Taelyn - 15 Months

Taelyn had her 15 month check-up at the doctor today. She is now 23 lbs., 31 inches long, and has a head circumference of 18.3 inches. Her weight is average for her age, and her length and head are just above average. Our healthy little girl is also a great eater, feeding herself each meal to just about anything we put in front of her: various veggies and fruits, cereal, sandwiches, chili, chicken, etc. She no longer drinks from a bottle during the day, either.

Developmentally, Taelyn has grown quite a bit during the last few months. Her receptive vocabulary is very high. We can ask her to go get a toy and bring it to us or to point to a specific object and she will complete the task with no problem. One of my favorites is asking her where mommy's baby is, and she will point to my belly. Taelyn will also "help" us out quite a bit by closing the door when we get home, closing the dishwasher door, or bringing us the TV remote. Of course, she is usually the one who tries to get in to the dishwasher first and takes the remote to begin with, but at least she is quick to "help" out afterward.

Walking is now a very big part of Taelyn's life. If she is awake by time Justin goes to work in the morning, she likes to "walk daddy to work" by walking with him to the end of the hall of our apartment complex. And when we leave to go somewhere, Taelyn must walk by herself and push the elevator door to get downstairs. Shopping for groceries has obviously been a little tough these days because she only wants to walk and will constantly try to stand up and get out of the cart!

Music is still one of Taelyn's passions as well as reading her books. She loves to sing along with songs that she knows, and she still is a dancer. She now dances by swaying back and forth from foot to foot, sometimes accompanied by stomping. And she enjoys jumping too! While playing with a mini piano/music station that she got for Christmas, Taelyn will play a song, hit the drum button, and sing in the microphone. She also likes to hand the microphone to me so we can take turns singing. It's pretty cute. And Taelyn is often found with a book in her hand. She will go to her room to read her books by herself. When she wants to read a book with us, she will then bring one out to the living room and hand it to us to read to her. She is very good at pointing to whatever picture we specify. She particularly likes reading about and pointing to: Curious George, Clifford, Walle, balloons, babies, ducks, teddy bears, and balls.

It has been such a joy watching Taelyn learn and grow throughout these last few months. She is such a happy little girl. Here are a few pictures we have captured during this time.

Slideshow made with Smilebox

Congratulations Dr. Walker!

After six long years of hard work, Justin just graduated from his doctoral program at the University of Northern Colorado. The ceremony was this past weekend where Justin was called up on stage as "Dr. Walker" and was formerly "hooded." It was a very special moment. And to help celebrate the accomplishment, Justin's dad came out for the ceremony.

Here are a few pics of the day, including some precious Taelyn time with her Grandpa Walker.

Recent Taelyn Anecdotes

Taelyn had a few funny moments lately that I thought were worth sharing. First, I took her to Toddler Time last week where there is a mix of young toddlers like Taelyn fresh out of Baby Time and some older toddlers who can talk, sit at a table, draw, etc. Taelyn loves to follow the older toddlers around, and they seem to want nothing to do with a little kid following them. So last week, Taelyn came up to an older toddler sitting on a chair, put her arm on the back of his chair, and started talking to him with as many made up words that she could possibly muster. She had a huge smile on her face and was so excited to talk to this boy. After her long speech, he took one look at her and in an irritated voice said, "Please get your hand off my chair" and then turned his back on her. Poor Taelyn! But despite being turned down, there are other kids that love to play with her too.

The next story took place last night when we had a baby-sitter watch Taelyn while we went out with some friends. Everyone came over to our place to start, and Taelyn was in high spirits with all of the commotion going on. When the baby-sitter showed up, she showed her some books and hung out while we finished getting ready to go. Then when it was time to go, we said bye-bye to Taelyn. This excited her even more; she thought she was coming with us! So she waved and said bye-bye to the baby-sitter and headed straight for the door to leave. She was not so thrilled, however, when she had to stay behind, but she had a great time playing with the baby-sitter once the initial shock wore off!