We had her first parent-teacher conference this month on February 21, 2008.  I wasn’t surprised that they said nothing but GOOD things about my big girl!  They actually said she was doing so well with the “young toddler developmental checklist” that they moved over to the “older toddler developmental checklist” for 2 year olds.  She is very smart and already picking things up that a 2 year old would.  She’s a smart cookie, I’m so proud of her!

She’s talking all the time now.  She says things like “Car, mommies, brrmmmm brrmmm”  which translates to “Mommies Car and of course the noise the car makes.”

I brought Meghan into work the other day and she loved playing a sort of “simon says” game with my co-worker Carol Quesenberry.  Carol would jump, and then Meghan would jump.  Carol would shuffle backwards, and then Meghan would shuffle backwards.  Meghan was just giggling (so was everyone else watching).  She thought it was the funniest game!

Meghan is a waffle monster!  For the past several months she has been obsessed with waffles for breakfast.  She’ll eat other breakfast foods, as she isn’t a picky eater (yet).  However, waffles are definitely her favorite breakfast food and if she had her druthers, she’d eat them for breakfast every morning.  I ask her in the morning “Do you want something to eat?”  She says “uhhh huh.”  Then I ask what she wants to eat.  She says “wavles.”  Or I ask if she wants waffles, she’ll say “UHHH  HUH.”  Hello melting heart!

She’s beginning to sing songs!  We have a CD we listen to in the car.  It has children’s songs such as “If you’re happy and you know it,” “Wheels on the Bus,” “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” and so forth.  Not only does she sing them, but she has memorized when her favorite songs are coming up.  She’s start singing some of the words before the previous song ends!  I just smile, amused, that such a little human being is so observant!  Then I wonder why she refuses to listen when I tell her “no.” ha!

Meghan – you are our sunshine and such a joy to have in our lives.  Mommy loves you so much and I’m so proud of my big girl!

My little girl is almost a year and half already.  I swear I was just writing an entry for her being 2 months old!  This stage of Meghan’s life is so much fun.  She really is beginning to interact with us in her own way and it’s a blast!  I love “pretending” and playing with her.  She has so much fun with whatever we do (unless it’s sitting in the carseat for too long).

My little girl fits into 18 month old clothes!  She has since around 15 ½ months.  I can’t believe how tall and skinny this girl is.  She JUST made it past the 20 pound mark (according to my scales) recently.  Of course we were bad and turned her carseat around before then.  She’s really enjoyed being able to look forward the past 4-5 months.

She had another case of a stomach virus from Dec. 15^th thru the 17^th.  She remained happy through this bought but ruined several pairs of clothes from the extreme blow outs.  Poor baby.  She’s doing much better though, at least until next week when she picks up whatever is going around daycare.

She’s doing GREAT at daycare.  Lately, Meghan loves to point at people and learn their names.  She’s learned just about all the kids in her class, even her teachers Ms. Emily and Ms. Sharon.  She says “Emily” so cute, she says it more like “Emm ee yy”, very cute.  It gives the teachers quite a chuckle.

She’s a social butterfly just like Daddy.  She walks into her classroom at daycare and the kids flock over to her to give her hugs and kisses (no wonder she’s sick all the time).  It’s adorable to see them all hugging even at such a young age.  She no longer cries when I leave and if she does I know it’s because she’s getting sick or hurting.  She loves blowing kisses and telling me “bye.”  When I come to pick her up to go home, we stay for a few minutes while she shows me all the fun things she does during the day.  Sometimes I feel that I have to pry her away from the toys to go home!

Meghan likes to sing lately and has really taken to singing “Fa la la la la – la la la la” or as we know it “Deck the Halls.”

Meghan loved Egg Nog that we had for Christmas.  She is becoming more of a picky eater.  Her daily reports from daycare say she eats “seconds or sometimes even thirds” of her lunch.  At home she eats minimally.  I don’t know what the difference is as she gets the same yummy meals that daycare would provide.  I guess something to ask the doctor at her next appt.

Meghan loved her visit from Papa and G’ma Scruggs for Christmas.  At first she was a little shy since she hadn’t seen them for a while, but it wasn’t long before she was giving them lots of hugs and kisses.  We’re hoping she “talked them into” moving back. Hehe.

Meghan is putting so many words together.  It’s getting easier for her to tell us what she wants and for us to understand her.  I love hearing her talk.  I especially like to hear her say “I don’t know” or “wha happen?”  She loves to shout for who she wants

I, with great sadness, think Meghan is beginning her “terrible two’s” early.  Of course, this makes no sense to anyone else since she’s such a good girl around them. Hehe.  But I they say your kids try to get away with a lot more when it comes to their Mommy and Daddy.  Meghan is constantly testing the waters and has gone into “time out” several times.  I’m really questioning my ability as a parent at this point.  I hope I’m doing things right.  At times I wonder if I’m being too hard or too soft on her.  I don’t want her to feel she can’t explore and be independent, but I don’t want to put her in harms way or think she is boss.  She really is a very good girl, she is just acting her age.  I’m sure every Mom and/or Dad at this point can relate, so really, in the grand scheme of things, I feel extremely blessed.

Meghan, you have been one of the best things that has ever happened to me.  To this day we get comments that you are the most beautiful little girl people have seen.  I can’t help but agree with them.  You have the smile that will light up a room and an infectious giggle.  Your spirit is one-of-a-kind.  My life would be incomplete without you.  I love you my big girl!

