Xandri at 18 Months

Busy. Feisty. Snuggly. Shy. Mama's girl. Baby. Big girl. Silly. Dramatic. Emotional. Jabber-y. Sassy.

Words: No. 'Es. Nice. Not nice. Buppies. Stories. This. Wha's 'is? Cookie. Cracker. Juice. Daddy. Mommy. A' done. Down. Back (to the puppies). Pease? Bi'es (bites).

Mannerisms:
Hand over the mouth- whenever she's excited, happy or sad-- any extreme emotion, she places her hands over her mouth. Her eyes react accordingly- either her eyebrows go up and her eyes shine or her face crumples as she turns away to stand in a corner.

Hands up in the air- whenever she's excited.

Shoulder shrug, hands extended, adorable beggar look- whenever she wants something and is saying, "pease?"

Growling- at puppies, at Mommy and Daddy, at anyone or anything she feels like. Also, pigs growl.

Arms flailing, running away, shouting "nonononono!"- naptime, diaper change, face & hands washed or anything else she doesn't want done.

Runs to me and buries face in my leg- whenever she's nervous about losing her place with me, uncertain about new developments or people, or hears a loud noise (i.e. thunder). The last is also accompanied with the hands over the mouth on her way to me.

Closes her eyes- reason unknown. But she does this a lot at the dinner table, I think just because she knows it gets a laugh. It always does, so she keeps doing it. Refer to Exhibit A (she was just finished crying over some unknown disappointment).

Exhibit A

Wrapping things around her neck- Now I know why they put those warning labels on cords. I don't remember Avril doing this, but it seems that Xandri will put whatever she can around her neck given half a chance. Note the scarf and belt in Exhibit B.

Exhibit B

Putting things on her head- anything that might fit on her head belongs there. This includes baskets, hats, bowls, towels, blankets, shirts, other clothes, plastic bags (happened once, hopefully never again!), etc.

Child's Pose- aptly named, what can I say. For those unfamiliar with yoga poses, to come into Child's Pose, kneel down, bend forward and extend your arms out on the floor in front of you, forehead to the floor. This she does in any moment of agitation when other responses just aren't enough.

Xandri's Echo

So Xandri's doctor noticed a faint heart murmur at her last checkup. It's routine to get it checked out on an echo, so we got an appointment. Xandri was so good and so cute. It was raining when we got there, so when I got out of the car, I bundled her in her blanket and threw it over her head so she wouldn't get rained on. She didn't move from her position the whole time we were waiting. She just sat so patiently and quietly and snuggled on my lap. That's one thing I LOVE about this little girl... she is SUCH a snuggler!

Anyway, we went back to have the echo done and they stuck all those sticker heart monitor things on her chest and her back. She very solemnly sat very still, watching the whole process and being very calm the entire time. I was so proud of her. It probably took at least 20 minutes or so, and she was perfect throughout.

Finally, they finished up and started pulling the stickers off. That's when she started to cry--- not because it hurt, but because she liked the stickers and wanted to wear them! So they sent some home...

Oh, and the echo was completely normal- just an innocent heart murmur.

What IS that?

THAT, my friends, is enough hair to keep a whole other dog warm for the winter. In fact, it might be enough hair to provide for the warmth of a small country of dogs. THAT is what Derek brushed off of Corporal over the course of forty minutes a couple days ago. There were two diapers in this can before we started. After Kitty was done, I would estimate that it was up to about 18 inches in there. (Kitty wasn't quite as bad, but she gave a sizable donation.)

Snuggling

Lately Avril is always wanting someone to snuggle with her when she goes to bed. And now Xandri wants to lay in Avril's bed. So, we did what we could: they loved it! It only lasted a couple of days. Xandri fell out of bed once and then they kept getting out of bed one night, but there was one night, this night, that it actually lasted. I loved it.

Little Miss Potato Head

What can I say? She has style.

The Day After...

... the peanut butter movie...
We went outside to play, and the kid I was babysitting, Justin, found the peanut butter plate. At first it was funny and I cleaned him up and put the plate away. Unfortunately, I didn't know there was a second plate! At least the dogs helped...

The Moment Before

Oh, Kitty...