17 Months!

Addy is 17 months old now and is changing so fast. She's now into playing with play dough, coloring (or just arranging the crayons in the box), 'running,' dressing up her 'friends,' creating her own sign language and words and of course, cleaning up. She loves to wipe her nose, her tray, her shirt and anything else that looks dirty. She has also discovered how fun it is to wash her hands. :) She likes things to be neat and orderly just like her Mama.

(Yes, that is a knife in Addy's hand but it's a butter knife!)

This is Addy dressing up her 'friend' Colorado Bear. It's been handy to have a basket of winter clothes available at all times for her to dress up her stuffed animals in.

This is me at 29 weeks with Addy at 17 months.

Grandma Lynn gave Addy some really neat inner tube sleds for Christmas and we finally got out to use them. Really, we just used one because oh yeah, I'm pregnant. :) Addy wasn't so sure about the sledding thing at first but then she caught on and kept saying 'mo.' We headed up Big Cottonwood Canyon and got to go sledding just 20 minutes from our house. Don't worry, we stuck to the bunny slope.
Here's Addy stuffed in her tube. She didn't look very comfy like this. . .

She liked riding with Daddy best.

Here's Addy going sledding and making her first snow angel.

Addy's first snow angel made with a little help from Dad.

Ok, this pregnancy has been so weird. Some friends and my midwife have told me it's because my 2 pregnancies are so close together but my stomach muscles and uterus are really thin. What that means is that I feel everything that I didn't feel with Addy's pregnancy and you can really see the baby through from the outside. So. . . here's a weird video of the baby moving in my belly. This happens constantly and sometimes it makes me feel kind of sick to my stomach. This baby is taking full advantage of my flexible middle and getting lots of moves in. If watching a big prego belly jump around weirds you out, skip this one. :) Otherwise, welcome to my life.

Addy gets really goofy and laughs a lot. Here's a video of her goofing with Dad (she loves this game) and of her after she woke up from her nap last week. Lately she goofs around in her crib for several minutes once I go in to get her. She's pretty entertaining.

In case you're wondering what Brad and I are doing outside of just being entertained by Addy, here it goes. . .

Brad's work has gotten tricky in the last few weeks and he's had to work a bit more hours that he was previously. We started hosting a parenting class at our house last week as Addy's heading into the crazy toddler life-stage. We've had great discussions about our parenting beliefs and why we're doing what we're doing with Addy. I feel so blessed to be able to spend time and energy really thinking about this stuff now before #2 arrives and it gets more complicated.

We've also started some more routines in our house as we try to make better use of our time together. The winter has necessitated being a little better planned as we've been stuck inside a lot. We've started 'couch time' where Addy plays by herself in the living room after dinner while we spend 15-20 minutes talking. It's funny because she gets over the fact that we're ignoring her but she often deposits various toys on our laps while we try to stay focused on our conversation.

We've also started family devotions where we read a bit of the Bible (and insert animal noises where appropriate for Addy's benefit!), pray for others and sing praise songs. Addy likes playing her instruments (or ours) and often requests itsy-bitsy spider. We figure that counts as a joyful noise to the Lord. :)

I've been swimming a few times a week (I'm almost up to a mile!) to try to relieve my back pain. It really makes a difference and I enjoy the time to myself. I've been enjoying MOPS and Bible study at church and getting to know other moms (mostly recent transplants to UT as well) during playdates. It sure is easier to get to know people when you're not working! (however, sometimes hard to have conversations with toddlers running around!!)

We've started to see signs of springtime in SLC. While the rest of the country was freezing, we were enjoying smog-free skies, mild temps and sunshine. It has been really refreshing. We've gotten to go for walks and go kitty cat/puppy dog 'hunting' in our neighborhood. Don't worry, our weapon is just Addy. She's really into looking for our neighbors animals on walks.

Anyway, I'm a bit long winded so I'll stop. . . off to finish Valentine's dinner for tonight.