home | Letters To Reesie

I haven’t provided an update on the subject of this blog for a long time. Actually, I’ve been posting for about a year and it looks like I’ve only provided two updates. Ever. Maybe I should stop talking about myself so much. God.

Reese is progressing as predicted. Tipping the scales at 29 lbs (90th percentile), no one would believe that we struggle to get her to eat most foods. Maybe a girl can live on pean alone.

She is like her mom in the way that she lives for consuming large amounts of carbs; loves include grilled cheese (wooo), waffles, oatmeal, baked beans, and “appasaw!!!!” (applesauce) which she demands fiercely and randomly, even while playing in her pool or sitting on the potty. She’s not like her parents, or like anyone we want to know, in the way that she refuses almost all meat (except for these awesome turkey meatballs that I can sometimes trick her into eating.)

Reese is a shorty (75 cm and in the 16th percentile) and still has a huge, lovely head (95th percentile for head circumference), only these days it is full of bumps and bruises from her crib, the coffee table, the china cabinet, the steps, the floor, mom’s head, etc.

Words are her strong point and she uses sentences often. The other night in her bath she was talking to her bath toys and said, “Sit next to me, frog.” Andrew and I just about died.

She is a good sleeper except for the fact that daytime naps are not consistent. Many days she doesn’t nap at all. So maybe that makes her a bad sleeper? Not sure.

We recently took away her “baba” (pacifier) because she kept biting through it and small pieces were coming off in her crib, which was freaking me out. This event coincided with the end of daytime naps. She sleeps well at night without the baba, finally, but it was rough in the beginning. I was a thumb sucker myself and I vividly remember the comfort it offered, so it was a little sad to watch her go through the transition.

Each day we get another glimpse of the person Reese is becoming and we have begun to see a bit of her parents laid back nature, some of her mom’s timidness, her dad’s smarts and dance moves, the sweet nature of her grandparents and a toughness for which I am thankful.

What I hope for most is that she grows up to be kind. This is what I tell people. Secretly though, I also really hope that she is hilarious. I think she will be.

What do people do with a fifteen month old?

This is the question we were asking ourselves on Sunday morning as the three of us lounged around our living room, all still in pajamas, reading the same books for the thousandth time and hearing the same song over and over and over again.

“Reeeeeeaaaaad a book from start to end, turn the page, make a friend!”

The 2 feet of snow that fell on us last weekend, paired with the blistering wind and frigid temps this weekend left us with a case of cabin fever and a one year old who was tiring of running up and down our hallways.

We had to get out, but our choices were limited. Going out to eat is not an option anymore. Since Reese started walking she refuses to be confined to a high chair at restaurants. Her true desire is to be set free to run throughout the restaurant, stick her fingers into electrical sockets and eat food off of the floor. If she does decide to stay in her high chair for a little while she will amuse herself by turning around to face the people at the table behind us and stare at them while saying “Hi” over and over again. It’s uncomfortable for everyone involved. Even when they kindly wave back and say “Hi there!” she does not relent.

“Hi.Hi.Hi.”

We ended up at the mall.

Reese was already fussing about being stuck in her stroller as we walked into the mall and as we emerged from JC Penney we saw something that we had never noticed before. A big, awesome, indoor play place that was illuminated in a heavenly glow. Jk. More like a germ infested glow, but we were ok with it.

The playground was Boston themed, had a bunch of different climbing structures, a bridge and an arch to the “Public Garden” which was full of colorful duckies for sitting on (Reese’s fav.) There was a wooden pirate ship, a mini climbing wall, and a couple of slides. Literally, everyone and their mother was there. Apparently this is what people do.

Being there made me feel very parenty; following Reese around, asking her not to take toys from other kids, comforting her when another little boy’s aggressive “hug” took her to the ground. I tried not to think about all the things that had probably been peed and puked on and just let a girl live her life, but it wasn’t easy.

Despite this, we all had fun and although some rules were broken, (Andrew went up into the “tree house” which we later learned was strictly forbidden. “Absolutely no adults in the play structures” read the sign we only noticed upon leaving. Who would have thought? A grown man, not allowed in a child’s pretend tree house? How dare they! ) we’ll be back. If they let us.