Eighteen Wheels on a Wiggly Toddler

I can't believe that my baby girl is a year and a half! She is such a joy to have around (most of the time) and learning and growing so fast.

Favorite colors: orange and blue

Favorite animals: dogs and butterflies
Favorite movie: Spice World - because she likes to dance.

Too bad Blue Brothers the movies has some not-so-great language... I think it's be among her favorites if we let her watch it.


Calista loves to put things on her head. Remember the grocery bag? Well, things have continued like that. Sometimes it makes sense, like a hat.

It actually belongs on a head!
Other times, it's less logical...

The box from her Christmas present...

The spaghetti colander...

Her laundry basket... all's fair.

Hands in the "pockets" of her overalls.

We've had some nice weather this month, so we've gone to the park or played outside whenever we could.

Walking in the snow is hard, but fun!

She is hilariously silly. She loves to be "chased," but she will stop every little while to make sure you are actually following. She will also stop and just stand there, waiting to be caught, and giggling so much when it happens!

Sitting in the fridge. Why? Because she's silly!

"Feeding" her baby doll. She loves it, and is relatively gentle with it. Relatively. She's a year and a half, people!

Trying to reach the balloons at a friend's first birthday.





She is also starting to very much want to do what Kyler and I do.

Play on the computer? Always.

Try and get to the camera? Certainly.

Dress up in Dad's tie (and wear it around basically all day for two days)? Check.

Try on Mom's shoes? Most assuredly.

And when my shoes aren't available?

Calista will just get creative.

She's had some... intestinal issues this month (after she threw up), so she had a few extra fun morning baths. I didn't enjoy them so much, but Calista loves the bath no matter what time of day.


Calista can now make some animal sounds, or at least try. She can bark like a dog, roar like a lion, hiss like a snake (kind of), hoot like an owl, oink like a pig (kind of),

I think she's trying to be an owl? I don't know exactly...
I haven't gotten the roaring like a lion yet, but believe me when I say it's scarier than you would ever expect from an 18-month-old.

Can you believe this girl is a year and a half?

Happy 18 months, baby!

17, however belated

On Boxing Day (that would be the day after Christmas), Calista turned 17 months. She is enjoying be a toddler, and we are enjoying watching her learn and grow!

During her 17th month, we finished the nursery lesson manual from church... so we started over again! 

But not before snapping a picture of all the pictures she colored.

Little wigglewart is often on the move, which means getting a picture of her can be tough.

With our little Christmas tree!

She does sit still to watch youtube videos. I think Calista would watch this guy's channel all day if we let her!

But we don't. She has to have some non-screen time!

We went to a couple of Christmas parties this month, so Calista wore an appropriate party dress:

She's waving hi in this one. And, as always, the babe was quite the charmer, running around, getting into tupperware drawers (with permission), trying to steal sips of wine, and eating salmon cakes at the one for Kyler's work, and trying to keep up with all the big kids at the one for church.

She has also really discovered putting things on her head.

Like bags.

Can she see?

No, no she cannot.


The little whirling dervish, as my sister calls her, is also increasing in dexterity and stubbornness. The result is she often feeds herself her morning oatmeal and a snack of yogurt. Calista loves this.

And me? I put a placemat on the table, a bib around her neck, and a towel in her lap and then let her have at it.

She also is quite the mimic. If she sees you doing something, she wants to try to do it, too.

Even if she is no where near tall enough to reach the pull-up bar!

Calista is, as always, very deliberate. Her toys all have a place, and she will put them there if you put them in the wrong spot.

Except when she just walks away and leaves toys strewn every where. That happens, too.

There will be a whole post on Christmas (once it's done!), but a recount of her month wouldn't be complete without a little Christmas stuff.

Like trying to help her Daddy decorate the tree at Grandma's house.

Speaking of Grandma's house... the best part of it for Calista?

This little bugger! When I would tell her we were going to visit Grandma and Grandpa and stay there for a while, I'd get a blank stare. When I'd tell her we were going to see a puppy... Calista got much more excited.

Gizmo is still a puppy, so he hasn't learned to be afraid of small children.

He and Calista have a love/love/hate/hate relationship. They both absolutely adore each other, but often at different times. Gizmo will spend part of the time chasing Calista while she runs away, and the Calista will spend time chasing Gizmo while he tries to escape.

Quite fair, if you ask me.

While we were visiting Kyler's parents, we also went to a basketball tournament.

Calista's favorite part was the music.

.Happy 17 months, Baby Girl!

Peace offering of sorts

I know that I'm behind on this blogging thing. In the works are posts on Calista at 17 months and our Christmas. Until I finally finish uploading all the pictures and videos, and finally actually write about them... here is a peace offering:

It has been fairly warm (for January in Calgary) lately. Today, for example, the high was 50 F. There is still plenty of snow in the yard, though, because it snowed about a foot last Thursday and kept snowing on and off all weekend. The warmth plus the snow meant we had to go play outside!

