just about 16 months~

what is new on the lela front~

• uses a fork and spoon with gusto and the mess to accompany that
• started walking at 14.5 months (thanks to grandmere reilly)!
• tells us, and has been for a couple of months now, when she goes in her diaper - and says the words
• had her first dental visit in november and astonishingly didn't mind the dentist
• popped her right front tooth around thanksgiving... and we're still waiting on the other one
• in early november, finally got her 1st birthday gift of a bike seat!  brant and i treated ourselves to new mountain bikes too since the others we had were from high school and couldn't make it up even the slightest hill without mass calamity... not to mention i think my banana seat bike was the one i had just before that one.  yes, it was time.
• took our bikes to amsterdam and rode everywhere
• a couple of months ago started yelling "mama" from her room in the morning for me to come get her
• loves building tunnels and says "tunnel" all the time, thanks nana balbach  ;)
• repeats every word we say and wants to know the real words for everything
• says "dada" a lot in the late afternoon and points to pictures of brant
• has her own drawer in the kitchen that she stores her stuff in and "cooks" when she feels like it - she keeps her cell phone in that drawer too
• still obsessed with cars and carries them around often
• starting coloring
• asks for milk, food, "mama", "dada", "pa" (name for her pacifier), "bear"... repeatedly at bedtime - whichever isn't in sight she asks for to delay bedtime
• loves playing with her new wizard of oz dolls
• kisses on the lips, eskimo kisses, and hugs.... also says "up" all the time to be held
• she's about 23 lbs. now and getting taller by the day
• bullheaded like her mama (won't hold hands while on the sidewalk or in the store... and when picked up, flops like a fish out of water... if she wants to walk by herself, she WANTS TO WALK BY HERSELF) and to get her to laugh, you better be funny (brant's persona at its finest)  :)

lela in her bike seat in amsterdam:

other than that, we had a relaxing and fun trip back to the states for thanksgiving, saw the UM/Nebraska game, went to a UM/OSU tailgate, brant saw two lions games, met with friends, both families... and i got a girls' weekend in vegas with my fiendette friends from osan.  we ran the vegas 1/2 marathon and stayed for three nights on the strip.  it was fabulous seeing old friends after 2-4 years apart.  lela stayed with my parents in michigan (and was sick during the stay...) and i was sick the entire time in vegas, but still, fun.

merry, merry
s