Elsa is Sixteen Months

Elsa turned sixteen months old yesterday on my mom's birthday (happy birthday, Mom!). Just in the past few weeks, Elsa has graduated to toddler status. My Christmas wish came true when she started doing laps around my parents' house on Christmas Eve. Having a walker is all I could have hoped for -- she seems to gain confidence and interest in her surroundings on a daily basis, toddling around after me or venturing out and exploring on her own. Her solo playtime has lengthened some, allowing me to get a bit more done around the house here and there, and our playtime together continues to be more and more fun.

Aside from becoming more mobile, she has also become somewhat more verbal. She continues to sign a lot, and has been using the sign for "help" a decent amount. I have actually had to look up the signs for a few words because at times it is almost as if she is trying to find a sign for something she sees. For instance, the other day she started doing the "bear" sign for "cow" because she didn't know a sign for "cow," but you could tell she was a little hesitant in signing "bear." In addition to signing, she verbalizes "off;" "up;" the letters "e," "f," and "s;" "bubbles" and "baby" (which both kind of sound like "ba ba"); "bubble bath" (which sounds like "ba ba ba"); "bye;" "down" (which sounds like "duh"); "dog" (which sounds like "da"); and "whoa" (which is just too cute). And she still says something that sounds like "sa" for her name.

"Mommy, I really want your phone."

"Why can't I have your phone?"

"Pllleeeaaase let me have your phone!!!"

She has been sleeping later these days, usually getting up somewhere between 7:15 a.m. and 8:00 a.m., which has been delightful. Especially since she is still going down for the night between 7:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and is usually asleep by 8:00 p.m. In addition, she usually naps at least two hours (between one and one-and-a-half on a bad day) -- sometimes three. So I really can't complain about her sleep at all.

Now that Elsa is walking, I can't wait for it to warm up enough to do more outdoor activities. I think going places, such as to the park or the zoo or the botanical gardens, will be so much more fun now that she can run around some and explore. Although I might need to buy one of those child harnesses/leashes to keep her in sight!

Though she continues to grow, she is still our sweet baby. When we left my parents at Christmas, they told Elsa to not grow a bit -- that she is perfect just the way she is. I would almost agree with that. Of course, I think she is perfect at any age, but I am really looking forwarding to recording many an Elsa-ism, so I think once she can talk a little more, I am not going to want her to age another day.