As always, I have been such a bad blogger. It seems like it take me forever to get a post finished. I'm trying to think of everything new that Reese is doing since the last update, but I'm sure that I'm forgetting a ton. She seems like she is learning so many new skills all at once right now. I can't believe how much she is talking. Her vocabulary is very impressive, and she tries to repeat everything we say. She has added the owl, sheep, and frog to her repertoire of animal sounds. She also tries to whistle, which is pretty cute. She started blowing kisses about a month ago, and she blows them at everyone. She has gotten so silly, and she loves to put on a show, especially if it involves showing off her dance moves. Her fine motor skills are really developing, and she has gotten really good at using a fork and spoon. She still has trouble getting the bite of food on the utensil herself, but she does a great job getting it to her mouth. She is really into sorting things right now. The other day, she kept herself busy for 45 minutes moving potatoes from one bowl to another. She is really good at stacking her blocks, but she gets really frustrated when they fall. I've been trying to make a game of knocking them down, so that she knows that it's all part of the fun. She also loves feeding her babies and carrying them around all day. She is so incredibly strong willed, and she is definitely throwing tantrums when she doesn't get her way. She is becoming more focused on things, and it's not as easy to distract her attention to something else when she gets upset. She has started banging her head on things when she is mad, and I really hope she stops that soon because it's very upsetting! I think that this stage is challenging because I can't explain to her why she can't have or do something. So, she gets frustrated when I deny her request, and in her mind, I'm just being really unfair (like when I won't let her eat dog food or eat her 4th banana of the day). Speaking of dog food, Reese has also become pretty mischievous. I definitely understand now why people always say to worry when they aren't making noise. Kids are quiet when they are doing something they know they shouldn't. The other day, I was unloading the dishwasher, and Reese was enjoying one of her favorite games, which is going into the laundry room & shutting the door & then opening it to play peek-a-boo (she doesn't shut it all the way, she can't reach the doorknobs yet, thank goodness!). I was watching her open & close the door, & then she closed it & stayed in there. I didn't hear her making any noise (which I now know is the definite sign of trouble), and I figured she was playing with our shoes, because she likes putting them on. Well, after about 30 seconds, I decided I should go check on her. I walked into the laundry room, and Reese looked up at me with her hand inside the dog food bin with the biggest chipmunk cheeks I have ever seen. Seeing me walk in didn't stop her, and she tried to cram a few more pieces in while I was standing there, and she got very upset when I stopped her. By the time it was all over, I had pulled SEVEN pieces of dog food out of her mouth. She was NOT pleased that I took them from her either. My parents went to visit Jacqi, Brian, and Austin in Florida last month, and since Matt's mom was substitute teaching for a maternity leave, Reese went to daycare for the first time. There is a daycare right across the street from my office that will accept kids part-time if they have availability. The facility is new, it's run by former patients of mine, and it's super clean. I felt very comfortable taking her there. Unfortunately, Reese HATED it. She went through a really awful two weeks being left there, and she never really adjusted. I was so surprised, because Reese is usually SO social, I thought she would really like being around other kids, and playing with all of the new toys. However, they said that Reese wanted nothing to do with the other kids or the teachers there. She pretty much cried all day long asking to get into her crib, and they said that was when she was the happiest--when they left her alone in her crib at nap time. It absolutely broke our hearts to watch her go through that for those two weeks (which was really only 7 days that she had to go). She would come home so hungry every day because they could hardly even get her to eat there, which is a pretty big deal for our little piglet! I'm so glad that her daycare experience is over, and as much as I want her to be well socialized, I'm very glad that we don't have to do that on a permanent basis. We'll just continue to work on socialization through our own activities! After a couple days at daycare, Reese inevitably got sick. Her cold eventually turned into a double ear infection & sinus infection, so she is on an antibiotic. The only good thing about that is that it has helped us to continue working on her manners. She now know to cover her mouth if she sneezes or coughs, and she says "cuse me" as well, which is SO FREAKING CUTE. She says it if she burps or toots, too. :) I need to get it on video, because it melts my heart every time she says it. She gets the best bed head EVER: Reese has been showing some interest in the toilet, and she is aware of her diaper and when she is going to the bathroom. So, while I have no false illusions of potty training at this age, I went ahead & ordered her a potty seat. I have been putting her on there a few times a day, and she usually goes at least one of those times. The first time she pooped on the toilet, I got so excited that I took a picture to send to Matt. He thought that was pretty gross, so I won't post it here on the blog. :) I'm super impressed with how comfortable she seems using the potty though! It's 1:00 in the afternoon right now, and I still haven't had to change her diaper today, because she has gone on the toilet all morning. I hope she stays interested! Last week, we took Reese to a pumpkin farm. She loved walking around the pumpkin patch, and she REALLY loved playing in the dirt most of all. Last weekend, we went up to Galena with Matt's family for the 3rd year in a row. We stayed in a house at Eagle Ridge with Matt's parents, his brother Brian, his Aunt Debbie & Uncle Tim, and his cousins, Jill and Deana. The weather was absolutely perfect, and the colors were beautiful. Reese slept great in the room with us, and she had a blast being the center of attention all weekend. We had so much fun hanging out with everyone and playing games each night after Reese went to bed. We love going up there! Well, with a blog post this long, it should take you the whole month until I get a new one up to get through it. I'll try to update sooner next time so it's not so long!