Birthday

36? Can I really be 36? I'd like to say my math is wrong but numbers don't lie. My birthdays used to involve several days of parties and get togethers along with eating and lots of drinking. Sigh. It's very different now but there were highlights of a different sort.

I was able to have a little alone time in dad's garden harvesting blueberries, we had a family day at the beach, we went to Wilderness Walk, and Brian and I were able to sit outside, eat pizza, and drink beer for almost two hours without being eaten alive by mosquitos. It reminded me why I love summer.

Frannie was a riot at the beach slowly, slowly making her way into the water. We figured out that we have to leave her totally alone for her to make her way to the water. If we attempted to help...she ran back to the sand. Because really, for her there is nothing better than playing in the sand. Finally we were all in the water and she was up to her chest splashing and having fun.

Wilderness Walk took on a whole new meaning for me this year. I know I took her last year, but this year Frannie's love of animals culminated at Wilderness Walk. She had SO much fun. She loved the ducks and feeding the goats. She really shows no fear and went up to most every animal. Her only hesitation came in the form of a large tortoise in the petting zoo which is probably because Brian and I both envisioned it snapping her fingers off-until we found out it was a tortoise, not a defunct snapper.

Thanks to everyone for their well wishes and kind thoughts. I'm so lucky and grateful for my family and friends.

Camping

We went on our first family camping trip- and it was great! Thanks to Sarah and Mike for the inspiration.... We went to Tettegouche State Park up the North Shore and had a walk in campsite for one night. We didn't have to walk very far so it was perfect to still have access to the car if we needed it but we felt "away" from everyone. Frannie was awesome. We only had to tell her once about staying away from the fire pit and she kept her distance. She LOVED the tent...all those zippers to play with and seeing through the mesh windows. The bugs weren't even too bad-we were able to get away with using the natural bug spray and didn't require the "real" stuff. We went hiking both days; the first evening we went hiking up and down the Baptism River to see the waterfalls and then the next day to Gooseberry Falls to play in the lake. There was a swinging bridge that you could see through that we had to go over to cross the river and although Foxy struggled and I was super nervous for both Foxy and Frannie, Frannie had no fear. She was looking out the railing and squatting down to look at the river through the bridge. And then she hiked her little legs up a ton of steps and would have kept going on her own, but she kept getting distracted by the flowers and then the bugs would find us. The only tough part was sleeping since it's so light out, she was awake til 9 and then every move she made through the night woke me up since she was between Brian and I. Overall, very successful and I can't wait to go again.

"No"

She may not say a lot of words but she knows how and when to use the ones she does know. This includes "no". Not only does she say it, but she also provides actions to go along with it by shaking/waving her hands and arms back and forth across her chest just in case I didn't understand that indeed she does not want to do that or does not want to stop doing what she's doing. She is VERY independent and I'm learning to be sure to ask if she wants help first before I even go near whatever she's doing lest I ruin it.

The good news is that it doesn't last too long (nor does the mini fit that comes after) and then she will come over to me and either hug and kiss my leg or hand. She's quite the lover....always blowing kisses (sometimes to random people in the store) or patting and kissing me. 

We have scored some fun summer toys from friends and garage sales. She got a wagon with oversized Legos and conveniently for her she is tiny enough to fit in it so that's good times going down the driveway. She has a little car/rider thing that she's figuring out how to push herself on. Bubbles are a favorite both to say and do. Playing in containers of water and throwing rocks are good too. On the other hand, a friend gave us a kid swing that is great and I found a perfect branch for it but Frannie HATES it. She'll go speeding down the slide at Sarah's and at the park but swinging-no thank you. 

We are holding out on a kiddie pool due to the un-summerlike weather we are having. I found two cute suits and now we just wait and see if she ever gets to wear them. We may have to go to Hayward if we want warmth....which we did go celebrate Meemaw's birthday last Sunday-warm weather, eating outside, and ice cream....aaahhhh, it felt like summer.

Just Right

15 month stats:

Weight- 20lbs 13oz (40th%ile)

Height- 31in (60th%ile)

Head- 80th%ile

She's right where she needs to be :)

I asked about the talking because even though she can say around 15 words, I really expect that she can carry on a conversation and am surprised she can't. The Dr said that from what she sees by how inquisitive she is and how she absorbs everything (including saying all those words) she thinks Frannie is actually advanced for her age. That made me feel better....because anyone who spends time with her agrees that it just SEEMS like she should tell you about her day.