And this is what we did:

 

Actually, Calista mostly just stood in the snow, occasionally bending down and eating it, while I made the snowman. Still, we had fun!

A crib no more

This last week, another milestone in the life of Calista has come. In an experiment, I removed the side of her crib, transforming it into a toddler bed. I wanted to see if she could get up into it herself. The result:

 Yes, she can definitely get up.

And she looooves being able to get in, and out any time she wants.

Thankfully, she still sleeps like a baby, even without the side.

Sweet Sixteen

Baby girl is sixteen months old, and she loves it! She is becoming more independent and able. She can get into the pantry...

open the box of Cheerios...

and enjoy! All by herself!

Of course, this means sometimes we end up with a bit of a mess...

She's also understanding what we say when we tell her she can do something after we do something else. Example: One night, she was asking for milk. We told her she could have some after her bath. Then she started asking for a bath. Good one, kid. We told her that Kyler had to finish cleaning up the kitchen first. The result:

Please, Dad, let me help you!

She's not really speaking words yet, but she is most definitely communicating. She has a sign language vocabulary of about 10 signs, and understands basically everything we ask of her. Calista also is starting to learn the parts of the body and can point to some of them when asked. Or she's try and poke your ears or nose, which isn't quite as good...
The two words she has really gotten down are "Daddy," which she's been doing a while now, and new this month, "ball."

Because the Babe loves to play with balls!

Ready for church on a Sunday.

Calista is getting pretty good at folding her arms at least at the start of the prayer. Now, keeping the folded, staying still and quiet... that she's still working on. Still, we're pleased she even tries. In fact, after a prayer is done, we often praise her for doing a good job and being a good girl. When Calista does something worth praising, Kyler often claps his hands. As a result, the Babe claps her hands at the end of every prayer. It's adorable... and a habit I want to break her of. Oh well.

At church, when she hears the organ start playing, she frantically reaches for a hymn book, even when, say, it's a choir number instead of congregational hymn. Ah, well. We let her hold the hymn book anyway, and she's happy.

We've been meaning to put her old carseat out in the garage, but she simply loves to crawl up in it and sit.

For my birthday, we made a fort in the front room, ordered Chinese take-out, and watched a movie. It was great.

And Calista loved the fort. I think she wishes there would always be pillows and blankets to climb all over in the front room.

We've posted about Calista liking the piano before, so all I'll say is it's still true.


She will actually stop and smile for the camera when I pull it out, which means I can get really cute pictures.

It also means if she's not in the mood to have her picture taken, she waves her arms, pushing away the camera and then turns and runs away.

She's starting to have her preferences.

Neurotic? My daughter? Only slightly. Calista gets very used to routine. She's decided that bibs are definitely a good thing, and so will go and get a bib when it's time to eat. And then, often, a second and third. She will insist that we put them all on her, and why not humor her? At least she's wearing a bib!

Also, whenever we leave the house, she needs to have her boots on, and tries to insist we put them on her even if she already has shoes on. Her hat is something else that she needs. We often bring a blanket into the car to help keep her warm until the car is heated up... she will grab it in the entry way and hand it to me to make sure I don't forget it. All of these things she does even if it's warm enough she doesn't need them, and again, we humor her. Why fight over wearing her warm hat to church or not? I'm picking my battles, and this isn't one of them.

A battle I do pick is Calista biting me. Sometimes Kyler, but mostly me. My sister says Calista is a little Sunny Baudelaire, which is cute... but not when she bites me and it hurts. She gets in trouble when she does.

Still the cook's helper, with honey and a measuring cup. Good thing the lid is tightly on and she can't get it off yet...

Sleep! Blessed sleep! I haven't mentioned earlier, but Calista is actually really easy to get to go down to sleep now! She nurses, I sing a song, I rock her for a minute (more because I want to than anything. I like cuddly sleepy baby!), I put her in her crib and pat her back a little bit (because she is totally a tummy sleeper), and I leave. She turns her head to see me walk out and shut the door, sometimes babbles a bit to herself, and then goes to sleep. Hallelujah!

Happy 16 months, Baby Girl! Do you have a book out for every month you've been alive? Or even more?

It's a NEED!

We may have an addict on our hands, people.  Calista is only allowed her pacifier at nap and bed times. We attach it to her pajamas so when it's time to get her in them, she is all ready for bed.

And she definitely knows where her pacifier is.

 And she will do just about anything to try and get it.

What? There's nothing to see here, Mom.

Yup. Definitely an addict on our hands, the little whiner.