Baby Talk - May

This month I didn't really write down all the funny things Shaelyn did. Instead, I just snapped pictures of all the things I knew I'd want to document for this month. So there are no dates, just everything presented in the order I took it on my camera. My big take-away from this month: Shaelyn looks OLD to me! She has really lost her baby fat (did she ever have much to begin with?!?) and now has the long, slender arms and legs, and long hair. When we go out in public, people are always asking me if she's 2 or 3. She's petite for her age, but she looks so mature. She's turning into such a beautiful girl!

But on to the funny things...

Shaelyn has mastered the art of climbing (kieum! kieum! - she says everyday) and no furniture surface is safe anymore. We used to put everything on the dining room table since it's counter height, but she can climb up the bar stools now and get up there too! So now our house is full of chairs in random places - if you leave them at the table (even pushed in all the way), Shaelyn will use them to climb up on the table. But if they're away from the table, and in the hallway for example, she only climbs the chair. What else can we add to the chaotic mess that is our house?

But I love climbing, Mom!

She is also a little copycat, and has started doing things she sees us doing (of course while on top of the kitchen table. I promise she doesn't see us up there to copy that behavior, at least.):

Shaelyn now sleeps on a full-sized mattress on the floor, so there's plenty of room for her furry friends to join her:

This is a comfortable way to sleep!
Michael wants credit for setting up the bears to mirror Shaelyn and taking the pics. Very cute, honey!

This picture doesn't go along with a funny story, it just shows how old Shaelyn's been looking lately. Thanks for the cute ladybug dress, Nicolle!

Rosy cheeks and red lips - look out boys!

Shaelyn has become obsessed with hats this month. Which is a good thing because I could never get her to wear her sunhat before, and I didn't want her to have a sunburned head this summer. She loves to pat her head and say "hat" whenever she sees someone wearing a hat, or she wants to wear one herself. I guess this is the beginnings of dress-up for her. I think I'll be getting her more hats so she has a variety.

You mean a waffle fry isn't a hat? But it's so pretty!

I love wearing my hat!

So much so that I have to wear it at meal time, in the car, when we're running errands...

Now that we have consistently warmer weather, Shaelyn and I go on walks around the neighborhood a lot. If we're just walking around the immediate block or so, I don't put her in her stroller. She loves to walk along the sidewalk and look at everything, and she's usually pretty good about staying on the sidewalk, too. Lately, this same path we walk everyday takes longer and longer because she notices more and more things to stop and look at. She'll bring me her shoes and say "alk" every day - she's like my parents' puppy!

Hi! I love books, movies, and taking long walks on the sidewalk.

The grass is looking a little brown. Better go water it!

Shaelyn is in that toddler stage of sorting and gathering. She's getting very good at it. Her new thing is sorting and arranging her stuffed animals. Her window ledge is the spot of choice for all her beanie babies.

I promise we don't have ants crawling all over our walls (even though it looks like it). I accidentally changed the settings on the camera. And notice what a control freak Shaelyn is while sorting her animals on the window ledge (I wonder where she gets that from...):

It's not summer until the drumsticks come out - ice cream Drumsticks that is. (You know, the ice cream cones covered in nuts with a fun little chocolate surprise waiting for you at the bottom of the cone...) We gave Shaelyn a taste of her very first Drumstick. Results are below:

Then of course, she was on a total sugar high. Oops! Getting her ready for bed took a little longer than usual that night. But not without hilarious results!

Going "boom" is now a daily favorite.

Now you know why bears are always #1 on the Threat Down

New bath time ritual: get everything in the bathroom as soaking wet as possible. I feel like we need one of those Shamu splash zone postings. You know, "if you are sitting anywhere in this area, you WILL get wet!". I told Michael I'm going to have to start wearing my bathing suit just to sit in the bathroom and supervise her baths. But the floor is cleaner than it's every been thanks to the nightly post-bath moppings.

Saturday we went to the temple and Erika babysat. I was gone longer than I planned and cut it too close to Shaelyn's nap time. No one has ever had to put Shaelyn down for a nap before (not since she was an infant and would just fall asleep at someone's house in their arms), but Erke luckily knew the routine. That and the girl was just plain exhausted. This is the scene I came home to.

It's tiring being so cute and growing up so fast!