have been nicked name the "Wild Child" for more than one reason. The first reason is from the bullet point above. The second reason is your hair. It is so long in front and it grows straight down into your eyes and nose boogers. I try hard to always keep it pulled back in a pony tail, but after each nap it is a diaster and then the other times when I just redid it nicely, you will rip out the hair tie. So about 75% of the time, your crazy hair is stuck in front of your face covered and splattered with boogers.

Ten Months

10 Months

• December is always a fun month and for it to be your first Christmas made it even more special. We visited Salt Lake to see the different window displays at the Grande Hotel and also the Temple lights (though it was really cold). We drove through the lights in Layton Park, made and passed out goodies to the neighbors, walked through a live Nativity, visited the Criche (a large collection of Nativity sets), watched a ton of Christmas movies, and went to a few parties. Let's be honest, most of the activities were a bit too late for your bed time, you spent a lot of time in the stroller, and were surrounded by goodies that you couldn't eat. But you were a good sport for all of it. Daddy did sneak you a good amount of cookies and a few sips of egg nog-both which you screamed afterwards because you wanted more.
• The big thing this month is that you learned how to crawl. I attribute it all to the presents and Christmas tree. You kept wanting to pull on the tree skirt, pull down the ornaments, and try to rip open the presents. It was a big motivator for you to crawl. Those three weeks with all the Christmas decor up and you crawling around the house has been some of the most stressful mommy time in my mommy career. All of a sudden, you were in everything. The tree, the lamp, the bathroom, the dog food, the baking goods. I had to keep rearranging the kitchen so you wouldn't make messes every three minutes. I think we finally figured out everything though once Christmas was over. 
• Our whole family got hit with influenza. It was first your dad and then you. For one whole day, you just wanted to cuddle on the couch or sleep. It was so sad to see you so sick. Thankfully we did get you the shot this year so it wasn't as long for you and you were all back to normal for Christmas. 
• Christmas was a blast. You loved all the paper and wrappings. You just would crawl all over the room, rolling around in the paper and ripping it up. Santa brought you a new sippy cup (though you still don't like it) some Minnie Mouse pacifiers, and baby puffs. You really needed some bigger winter clothes so both us and Grandma Price got you some cute new outfits with leggings that actually fit. 
• New Years was spent in the cabin, which meant that Dad and big kids played out in the snow while I literally followed you around every minute that you were awake. There were so many things that you shouldn't get into that you could-the fireplace, tons of cords, stairs, and books. We took you out in the snow for a while. This was your first real time in the snow. We took you down the sledding hill and pulled you around in the tube. You were more indifferent to the idea.