Evie- 16 Month Update

Hello loves! How is everyone?

Another week down....March is flying by! I can't believe it. And with another month comes another update on Miss E.

She's entered toddler-hood full force now, having opinions (very strong ones, I'll add) about everything. She likes to do everything by herself- from brushing her 12 teeth, to "drinking" out of cups (read: spilling water all over her face all by herself), to running down the sidewalk. I love her big, independent, caring personality and even though she's getting better and better and testing my patience, I love watching her "grow into" herself.

This month has been an off and on "Mama phase" which has been hard for both AJ and I. She's getting a few new teeth, which always makes her want me and no one else. But it goes in waves. When she first meets someone, she acts very shy and will cling to me, but after about 20 minutes she's out of her shell and showing off.

Likes:
- Playing outside: Just like during the winter when she would point at her jacket and ask to go outside, she is constantly waving bye-bye to the door or pointing out the window asking to go play.  Which I'm much less reluctant about, given the gorgeous weather we've had lately.
- "Cooking": If I'm in the kitchen trying to do dishes or make dinner, it's basically impossible to do unless I distract her with something. Her new favorite distraction is an empty bowl with a wooden spoon, so she can cook just like me.
- Putting on "pretties": I'm continually amazed at how observant she is. If I hand her one of my lipsticks, she will rub it over her lips and look at me with a big smile. I handed her my eyelash curler one day just to preoccupy her, and she squinted up her eyes and tried to curl her eyelashes. They're now one of her favorite things to play with. 
- Yelling at people she knows: After AJ (or anyone whose name she can say) leaves the room, she will run around yelling "Dada! Dada!" until he comes back. She also yells at Nona for getting off FaceTime, or at Uncle Jess for not being home when we come over.
- Thinking every animal with fur is a puppy and everything that flies is a chicken: If she hears a dog bark, or sees a squirrel, or any furry animal she will run around with her tongue out panting like a dog. If it has wings or a beak, it's a "bok bok".
- Fake laughing: I think every kid discovers their fake laugh at some point, but it's pretty hilarious to watch her show off doing what she finds funny in her own way.

Dislikes:
- Being away from me or not being held: like I said, I hope this separation anxiety is just a phase, but I'm starting to think about things I can do to help her feel better about being away from me. Any suggestions from those who have done this before?

She does this EVERYWHERE. My little yoga babe.

Firsts:
- She's learning new words all the time, but my favorite new one is "there". She will be working hard at getting something just how she wants it and when she's finished she'll say, with relief, "there!".
- She weighs 20 lbs almost on the dot. The doctor was a little bit concerned with her weight not being as high as it should be, so we are focusing on getting her lots of good fats and calories! However, tall and thin runs in both sides of our families, so I'm not overly worried.

Doesn't she look SO grown up here? It's kind of killing me.

I can't believe how much she's changed just since her first birthday. It's been so much fun getting to interact with her more and watch her engage and play with her surroundings. My baby is growing up, you guys!