My dearest Annelisa Grace.
Your 17th month has been such a BIG month!! You walked! Yes, you finally walked! We have been anticipating this moment for quite a while and it has been such a JOY to have you toddle around with us! Your first official walking moment happened at Grammy and GP's house in Houston on Saturday, July 27, 2013. You were playing with a make-up bag that belongs to Auntie Erin and you couldn't crawl and hang on to it, so instead you stayed up on your two little feet and walked between the chair and the coffee table. I wasn't even sure what to say; I was afraid to praise you for fear of scaring you or startling you, so I just watched with my mouth agape! You then promptly realized what you had done and sat down and crawled back to me. A little while later Auntie Lauren, Grammy, and I were able to coax you to walk around between us! IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!! You were sooo proud of yourself and we were so proud of you! You proved to yourself that you could do it and you haven't looked back! Now that you are officially a toddler you have been loving wearing shoes! You will bring them to me to put on your feet and you love to play with them when they are off. One of your favorite activities in your car seat is to undo the Velcro on them while we drive to our destination. Your feet also grew during this month, I believe as a by product of time and the daily usage of you walking on them...you are now in a size 4 shoe! Your have two pairs of shoes that fit: purple sparkly TOMS and your Stride-Rite tennis shoes. I had bought you some turquoise sparkly TOMS but you quickly outgrew them, I think you only wore them 4 or 5 times, but they were really cute while they lasted!
I mentioned earlier that you and I had gone to Houston to visit Grammy, GP, Auntie Erin, and Auntie Lauren for the weekend of July 26-28, 2013. It was a fun weekend away so Dada could work on his module and study. While we were in Houston, Mama and the rest of your relatives went to the Houston A&M Club's Coach's Night. We all got dressed in our maroon and white for the occasion, even though you stayed back with a babysitter.
We had the chance to spend some time with Miss Reveille before the dinner and program started. It was quite the Aggie extravaganza! Complete with Yell Leaders, Coach Sumlin, President Lofton, and over a thousand of our closest Aggie friends. Needless to say, we are all very excited about the upcoming Fighten' Texas Aggie Football season!
The next day you and I spent some time on the patio investigating Grammy's pineapple plant. This was the first time I realized that you love playing in the dirt! You moved several handfuls of dirt out of the pineapple plants pot! After our investigation was complete, we all went swimming at the neighborhood pool before lunch. You loved getting to swim, go down the slide, and float in your raft! That afternoon is when you walked for the first time! It was such a fun day! That night at dinner we all taught you the freshman wildcat to formally begin your Aggie Yell instruction. No whooping until you reach upper classman status!
I hate that this picture is blurry, because it shows the joy you feel walking around and discovering new things! I had bought you some alphabet magnets that you have absolutely loved playing with on the refrigerator! I love that you find such joy and amusement in the simple things like a $4 set of magnets!
Your favorite book, "The Wheels on the Bus," from last month was beginning to fall apart! I decided to have it reinforced...to put it mildly! I took it to an office supply store to have it laminated and bound. It was a simple paperback book with two staples holding all the pages together...and it just wasn't going to hold up well to even the gentlest of toddlers reading it each day. This solution will ensure that it is apart of our family library for years to come. It's practically indestructible! And I dare say you've enjoyed it more...when we allow it back into the book rotation.(...did I mention it was a favorite of yours last month!)
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| After Mama's hair cut before Annelisa's turn. |
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| The beginning! Yep, you got to hold a comb! :) |
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| Near the end! |
This month you also had your first hair cut on Tuesday, August 6. You came with me for my hair cut and finally got to meet Miss Nora who has cut my hair for a several years now. She was so excited to meet you and give you your first hair cut. She didn't cut that much off as much as give your curly blond locks some shape! I'd say that it was pretty cute to watch you sit in the chair and watch her cut your hair! You were a really good trooper about it all, you especially liked watching in the mirror. You didn't really fuss or cry! Your hair has really grown in well after the cut too!
Annelisa at 17 months you have a love of accessories! I already mentioned that you love shoes, but you have loved playing with some of my necklaces. It didn't help that I had them out for a week hanging on my dresser knobs while cleaning out my closet and finding a better organizational solution for them. You were so happy toddling around playing in and with them! But then again, you are happy most of the time!
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| August 15, 2013 |
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| 17 month birthday, August 22, 2013 |
We had two play dates with friends from church this month at the Fountains at Fairview. Both times we ventured into the playground that's in the Beach at Fairview! You enjoyed the sand a lot, especially moving it around in your bucket and watering can. You even went down the big slide all by yourself with help from another mommy to catch you! After playing in the sand, we would walk over to the fountains and both times you were happy to play on the steps or on the sidewalk rather than in the water. I think the fountains being somewhat unpredictable has kept your from trusting them.
This month we also celebrated Daddy's 31st birthday with cousin C's and Uncle Stuart's! It was quite the family party! You enjoyed all the attention you received from all of your cousins, Aunties, Uncles, Mimi and Pops! Annelisa, you also spent a good bit of time carrying your "purse" around the house! Happy Birthday, to all of our August studs! :)
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| First time to REALLY eat cake! |
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| Reading in your chair at the end of your 17th month pictures. |
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| I love this face!! So much thinking going on! |
At 17 months, you have a love of walking, wearing shoes, going "outside", Farley, "daddy", and me. You have about ten words: dada (which you call anything you don't know the name of), Daddy, outside, all done, uh oh, ooh, cheese, thank you, hot, Farfar, hi (with a wave), "all done" (with a wave bye bye) and "a" which is one of your many attention getting sounds. You understand so much of what I ask you and follow one step directions pretty consistently. You can use sign language to tell me that you'd like milk or a drink. You also can shake your head no. You love to give hugs and cuddle with me. You love to attempt to love on Farley. He's still getting used to you walking around! You are wearing 18 month size onesies, shirts, and dresses and your 12 month size shorts still fit perfectly!
Well, Annelisa Grace that was your 17th month! It was busy with so many new milestones for you! You are learning at lighting speed! I am so proud of you! I love you more than you know, and nothing, nothing can ever take that away! We pray that God will continue to grow you into a woman after His own heart and that you will realize your need for a savior and trust Jesus in your own heart! I am SO thankful that God chose me to be your mommy!
With all my love,
Mama
