Mila at 15 Months

Dear Mila,

You are officially smack dab in the middle of one of my very favorite stages of baby.  You are this little person with the biggest personality and I don't know how else to describe it other than the fact that I cannot get enough of you.  You are sweet and feisty, irritable and happy, all at the same time.  You waddle about this world with an eagerness to grab hold of it by the horns and ride it wildly.  You live life loud and free, baby girl, and I pray you continue to hold on to those characteristics as you grow big.  The sparkle in your bright blue eyes is lit up with adventure, your wild wispy hair untamed and unrefined, and that big, squinty-eyed, scrunchy-faced, gap-toothed smile is God's picture of happiness.  While it makes me physically hurt to know I won't be able to keep this picture of you my reality for long, I just know that our life with you in it is sure to be filled with so much adventure and so much happy along the way.

  

I've been taking so many notes the last month of images I want to remember about Mila girl at this stage.  She kills me and melts me, all the days. 

-Mila loves to go bye bye.  We have this routine in the morning where she likes to sit on the bench in the mudroom next to Cruz and put her shoes and hat and coat on.  She copies everything her brother does, even the way he backs up and stands against the adjacent wall when he's ready to go.  She has the best buh-bye wave (picture an excited Forrest Gump) and says "buh-bye" plain as day.  Usually all the way out the door and well into the car.  She likes adventure and likes to go go go!

-Mila also LOVES daycare.  We had a bit of stint a few months ago where she screamed her head off every morning I'd bring her in, but now she walks around like she owns the place!  She loves her teacher, Olivia, but loves her some Jennifer more than just about anything.  This might be because Jennifer spoils her rotten.  

-Speaking of daycare, one of my favorite parts of my day is picking the two of them up.  Not only because I'm excited to see them, but because they are so excited to see each other!  I pick Mila up first and she waddles her way down the hallway, stopping in each doorway to wave her big wave and say buh bye, before making her way to Cruz's room.  She knows just where his room is, and she squeals and shrieks all the way down the hall.  When she enters his room, she immediately makes her way to wherever he is playing and they usually do this tackle-hug combination, giggles abounding.  It's terribly hard to get them out of there, as Mila also loves pretending she's a four year old and diving into play with Cruz's friends, and lately we leave with a screaming toddler, but it makes my heart sing to see the extent of how much of children love where they spend their days.  

-Mila loves her sleep and thrives on routine.  She also still loves her bottles and we have been incredibly lax (or just plain unmotivated) when it comes to weaning her.  Every night at 8, after bath and jammies, we retreat to our bedroom to rock in Grandma J's old chair.  We play Mumford or the Avett Brothers quietly, watch her nestle in with her bottle, and she's sound asleep within ten minutes.  She loves to snuggle up with her blankie, can soothe herself back to sleep in the middle of the night, and typically wakes up rubbing her eyes and holding her blanket around 6-7 every morning.  We LOVE her sleep schedule, but also know it could change at any time, and that soon enough, we must really get rid of the bottles.  Maybe tomorrow, we always say. :)

-Mila also wants to be a big girl.  She has always preferred Cruz's toys over her baby toys, prefers her supper on a plate instead of her tray, and already pulls at her diaper and points to the potty when she's poopy.  Olivia was having a hard time getting Mila to take an afternoon nap, until she introduced her to a cot like the older kids in her room.  Now, she lays down for a nap willingly every afternoon and sleeps for about two hours every day.  I don't know why she's so quick to get big, however, I adore her curiosity and unrefined maturity!
  
-I haven't really considered the nature/nurture thing until the past couple of weeks as I've witnessed my own little case study pick up a very keen interest in accessories and "pretties."  It's fascinating to me.  I am not one to wear much jewelry, and I don't carry a purse, but Mila associates every circular thing as a bracelet and anything with a strap as a purse.  And you should see her!  She'll grab a roll of duct tape, put it on her wrist, then put her nose in the air, flail her arms out behind her, and prance through the house, typically waving her Forrest Gump wave and telling us bye bye.  She responds to the compliment "pretty" with a satisfied grin, and I've caught her twirling her hair a few times as she prances throughout the house.  The other night, she spent a good twenty minutes perusing my belt drawer, and spent the next hour "wearing" two of my belts around her neck and her arms, showing off her getup to her brother who was in the tub.  She loves shoes, loves to sit on the vanity and watch me get ready in the morning, and loves her babies.  She's a wild mama, but is also affectionate and concerned.  It is so fun for me to see the differences in her and her brother, and sometimes I can't help but think we are definitely going to have our hands full!   

-Mila is one smart cookie.  She knows a lot of words - dada, mama, Cooz (Cruz), ball, buh bye, hi, baba (bottle), kitty, mine (!), all done, more, and "what's that?" (every time you hold a toy).  You can sign the words more and milk (love this one), you can woof like a puppy and roar like a lion, and you love the song "If You're Happy and You Know It", especially because you know how to stomp your feet!  

-Mila loves to eat, and prefers her vegetables to just about anything else.  She creates a bit of a problem at meal time as the minute she sees one of us in the kitchen, she immediately stands by her highchair and does this whiney yell (eh!  Eh!  EH!) until one of us picks her up or puts her in her seat.  For the longest time, she ate everything in front of her, but I'm slowly starting to see her develop more tastes and preferences.  When she doesn't like something, she throws it on the floor, and when she does like something, she shoves it in her mouth as quickly as it's put on her plate and immediately signs "more more more" until we respond.  And when she's done, she does this adorable thing where she waves her hands high up in the air and say this sciatica "ah done! ah done! ah done!" until we get a wash cloth and wipe her face.   

  

-You are developing an interest in books more and more; however, you have selective taste and tend to like the same book over and over again.  For some time, it's been these First Word board books you started reading with Grandma when we were in Allison.  You only like a few of the pages, though, and when we try to look at one you don't prefer (like insects), you wave your arms in front of the book and yell until we flip the page.  It's quite irritable, really. :)

-You give the best kisses - open mouthed, slobbery, eyes closed kisses that are awkward and adorable all at the same time.  My favorite is that every time I tell you I love you, you respond with a kiss.  It's the sweetest.  

-You know where your belly, your nose, your ears, and your eyes are, and love to stick your finger in my eye socket and say "eye".  You know how to dance and you still bounce uncontrollably in our arms when you hear music or get excited.  It's been your "thing" for a long time.