17 Months!

My little peanut is growing everyday! It's truly amazing how fast the time has gone! She will be a big sister in just a few short weeks!

We took a little getaway to Amish Country here in Ohio a few weeks ago as a last hurrah before the new baby arrives. Peanut had lots of fun staying in our rental apartment!

We've also finished cleaning up the yard for winter. Luckily we didn't have too many leaves to rake, although we saved all the ones we did gather for use as organic material in our raised garden beds. Peanut had fun playing in the leaves!

Structured Learning Activities with a Young Toddler

Recently, I've begun implementing structured learning activities into our day for Peanut. Although she is just over 16 months old, I can already see the benefit these early learning sessions will have! We plan on homeschooling, so getting into a routine of daily learning will also be really helpful when she starts more formal preschool studies.

When I first started researching homeschooling, I thought for sure that I would not have to worry about it until she was at least 3. But the more I learned about early learning and the more I watched her develop and grow, I decided to start doing structured activities with her, even if just for 15 or 30 minutes a day. The great thing is that she has fun and is learning without even realizing it!

I've been able to find quite a few free young toddler curriculum online, and so far we have been following Pam's House Young Toddler Curriculum. I love how flexible it is and how you can just pick and choose what you want to do. I also love the Christian teachings included. Since Peanut is still fairly young and not really talking, I can just repeat lessons a few times if I need to. This is going to come in handy when I am busy taking care of a newborn at the same time. These lessons are structured so that you can quickly start and stop different activities if needed. I borrow books for the week from the library, and am working on getting our "school" supplies stocked so I can more easily do projects that involve things like construction paper, glue sticks basic craft supplies or crayons.

If you're interested in teaching babies and toddlers, here are a few more links I found that were helpful:

Infant and Toddler Lesson Planning Ideas

Toddler Curriculum

Children's Songs with Lyrics

Sample of Bible Study Concepts for Toddlers

I Can Teach my Child: 1-2 Years

My Little Cheeser

I remember as a child I loved to "cheese" for the camera. It seems my daughter does as well, and she preps for her shot before I even turn the camera on! She loves "cheesing"!!

Here she is sporting her sunglasses inside, with the famous paci and her favorite toys- a spoon and a bowl!

"mommy! I'm ready!"

The next day...

And again! (notice the little scab between her eyes- that was from falling and landing face first on a frisbee she was carrying off the step from the garage to the sidewalk!)

Peanut Goes Camping

Recently, we took Peanut camping with her aunt and uncle who live far far away in Virginia. We decided to meet halfway in Pennsylvania, at Laurel Hill State Park (which was gorgeous BTW!).

Peanut walking along the beachy lake with Daddy C:

Peanut splashing in the water! This girl loves to swim!

She also went on her first bike ride with Daddy C and I! Here she is in her seat! She kept saying "weee!" all throughout the ride! So cute!

We went hiking to a dam and could not resist cooling off in the water below! Peanut practically dived right in, getting soaked in the process!

All 3 of us hiking! Peanut is busy look at the water in the background, haha.

We had a great trip spending time relaxing at the campsite and catching up with family. Peanut did not sleep the best the first night (we arrived at the site very late), and the second night it had started raining around dinnertime, turning our campsite into a mudsite, unsuitable for a walking toddler! So we got an emergency hotel room and let Peanut stay up late! It all turned out for the best, and next time, we'll know to take the weather seriously when it calls for a chance of rain (or at least have a backup plan arranged). Peanut thought the hotel room was so much fun though! Of course, this girl thinks everything is fun.

I can't wait for our next camping adventure, although next time it will likely be somewhere a bit closer so we don't arrive so late and also free of rain!

Do you enjoy camping? How often do you go?

Friday's Photos

The other day, spring decided to give us a teaser, and the temperature soared to almost 70 degrees here. I decided to take Peanut on a walk to the park and let her roll around outside!

Peanut LOVED playing in the leaves and grass!

She finally is big enough to fit in the jogging stroller!

