Gigi

or little stink, or Grety...Greta goes by all. I have failed to take enough pictures and video of our sweety. What can I say? Life is busy. She had her one-year check-up yesterday. (Yes, even this was scheduled late. She is almost 15 months-old. At least I don't have to schedule her 15 month check-up. There are a few benefits of being behind.) Her stats: 20 lbs. 10 oz.(25th percentile), 32 1/2" (98th percentile), head circ. 45 cm. She is consistently growing, long and lean. I made them measure her length twice because the Autotopia ride at Disneyland said children needed to be at least 32" to ride. I was sure Greta would pass, but she was a good three inches below the marker. Well, now I'll just tell them that their marker is off! Anyway, back to Greta, she is so much fun and full of energy. She wakes up happy each morning. Her time has been a little inconsistent, sometimes she wakes up at 6:30 and other times it is 8:30. For the most part she wakes up around 7:30-8:00am. Usually, Elsa, Brian and I fight for who gets to get her out of bed. (Ava is still sleeping.) We love being the one to open the door to be greeted with her toothy dimpled grin. She immediately wants to be on the go, pointing to somewhere or something to help her along the way. She LOVES shoes. This is a first for me. My other two were so indifferent. Not Greta. She is particular. Not that this surprises me or Brian that we have a particular child. She comes by it honestly. It is funny to see that she is particular about SHOES! She'll bring me one shoe to put on and then walk lopsided back to the shoe rack to get the second shoe. (She matches the right shoes too.) Once they are on, she is ready to explore. She is into everything. She climbs, opens, dumps, spills, pulls - anything to curb her curiosity. I will walk into a room and find a box of cereal dumped all over the floor or find her standing on top of the table. She is quick!

I've been working on a picture project, and when I came into the kitchen this morning, this is what I found.




She had figured out how to open the bag that the chocolate chips were in. She had a huge grin of satisfied accomplishment. She loves sweets, mostly pure chocolate, but she'll gladly eat ice cream, cakes, and cookies. She comes by this honestly too, but not from me. In this she takes after her Grandpa H. She loves chocolate and knows all the different packaging it comes in. She can't be fooled. Brian and I have partly fed this addiction because it totally amuses us. She is totally spoiled, can't you tell.

She usually has a running commentary, all babbling with a little of Mamma and Dadda thrown in. My favorite thing she says is "uh-oh," which she says anytime something is dropped. She also calls Elsa "E-yah." (Ava called her the same thing.) And Ava "A-ya." The funniest thing she does that makes us all laugh is her expressions. She has done this for a while, but it never gets dull. She will pull her cheek muscles back into her neck and open her eyes wide. We all roar with laughter and then she grins, knowing that she has amused us. She also gives the best "dirty look." It is a total game to her.

Other things that Greta loves are kisses. She gives the best kisses and laughs when she is kissed on her neck. She is very ticklish. She also loves a Minnie Mouse doll of Elsa's. She carries this around giving it hugs and kisses on the nose.

She loves her little red slide. She slides down cautiously, which seems out of character for her. She loves going to the park and just being able to run around on the open fields. She loves phones, ipods, and remotes. It is the buttons and sounds, I know. She picks up almost anything in the shape of a phone (bananas have worked) and puts it to her ear and babbles. I guess she sees this a lot???

The one thing that I have not enjoyed with this toddler stage is the tantrums. She wants all attention, which I just cannot give. She will flop on the ground with giant tears streaming down her cheeks. This is a frustrating age because there are times I can't tell what she wants or she can't have what she wants. How long does this last anyway? I forget with each child, and then it is like "Oh yeah, I remember this stage."

I have thoroughly enjoyed having Greta as a baby and now as a toddler. She brings so much joy into our home. Documenting this stage makes me realize how fast these precious children of ours grow up. Elsa and Ava are so far removed from this stage, and they aren't that much older.