Big Milestones

I have been so proud of Maria lately, I had to find a place to brag about her.  So that is what this post will be about.  At 14 months she is such a big girl.

And a happy 1st anniversary of her baptism.  She officially joined God's family a year ago on Tuesday.  Does anyone have some great traditions for remembering that special day?

On to the big things she is doing.  What I am most proud and excited about is her big cousin skills.  She loves her 4 month old cousin and has somehow learned that you need to be gentle.  We have a great picture of her in that role thanks to my wonderful brother-in-law and his excellent camera!

Another exciting payoff of months of bedtime routine is Maria's ability to put things away.  We have carried her around with us while picking up at the end of the day.  Our modeling has worked because she will now put clothes in the hamper and toys in their respective places with only a little help.  Bedtime routine is now longer, but we don't have to carry her around and help her!

The most surprising milestone we are in the process of reaching is toileting.  I don't think ECers like the term potty training so I tried to stay away from it.  Maria chose now as the time for using the toilet.  There were a couple days she walked over and I let her sit.  So, about a week ago I decided to give her more diaper-free time and see what happened.  There have been a few accidents, but not as many as I would expect and we have not used more than three diapers (usually just one or two) a day in the past week.  This is excellent timing because my generous friend who let us borrow diapers for a year is needing them back for her little one on the way and I have only had the budget to buy ten of my own.  As luck would have it, that is all I seem to need for this child and will wait until the next to buy more (baby arrival gifts anyone?  Here is your idea if/when the next baby comes and you decide you would like to give a gift).

Other than that, we have been dealing with the pain of some more molars and swimming lots at the beach and in a couple different pools.  Maria loves that water and I am happy to spend my time there with her this summer :-)  We also had a great time at the zoo - once with daddy and once with Nana.

What a life :-D