Conversations with the Carrolls: Makena's 15 Months Old

Where has the time gone? I can't believe I have already been home with Makena for 5 months. It has been an adjustment but definitely a joyful one. The ball of stress that was in my chest is gone and now I get to enjoy my little girl every day. She is a true blessing and I thank God every day for her. What has the last month of growing up gotten us you may be asking?

- 31 inches tall
-22.2 lbs
- Shots – 15 Month shots weren’t any fun. 3 shots in the leg and two days worth of fever left Makena a little tired and cranky, but she bounced back pretty quick.
- Walking - She has really taken off this last week. Six steps is now a thing of the past. It has helped being around some of her older friends.
- Climbing - Although, there isn't much to climb on around our house (since she can't get ont he furniture by herself yet) but she loves the stairs. She climbed all the way to the top at a friends house recently.
- Words - In the last week, I have noticed Makena mimic more and more words we are saying. She can't pronouce them usually but you can tell she is trying which is new. "Riggins" sounds a little like "Ninins", "Milk" sounds a little like "ilk", “waffle” sounds like “awful”, and she is using "mama” more than the past. The words are coming!
- Reading – She still loves to sit with her books. She likes to sit in Mommy or Daddy’s lap and begin to read a book but sometimes she gets bored with the first page. However, other times she’ll sit through the entire book.
- Food – Makena is a pretty good eater all around. She sometimes doesn’t want to try things but I think that is normal. She loves fruit (nectarines, watermelon, banana, strawberries, mandarin oranges, plum), some veggies (broccoli, potatoes), and bread…oh and fruit bars and crackers (whole wheat Ritz).
- Friends - Makena loves to play with her friends.
- Socially - Makena likes to figure out how things work. She will study things and try them out until she figures it out. Watched her for 20 minutes last night trying to put a pair of shorts on. She is still very observant of the world around her. In the last week, she has begun to show signs of separation anxiety, which is a huge change for her.
- Baby Dolls and Kisses - Makeana loves her baby doll. She knows where the babies paci goes and give the baby big "smacking" kisses. She now loves to give kisses to Mommy and Daddy as well as blow kisses. Sometimes she is a little selective with them but she can give a big smacking kiss when she wants to.
- Body parts - Makena can now identify her eyes, nose, mouth, hair and ears. She also knows her hands and feet. She will also point those parts on someone else.
- Sleeping - She is still sleeping around 10 hours a night and takes about a 3 hour nap during the day. For the most part she is down to one nap.

Here are a few pics marking the occassion:

Yummy Pizza! My favorite remote and a huge smile...