TIDWTF - March 31, 2011

Things I Don't Want To Forget

(it has been far too long since I have done one of these)

-In the past few weeks Rachel has gotten 2 new teeth in. This brings our new total up to 9 teeth! (5 on the bottom and 4 on top)

-Rach continues to be an awesome, non-picky eater! She has yet to meet a vegetable that she doesn't like; the latest one we gave her was asparagus last weekend and she did great. She absolutely LOVES all of the homemade soups that Grandma has made.

-When Rach is eating something she really likes (yogurt, soup, cookies...) she makes the most adorable "Mmmm" sound. Cracks me up!

-Rachel's vocabulary keeps growing each and every day. The list of words that she knows and can identify is super long. You can ask her to bring you any number of things, toys, books, etc and she will bring you the right one. Rach is also adding a bunch of new words that she can say too. More often now she tries to repeat words after we say them.

-Rach still is not a full-time walker yet but she has been practicing and is getting much better. She had been taking one or two steps here and there for a couple months now but in the recent weeks the amount of steps and walking distances have noticably increased. The first one that I can remember was on Monday March 7. I had just gotten home from work and was in our living room with Rach, Grandma, and Grandpa. Rach was standing at our coffee table and wanted to get to something near the front door. And just like that, off she went. She must have taken at least 6 good steps all by herself. We were so proud and I was so glad I was there to see! Since then she has continued practicing and working on her confidence at home for me & Matt, at Grandma and Grandpa's, and at daycare.

-After all of the February/beginning of March sickness drama we enjoyed 3 glorious weeks illness free! Unfortunately this Sunday Rach woke up at midnight with a fever and has had a cold/virus this week. She had the fever most of the day Sunday and then it returned while she was at daycare Tuesday. She has a stuffy, runny nose and a yucky cough. She hasn't been sleeping too good at night but has at least been napping during the days (too bad Mommy can't nap during the days too! :) Luckily she does not have another ear infection and does not need antibiotics again, yay!

-Rach is seriously the happiest little sick kid I have ever seen! She does have her moments, like when she is tired, she is tired, and she does want to hug and cuddle a bit more than usual, but overall she is still amazing! And the energy levels...my goodness! Especially after a really good nap, wow, she is just go, go, go! It is so great to see her happy and playing even when she is sick. It does however make it interesting when she is playing hardcore and then sneezes and you have to basically chase her down to wipe her nose!

-Rachel is still such an affectionate little girl and I love it! I think it's safe to say that at least once a day either me or Matt or both are given a hug and/or kiss from her, just because. While she is sick this week we have had to do a lot of nose wiping and Rach honestly does not like it one bit. She cries and fusses and tries to squirm away from you. BUT most of the time after I am done wiping her nose she gives me a kiss without me even asking for it! In my head she is saying, "I hate having you wipe my nose Mom, but I still love you." She also loves to give hugs to her favorite toys: Puppy, Mickey, and Timmy. It is so cute to watch her pull them super close and give them a big hug! She always does it with a sweet smile and sometimes even a little giggle. Also, if I am holding Rach and Matt and I kiss, Rach then leans in and tries to join in the kiss too! She is such a little lover!

-Timmy, oh Timmy. Last Friday Rachel and Matt went to Target together and Daddy bought Rach her very own stuffed Timmy. It is little, but so is Rach. If you are reading this wondering, "who in the heck is Timmy??", well then, woah you are missing out. Timmy Time is a show on the Disney Channel that Rach likes almost as much as Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. (I swear my child does not sit around and watch tv all day!) It is all animals and there is no talking, just the animal noises. Rach gets such a kick out of it!

-Even with the addition of Timmy, it is safe to say that Puppy is still #1 with Rach. Puppy is her BFF. Timmy has quickly taken the spot as a really solid #2 with her, but alas, it appears that no one can dethrone Puppy from #1 BFF status. (Awhile ago when we first realized how attached to Puppy Rach was we went out and got a second puppy, just in case. Well during the sickness ordeal during February I actually got 2 more puppies, again just in case. It also makes life easier for me when Rach is sick. I change her sheets, jammies, blankets, etc practically every day when she is sick and it seemed silly that she would keep the same germ covered Puppy day after day. This way I can easily have time to wash them and she still always has a clean one. We just have our own little litter of Puppies now!)