If she was able to tell you about her day today, it may involve swearing at me or calling me incompetent as I put her little camp chair on a not totally flat part of the driveway and when I went inside for five seconds, she fell, rolled backward and hit her head. It's her first real injury (aka blood) and she did NOT like it. Oh did I (and still do) feel awful.

The weirdest thing happened this weekend. Friday all three of us got to be together since Brian was off, so we went to the aquarium, went for a hike, and did some quick shopping. We got to see Erika and Nick (they were up for Grandmas weekend), and then Frannie and I headed to Hayward Saturday. We hung out with Meemaw (where it was 20 degrees warmer) and with Grampa and all was good. Then Sunday Frannie woke up and BAM- she looked different. Like her face/head changed overnight. Noticeably. She suddenly looks SO much older. Thankfully my mom noticed right away too. So weird. 

It fits though....she is doing/saying/learning new stuff every day and it's amazing. She loves giving hugs, and will out of the blue run over and kiss my leg/hand/whatever. She pats you to make you feel better and is developing a really fun sense of humor. Although, she is getting good at saying no and it does make her laugh when I trip or something (I'm certain Brian has something to do with that).... :)

We're In

Over two years have gone by since I've called a place home. I am finally able to call a place home again. This past Memorial Day weekend we moved into the basement of our house. This is the 8th place I've lived in two years. Let's list them just for fun beginning May 2012. Kate's, Dad's, a tent, a camper, our neighbors, Dad's again, Kate's again, Sarah's, Homecroft, and now here. I think I'll write a book (maybe it'll be a best seller and then I could actually live in the WHOLE house, not just the basement).

Frannie has of course taken this all in stride and has already settled into the new space. She LOVES the woods and all the stuff to check out on our land. We've already gotten a little routine of walking to get the mail. Our driveway is long but it takes us quite awhile to get to the mailbox and back with all the stops to play in the sand, play with sticks, throw rocks in the stream, and pick leaves. She's very good at all her animal sounds, can point to her belly/nose/toes/eyes/mouth, and her current favorite past time is waving and saying "Hi" to everyone, including all moving vehicles even when we are in the car. In the store she'll be in the cart waving at every shopper and saying hi. She's a riot. Today she was coughing after trying to drink out of a glass (I've been trying to teach her to put her hands over her head to stop the cough) and she sets down the cup and puts her hands over her head. She's like a sponge absorbing everything....amazing.

Mother's Day

Frannie knew it was Mother's Day on Sunday so she woke up at 5:30 just to spend as much time together as possible. Kidding aside, we had a really great day as a little family. The three of us went out to breakfast which was not only delicious, but it's a laid back kid-friendly spot so Frannie could run around a bit too. Then we went to the beach to play in the sand and enjoy the sun (it has been a rare occurrence the last month). It was too nice to go home so we went for a hike and played in the grass and rocks. The only bad part of this seemingly perfect day was when Frannie was holding a "rock" and went to put it in her mouth when we discovered it was actually a dog turd. I'm gagging again as I type it. SO GROSS. I wiped her down (ok wiped isn't the right word - scrubbed) with baby wipes and sprayed her down with hand sanitizer. Yuck yuck yuck. She found this whole thing, especially my screams, very amusing.

To cap off the day I was able to go thrifting for a few hours....by myself! Papa Murphy's pizza for dinner and chocolate chip cookies for dessert, Happy Mother's Day to me.

Toddler

When I look at Frannie now, I see a toddler. Her face looks older, she runs around, and you can just see her brain soaking in everything. She is still a super picky eater-not that she only eats certain foods, but that one day she'll eat five strawberries and the next day she will spit them out like they are the most disgusting thing ever. We've gotten rid of the lunchtime bottle so we're down to the morning and night ones. I'm not looking forward to getting rid of those....the morning one should be ok but that "nite nite" bottle....ugh. 

She's trying out new words. Last night she said "eese" for cheese and she is starting to use the sign for thank you. She has totally figured out "please" and she'll keep rubbing her belly asking even when I say no - pretty cute.

And the new fun outside is that she's discovered rocks. She LOVES throwing them in water. We went to the beach this weekend and just sat on the sand for almost an hour playing with sticks and rocks. Her Meemaw couldn't be happier :)