Monday, December 15, 2008

15 Months Old



Erica turned 15 months on December 10th. I can't believe she is already this old. Time seems to go much more quickly once you pass the one year mark. She is at such a fun age and I'm enjoying her more and more. How could you not with a face like that?!!

She is turning out to be quite the jokester. She loves to be silly and make us laugh. She loves to play peek-a-boo, hide and seek and she makes all sorts of funny faces and sounds. She also loves to have her dad throw her in the air or make her fly. On the flip side, she can also be very fussy. It is still better than when she was a baby, but that fuss wears on my nerves!! She is currently suffering from separation anxiety with her mom, which is not fun for me. Thank goodness the happy days outweigh the fussy ones. Here are some updates about her:

Height - 30.5 in (51%)
Weight - 20 lb 13 0z (20%)
Head - 47.5 cm (88%)
  • Teeth - 11
  • Hours sleeping at night - 12
  • Naps during the day - 1 nap (1 1/2 hours)
  • Surgeries - one (tubes)
  • Airplane trips - 7 (Utah, Washington, Utah, Hawaii, California, Washington, Idaho)
  • Music she likes - Dashboard "Vindicated", Amy Adams "How Do You Know" from Enchanted, "Old McDonald", Laurie Berkner "Moon, Moon, Moon", Bingo (she likes to clap along)
  • Books she likes - Loves all books, but especially those with pictures of balls, toothbrushes, bears and shoes (I think this encompasses all children's books)
  • Movies she likes - Baby Signing Time, Baby Einstein, Laurie Berkner, Brainy Baby
  • Words she can say - ball, bear, bone, bra (I know, but she likes "b" words), dada, bye bye, mama, duck
  • Words she can kind of say - shoes ("sh"), shapes ("sha"), star ("ta"), banana ("nana"), water ("wa-wa"), ladybug ("lulu")
  • Words she can sign - we counted about 50+, so I won't list them all here, but generally they include foods, animals, clothing, people and objects. Some favorites are milk, cookie, cracker, dada, grandpa, dog, banana, cell phone, outside and shoes.
  • Body parts she can identify - 11. Showing off her belly is her favorite. She might also try to lift your shirt to check out your belly. Consider yourself warned.
  • Food she likes - All foods, except for coleslaw (just found out). She is generally willing to try anything and has been a fantastic eater. We feel very lucky.
  • Sleep habits - She has to have a knitted blanket. She likes to stick her fingers through the holes. Somehow that is comforting for her. She also uses a pacifier to fall asleep, but she never needs it when she is awake. She goes down easy, most of the time, as long as she is in her own crib.
  • Favorite You Tube Videos - "kitty cat dance", "A Christmas Train", "cat moving closer", "grand canyon train"
  • Favorite Toys - stuffed animals (she loves to cuddle and kiss them), shape sorter, play stroller (she loves to drag it around), any kind of ball (especially if she can throw it for Kayla), the trampoline, magnets (she likes to take them off the fridge and throw them), cell phones, ipod, laptop, toy train, stoller shaped like a car with a steering wheel (I want to get her one for Christmas)

Typical Day - Wake up between 7am-7:30am. Eat cereal and a banana. Play with toys. Go on a run with mom and Kayla in my stroller. Walk around outside in the yard. Possibly jump on the trampoline. Watch a movie for a 1/2 hour. Have more food (yogurt or raisins). Read books. Take a nap from 11:30am-1pm. Have lunch - usually a PB&J sandwich. Go on errands with mom or go to a play group. Come home and have an afternoon snack. Watch a 1/2 hour of another movie. Walk around outside. Play with more toys. Skype with Grandpa. Dad comes home. Have dinner. Play with dad. Read books and sing songs. Go to bed about 7:30pm.

On Saturday I got to run in the annual 5K Jingle Run. The participants wear jingle bells on their shoes and they play Christmas music. It was pretty fun. I got 101st place, I think. My goal was to finish in under 40 minutes - I set my standards high :) I finished in under 33.


Erica had more fun playing in the leaves.

This is just a random shot of Erica at our neighbor's birthday party a few weeks ago.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Tubes in Her Ears

Today was Erica's surgery. We have been talking about putting tubes in for awhile now, but we just kept putting it off. Neither of us wanted to have Erica be put out for a surgery, she just seemed too young. We did A LOT of praying and finally decided it was the right thing to do. The surgery was scheduled for 12:15 p.m.

Here's a summary of our day:

7 am - Erica wakes up. As instructed by the doctor, she is only allowed to have clear juices until 8:15am. She drinks a bottle of juice.

8:15 am - I keep waiting for Erica to sign "eat" or "milk" and dread the thought of having to tell her "No." Thankfully, she doesn't indicate she wants food.

10:00 am - She is acting mad and tired and hungry. I attempt to put her down for a nap early because she is going to miss her regular nap time today.

10:15 am - She is still awake, so I cuddle her in the rocking chair and sing Christmas carols. That seems to soothe her for a few minutes.

10:30 am - Troy gives Erica a blessing. We leave for the doctor. I bring a whole arsenal of items to make the 45 minute drive more bearable.

10:45 am - The arsenal is exhausted. I succomb to my strict rule of no cell phone playing and hand mine over. Amazingly, it occupies her the rest of the drive.

11:15am - We arrive at the doctor's and it is also nap time. Troy signs 1000+ papers while I try to occupy Erica. She is not happy.

12:00 pm - I give up on trying to occupy her and let her run around the surgery room in socks and a diaper. She is much happier.

12:15 pm - The doctor is not here yet and I'm trying to suppress my anger about starving my child and making her miserable to be ready at this exact time.

12:25 pm - The doctor finally shows up and answers all our questions. We still feel this is the right thing to do.

12:30 pm - I hand my child over to a complete stranger to take her off for her first surgery. Thank goodness the man has a big gray beard. For some reason, Erica loves men with beards. I don't hear her screaming as they take her away, so I am comforted a little.

12:35 pm - I'm feeling pretty proud of myself for how strong I am being about this whole situation.

12:40 pm - The doctor comes out and says she is ready. As we are walking back to the recovery room I hear Erica shrieking. As we come around the corner, I see her thrashing and screaming.

12:41 pm - I lose it. I start crying and rush to comfort Erica. She is not comforted.

12:42 pm - The annoying nurses assure me that this is a normal reaction to anesthesia. I am not comforted.

12:50 pm - We leave the doctor's office and make the 45 minute drive home. Erica is screaming and whimpering the whole way. She doesn't even want her juice. She eventually falls asleep about 20 minutes before home.

Afternoon - Erica slowly calms and regains her appetite. Otter pops were her favorite today. She clings to me for hours and fusses if I set her down.

6pm - We put drops in her ears. A little blood trickles out. I get nervous, but then I remember that they told us this could happen.

6:30pm - She is out cold.

What a day. And this was only for tubes. I can't even begin to imagine what other parents have gone through for way more serious procedures on their children. My heart goes out to you. Please share any experiences if you want.

And, I can't ever do a post without putting up pictures of Erica, so here is a comparison of how she has changed over 15 months. It doesn't even look like the same baby.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Thanksgiving in Boise

Every other year, the Tegeder side of the family gets together in Boise at Thanksgiving time for a family reunion. Because of marriages, babies and pets added in the last two years, it made for a very full, but fun house. We do nothing but eat, relax, play games and hang out. It was a wonderful vacation and I already can't wait to do it again in two years.


Erica's first Thanksgiving dinner. She loved it.


Erica cuddling with O-ma.


Erica loved to play with her cousins Lovi and Noah.