So Caroline turned 14 months in mid-May and I cannot believe the change in her from months 12-14. It’s like she went from a baby to a full-blown toddler in that 2 months. Her hair is getting long, her face is getting longer (not as baby round), and she has opinions on things! Real opinions. And she will let you know. She is also very curious–she notices everything and gets fixated on things that she doesn’t easily forget or give up on!

Here is a snapshot of Caroline at 14 months:

• WALKING! She walked right smack in the middle of month 13 (late April) and by the time she hit 14 months, she was pretty stable and confident. It happened so fast! At first, she walked with her elbows tucked in close to her ribs and likes to hold something in each hard (which doesn’t do a lot of good for her balance, but hey, she doesn’t listen to me!) But now, she is more confident and sturdy and doesn’t spontaneously collapse like she did before.
• She claps when you clap and will sometimes wave goodbye.
• She is sassy and really like to get what she wants. She will ask for something and if she can’t have it, she will cry/whine. Usually she wants my sunglasses, keys, the Amazon Echo dot in her room, or a paci. Mike and I have a growing list of things she cannot ever hold!
• She loves her water bottle and carriers it everywhere.
• She loves her Twinkle Twinkle book (from Carole and Tony), Global Babies (from Ed & Susan), and the Winnie the Pooh book from Luke & Toby.
• When she puts her arms straight up, reaching for the sky, she inevitably falls on her bottom. It is so predictable and cute.
• She LOVES being outside. She will take you towards the door and you know she wants to be out with all the nature.
• She notices ALL the nature. Birds, squirrels, dogs, cats. Even fake dogs/signs with dogs on them–she will still wave to them and stare at them and want to befriend them.
• Once we get outside, we take walks on the sidewalk which are combinations of her walking, being carried, and holding your hand. If she walks independently, bring a snack because it will be a loooong trip. She is no speed racer and stops to examine everything. The best is when she does it with her hands clasped behind her back–she looks like a mini inspector and it is the cutest thing.
• Verbally, we get “da-da” and “ma-ma” and “wa-wa”…which we think is ‘water’ but wouldn’t it be funny if she was trying to say ‘Laura?’ She has also added ‘da!’ to the list which we can tell is for ‘dog’ because she loves pointing out dogs (both real and fake).
• She loves her water table (mainly trying to eat the water), a pink paper treat bag she got at a birthday party, and the mini bottle of jellybeans is still a hit. She always wants my sunglasses, but not her own pair, and upgraded to three new bathing suits this season…that was necessary!
• She loves her shoes and holds them up to her ear like they are a phone–she does the same thing with rectangular toys.
• Finnegan is becoming more popular with her. She always asks for him first thing in the am and like to snuggle her head on him (because he is soft).
• She is wearing size 12-18 months, still sleeps like a rock at night (7 am to 7 pm) and has a 2 hour nap during the day, and eats anything and everything we put in front of her. She loves eating at Silver Diner and Guapo’s (of course).

Happy 14 months, Sugar Bear!