Paige is Seventeen Months!

Paige turned seventeen months a few days ago and I'm in a little bit of denial about it, which is evidenced by how I baby her. I think that I'm starting to understand the psyche of the youngest child a little better. Because I feel badly for having to cart her around all the time, or for the roughhousing she gets from her brother and sister, or just because I want her dependent on me, I'm quick to pick her up or give her what she needs when she cries without pushing her to communicate or attempt things herself the way I did with her siblings.

And she's lazy easygoing. so she's happy to oblige me. But now that summer is over and we're back into a routine, it's Baby Bootcamp around her. We've started classes at My Gym and not only does she seem to enjoy it, it's causing her to try things I've never seen her try before. I'm also going to request PT for her. As an OT, I feel like I should have better ideas for motivating her to move, but I've accepted that as her mom, I just am not able to push her the way she needs - at least not without some guidance.

All that being said, here's some info about Paige at seventeen months: She's evolved into an awesome sleeper, usually sleeping from around 6:30 PM to 7:30 AM, and then she'll talk and play in her bed until I get her around 8. She naps for around 2-3 hours each day, either broken into 2 naps if we're home in the morning, or one long afternoon nap. She always wakes up happy and jabbering.

Despite her awkward butt-scoot, she is pretty speedy getting around and definitely enjoys getting into whatever she can. Thankfully, she's also relatively cautious and doesn't put much in her mouth that she shouldn't. She also likes to clean up. I've been calling her "bag lady" because anytime she finds something with a handle, she'll fill it and cart it around with her.

She's into imitating her siblings. I tried to get a shot of her attempting to use the duck whistle that the big kids use, but she was too fast. "Brooke" and "Oz" are the words she says the most. She was on a "MATT"! kick for awhile, but hasn't said that lately. She loves to say "hi" and "bye" and "My" (for Miles). She's said, "uh-oh" and "hot." We're still waiting for consistent "Mama" and "Dada." Right now, we most often get "Hi!" and a point. She's surprised me with other words here and there. She's shaking her head for "no" and loves to give high fives. She signs "more" and "all done." She'd probably sign more if I'd taught her any others.

She also enjoys playing outside, although the bottoms of her pants do not. She's been very into the cozy coupe and sliding. In fact, a slide is what motivated her to climb up her first legitimate step. She'll do swings, but they usually aren't her favorite. She's pretty ticklish in her legs and loves other babies. She continues to take some time to warm up to most adults.

She continues to be my most fickle eater. I can usually find some fruit or veggie that she'll eat, but it varies by the day. Thankfully, she also likes squeeze packs (what did people do before those things?!). She a big fan of carbs. I think she has 10 teeth (I'm not going to wake her up to check, but it's close to that), but I still need to keep the food pretty small because she likes to stuff her face. She's at a bad stage for high chairs and carts, and likes to arch her back and try to climb out when I put her in.

She loves being around me if it's an option, but overall continues to be a sweet and contented girl. Hopefully Baby Bootcamp and increased mobility and communication will help keep her that way.

Thanks for continuing to be the perfect addition to our family, Paigey-poo!