Crazy Dayz

It has been a little crazy around the Mencke household the last few weeks. We've been to birthday parties, started swimming lessons, moved offices (Mommy's), crawled all over, stood up all over, gotten a few forehead bruises, and cut another tooth. It's no wonder I'm so tired!

Delaney seems to be changing from a baby to a toddler very quickly these days. She went from crawling to pulling up on anything and everything in a matter of a few days. All this kid wants to do is stand. She had a few days there when she got one bruise on top of another. It was pretty nuts, but she seems to be at least missing the hard stuff when she falls now. She is getting braver too...last night she was standing with one hand on the couch and one hand on the coffee table. She went back and forth quite a few times, and even took a small step (while holding on, of course).

Delaney is also getting quite the little ornery streak going. I got our first "she hit someone" report at daycare this week. She has become a borderline baby bully. Two times in the last week she has hit another child in the face. Obviously, she was scolded, but really beyond telling her no I'm pretty clueless. At daycare, she immediately started crying after she got in trouble and put her head down on the other little girl's forehead in an attempt to say sorry. Thank goodness she isn't big enough to actually hurt any of these kids. I hope it's just a stage! She's not mean or nasty about it, she's just a little bit naughty! (Just like her daddy...)

Delaney has also been busy exploring the world of real food. She is totally over that baby food crap, she wants the good stuff. In fact, I think we may have created a monster. We can no longer eat in her presence unless we plan to share with her. The doctors say to introduce new foods one at a time for 3-5 days each time. This isn't an option with this kid. She wants it now! We have been blessed so far to have no allergic reactions to anything. She still seems to be leaning toward the fruits and veggies as her favorites, but has tried many meats and cheeses with no problems. She also seems to be a carb-lover like both of her parents! I am also afraid she may have inherited my sweet tooth...I gave her a taste of ice cream at her cousin Sydney's birthday party last weekend and she was in heaven. I think she ended up eating more of it than I did! She also tried some of her Auntie Buff's homemade Pineapple Upside-Down Cake that, she thought was the bomb! Because of all these new foods and her stubbornness with wanting to feed herself, baths are becoming more and more common for Miss D!

The countdown to Delaney's birthday is official on now...less than 2 months...51 days to be exact. I have started some of the "projects" I have been planning for months. I will share them as I complete them. I am soooo excited for this day! I want Delaney's birthday's to always be special and a big deal for her! I always felt (to no one's fault) that my birthday was always grouped into Christmas, so it was sort of an afterthought most of the time. I have also started planning my nephew's baby shower! It's going to be so fun too! I'm hoping to surprise Jess with my plans, so I'll share the details after the party! I wish I could open a party planning business, I would have so much fun! Maybe in my next life...

10 Months

I think I will sum up the last month of Delaney's little life as...BUSY! She has become quite the busy little, curious, ornery, and mobile little girl! She started crawling a few weeks ago, and has since discovered so many things. She has discovered power cords, is hearing the word "NO" and her middle name quite often, and her favorite new toy is Izzy's kennel. I'm bracing myself for when she starts running all over the place. Oh my....
We did some imprecise measurements tonight after dinner, and she weighed in at 21.4 pounds. She didn't gain much this past month, but I think that's good considering that horrible virus we battled for a good 2 weeks right at Christmastime. I know she lost a little weight then. We measured her length to be 29 inches, but she was pretty squirmy when we did, so we'll call it a guesstimate! She is wearing mainly 12 month clothes, and they fit her perfectly right now! She's also wearing size 3 diapers. She is still refusing to wear bows most of the time, but once in a great while I can sneak a small one in for a bit. Her hair, by the way, is coming in so nicely. It's getting long, and it appears to be pretty thick. It seems to be a sandy brown color. (I may have to go back to my natural hair color for the first time in many years just to see how close it is!)
She is become quite the experimental eater these days. She is trying new things all the time, and is getting better and better at feeding herself. She seems to prefer to feed herself most of the time. She still eats mainly oatmeal cereal and pureed fruits and veggies. We have gradually been working in more and more table food. She has tried beef and chicken--it seems she prefers the chicken. She has also tried bread, cheese, yogurt, and many fresh fruits and vegetables. Such a big girl!
We have quite the party girl here. She loves to play and explore on her own. She's a very chill, low-key girl most of the time. She loves things that make music, and has even started shaking her booty when the right mood strikes her. Her favorite is the iPad commercial! She'll stop in her tracks and just start bouncing her booty to the song! It's pretty funny! She has also taken an interest in the Baby Einstein videos. This allows me to get ready for work a little easier in the mornings...probably a "mom fail". Her favorite so far seems to be the Baby Galileo...maybe she'll be an astronaut.
Obviously, the crawling has been the major milestone of the month. She has had a few others. She celebrated her first Christmas with all her friends and family. She has started pulling up on anything and everything. She has started her first round of swimming lessons. She battled her first illness. She played in the snow for the first time. She attended her first birthday party for one of her best friends. She's been a busy girl! Can't wait to spend another month with a wonderful little peanut!

Delaney's baby cousin is going to be a baby...

We couldn't be more excited! We are completely thrilled to have a new nephew and cousin! We can't wait to meet the little guy!

Happy Birthday Reed!

Today is my boyfriend Reed's 1st birthday! He's such a big boy! I was so lucky to get to go to his birthday party last Saturday. It was so much fun! I'm even more excited for my party coming up in a couple months!
We played a little football! Reed seems to be a little more skilled in that department than me! I think we'll have to work on that this summer, Daddy!
We were running a very strategic play here...of course, we scored! Next time, Reed, I get to be the quarterback...
I wore a pretty new dress for the occasion! Isn't it cute? It was a Christmas gift from my cousins! They have great taste!
Then, Reed ate some cake! I thought he did a pretty good job of making a mess! Everyone sang and clapped! It was so much fun! Isn't he cute! Happy Birthday Big Guy!

Adventures in the Snow

We didn't have a snow day at our house today, but we thought we'd take Delaney out for a little bit after work! Grandma B had gotten Delaney some super cute snow gear for a steal a while back, so we got it out and bundled her up. Here's our little picture story...

First, Daddy and I made snow angels!

Then, he put this cold, white stuff in my mouth...

It was all right, but I think I'd like some ice cream better...

Then, we played airplane because I'm soooo big!

I like to stand on top of Daddy and play Queen of the Mountain!

Then, I rolled around in the snow some more...

And then, I was done...

The End.

Look! I can crawl!

Swimming Lessons: Part I

Grandma and Grandpa Mencke gave me swimming lessons for Christmas. Tonight was my first class...it was pretty fun! You will notice my studly boyfriend Parker on the right with his daddy in this picture! He's in the class too, so we now have a standing weekly date night for the next 8 weeks!
It was a little scary at first...and cold! It wasn't warm like my bath, but the teacher said it will be better next week!
Then, we moved over to the hot tub that wasn't hot, but was much warmer. I loved it over there! Here I am gliding through the water with the teacher Miss Jessica!
Here I am chasing that silly blue ball they kept teasing me with! It was so fun to glide through the water!
Here I'm working my "Circle Turns", so that if I ever accidentally fell in some water I would know what to do...turn around and find the side.
Here's Daddy and me at the end of class! I had so much fun...I can't wait until next week! I think I will learn so much by the end of the session!