Pretty winter landscape at the park:

Winter Reprieve

This past weekend, Aunty C came for a visit here at the Campbell Castle. We were all so excited to see her and spend time with her - especially Peanut! She enjoyed playing, giggling and spending her days with her fun aunt.



On Friday, we went dumpster diving together for boxes! Apparently, one of the best places to go for free boxes is the local shoe warehouse. So, Aunty C waltzed in and inquired about us taking some off their hands, and they replied she could take all she wanted, but they were all in the dumpster in the back. When we drove around to the back, we discovered the boxes were laying pretty deep inside the dumpster, and the door was rather high. So Aunty C exclaimed "I'm going in!" and before I knew what was happening, she had dove into the dumpster! We laughed so hard; but don't worry, the only items inside the dumpster were boxes, no real garbage.

Saturday, we heard the forecast was supposed to be 45 degrees, so we planned a trip to the park to soak up some Vitamin D. We stopped at Panera Bread for lunch, and by then it had actually warmed up so much that we took our lunch outside and ate on the patio! Then we spent the rest of the day at Cherokee Park - a great place to go for a little nature in the city. We went for a lovely nature hike and took Peanut to play on the playground. The weather was so lovely, a true reprieve from winter. Since Aunty C lives in Chicago, she felt like she was visiting Florida or something! When we finally arrived back home, we discovered the high for the day had actually reached 56 degrees - no wonder our pasty winter faces were a little burnt!

The Wonder of a Belly Laugh

It's amazing what makes my baby laugh. Random things. Normal occurrences. People being people.

The other day, after Daddy C had returned from a long day at work, we went into the bedroom and laid down on the bed together (normally we eat dinner first, but the broccoli was taking longer than usual!).

Apparently, this was the funniest thing Peanut has ever seen: I set my head down and brought it back up to look at her, and she immediately started belly laughing. We were so confused, but delighted all the same. I did it again and she busted out with another precious roll of laughter. Her face was turning red from giggling so hard! She was having a blast! Daddy C and Mommy C just looked at each other and began laughing along (how can you not laugh when a baby is so happy?!). It was such a special moment.

Times like these remind me of the beauty of life - enjoying and capturing these tiny pockets of joy amidst the everyday. It helps you focus on what's really important. Not the piles of laundry, the mile-long to-do list, the dusty house or what's for dinner; but people- the amazing relationships we have with each other and our family.

Have a Seat!

For a while now, Peanut has been attempting to sit unsupported, but she always came crashing down to the back or side or nose-dived forward. I've been putting her in the infant seat to help her sit up so she can play with her toys better (currently, her favorite thing to do is taking all of her toys out of the small box they are kept in and dropping them on the other side!). This past weekend, we ate in a couple resturants and tried putting her in the high chairs provided. This worked for about 5 minutes before she got tired and wanted to be held.

This week, however, she has begun sitting on her own for longer periods of time. She's not completely there yet, but has definitely come a long way! Hooray!

Roll-y Poll-y

Peanut has really gotten the hang of rolling! Just look at this picture, and know that I originally put her down in the middle of that blankie. Barely 10 minutes had transpired when I returned to find my daughter completely on the other side! She gives me a look as if to say, "Well, you didn't really expect me to stay put did you?!"

This roll-y poll-y-ness means I can no longer leave her on the bed unattended. Even if she is in the center of the bed, surrounded by pillows and a sea of blankets. Ask me how I know! She must also be properly strapped into her swing and bouncy and placed far away from sharp table legs when on the floor least she knock her head into the side and leave an unattractive mark for others to wonder about.

Although many parents are no ready for their little one to roll and crawl, I am loving this stage in Peanut's life. Her colic is gone, and she is playful and content for longer periods of time. She grabs her feet and reaches for toys, which make playing with her so much more enjoyable. She even notices the cats and will stare at them for long periods of time as they make their way across the room (although they have learned to stay away from here unless they want a tiny hand firmly grasping their ears, tail and fur!).