Her 15 month appointment went very well.  However, she did have quite the cold.  She started with a high fever (103 degrees) and ended with a lot of congestion and a cough.  She even lost her voice this round!  It made me feel so bad for her, especially when she said “Momma” or “Daddy” and no sound came with it. :o(

Doctor said she looks wonderful.  He’s still watching her weight because she’s so skinny, but said to just keep an eye on her eating and if it diminishes any to bring her back in.  I know it’s just genes - Dad is tall and skinny and well, Mom isn’t exactly short either. 

Weight: 19lbs. 4oz.  5^th percentile

Height: 32 inches  75^th percentile

Meghan is both mentally and physically healthy.  Developmentally she’s ahead of the game.  We’re truly blessed!  Can’t get better than that!

So what is going on in Meghan’s world this month?

She’s becoming very interested in body parts and loves to say them.  She says, belly button, toes, knee, nose, eyes, and butt.  She can point to a lot more when you ask here where things are.

She’s starting the temper tantrums!  She screams and throws herself down on the ground when she doesn’t get her way.  Doc says it’s normal at this age, but very trying for her parents.  Time to show her who’s the boss :o)  Doctor says it’s time to start “time-outs” for a minute.  She doesn’t like them thus far, but definitely gets the message!

As of October 19^th, we are down to one feeding at night – sometimes one in the morning.

Meghan has discovered make-up.  She’s been diligently watching me put my makeup on in the mornings.  Now she grabs out of my makeup bag and pretends to put lipstick, eye shadow and eyeliner on.  Occasionally she’ll open the lipstick and get it all over, but it is so cute to watch her try to apply it on her lips.  I’m sure after the umpteenth time she gets it everywhere I’ll end up hiding my makeup. 

She likes saying make up too, however, the she’s really stressing in her speech the “k’s” and “ck’s” such as, duck, make-up, truck.

She learned how to say potty this month and has become very interested in what we do on the potty. Hehe.  I think after Christmas we might get her a little potty of her own.

Meghan and I spend time outside for a little bit after we get home from work/school.  We especially like going over to where our community mailboxes are and play hide and seek.  First she goes around one side and hides and I pretend to look for her.  She jumps out and scares me and I jump and “pretend” to be scared.  Then it’s my turn to hide and scare her.  She lets out a fake squeal as if she’s scared.  She thinks it’s the funniest thing and we sit there and laugh and giggle.  I love it.

She LOVES the park.  She’s even ventured to go down the bigger slides recently.  She really loves and thinks she’s such the big girl.  She says “weeee” every time she sees a slide and every time she goes down the slide.  Very cute.

No more teeth so far.  I thought I felt some bumps the other day –but I thought that last week too, and nothing came of it.  I have a feeling that whatever teeth are trying to come in are being difficult.

2 Bottom molars cut through the weekend of November 3^rd, 2007!  Still a ways to go to get them fully in, which might explain some of her grumpy attitude lately.

She LOVED Halloween this year.  For her official second Halloween, she was a Giraffe.  We went to Boo at the Zoo on the 28^th of October – and I must say she blended in well with the real giraffe’s.  On Halloween we went over to G’ma K’s house for trick or treating.  We only went around the cul-de-sac, but I tell you, Meghan had the whole routine down by the end!  Once we took her to the first few houses, she picked up on what she needed to do.  She would walk up to the house with Dad or Mom, say “boo” or “tictictic” (for trick or treat) and the people would pick out a candy to put in her bucket. By the last few houses, she was grabbing the candy and putting it in her bucket herself! Once she received her prize, she would turn around to make sure Dad was watching from the sidewalk, she would run to him, and then run, run, run to the next house.  It was the most adorable things to watch.  It made me so proud to be Meghan’s Mommy.

This could take up a whole side note journal entry but will start it here and see where we end up.  My last day of breastfeeding was October 31^st, 2007.  Meghan is 14 ½ months old.  The morning of my last day, I did not know it would be the last time.  It was later on that night that I realized it was time to stop.  I really wanted to nurse, just one more time, but figured “one more time” could turn into ten more times and so on.  Emotionally I’m handling it pretty well.  It’s hard and it makes me sad to know that we no longer have our special time together every day.  I knew this time was to come.  I’ve enjoyed and have been so blessed in being able to breastfeed Meghan for almost 15 months.  It is the most precious gift I could have ever given to her and I’m proud of that.  I had planned to stop after she was a year old, however, I wanted to see if she would do it on her own.  My precious girl would have done it until she was 3 if I would have let her.  I was ready to have my body back and I was getting frustrated with having to wake up 2-3 times a night still.  That just isn’t fair to her or me.  I want to be able to comfort Meghan and shower her with hugs and kisses without her wanting to nurse.  It was time and so the time has come and gone.  It isn’t easy, for either of us.  Her cries and reaching out for me at night break my heart, especially when I have to refuse her what she wants the most.  I know, that in time she won’t remember or miss this (just like she doesn’t remember/miss the other feedings I eliminated).  Overall, I know I made the right decision for us both.  I’ll never EVER forget the way she looked at me and I looked at her when she nuzzled into my breast to nurse or the drunken sailor look she proudly wore as she drifted off to sleep after nursing.  Never Ever will I forget.  I love you my precious baby girl!