rylie || 13 – 18 months old

Once Rylie turned one, I stopped doing monthly updates, and since my blog is based around our family, I’m sure most of you don’t feel like you’re out of the loop when it comes to a ”Rylie update.” But because she’s done so much growing these past few months (physically and mentally), I thought it might be fun to do an “overview update” sharing the last 6 months and what big milestones Rylie passed.

13 months:

PR148484

This month was a whirlwind for us as a family, but Rylie really mastered some things that were sure signs she was no longer a little baby. Crawling was a big one, and with that came the beginning stages of wanting some independence. Her diet is what changed the most though. We stopped giving her formula and gave her “big people food.” We started with soft foods cut into small pieces. She wasn’t a fan of milk at all, but she made up for it with her love for cheese so we didn’t feel like she was lacking the necessary daily dairy intake.

Life Events:

14 months:

7516846096_IMG_9603

Rylie seemed to be absorbing everything and we were continually shocked by how quickly she picked up new skills and tricks. Her biggest fascination was with the baby doll she got for her birthday, which was great because as I entered my 3^rd trimester we decided we really should start preparing her for our new arrival. We would hug the baby doll and watch her copy us when we handed it back to her. She would wack it’s head with her hand and we’d show her how to gently rub or pat the baby, which she caught on quickly to.

This is about when she started to really care about what she had with her when we did things too. Baby went with us pretty much everywhere.

Aaron and I made the decision early on that we would pull the paci no later than 18 months, but with another baby coming (which would cause a big change in Rylie’s life), we felt like it would be mean to make so many big life changes on her at once, so we decided to start weaning her off it sooner than later. So this month we only gave it to her when she was going to sleep (so naps and bedtime) or when she was inconsolably crying.

By the end of this month she was eating pretty much whatever we were having (minus spicy food).

She is super social and waves at everyone!

Life Events:

15 months:

Rylie started to develop her own imagination which meant a lot of self-play.

She also took her very first steps which was amazing!!!!! She had a doctor’s appointment and they expressed some concern that Rylie hadn’t started walking yet. They said they would give her until her 18 month check up but if she wasn’t walking by then we would need to start physical therapy. We really didn’t believe it was a physical issue, we just believed she didn’t know what she was missing. So we became more diligent about working with her (holding her hand and walking with her as much as we could) and on February 14^th she took her first steps without any support! It was such a great day.

She ditched the paci completely this month!!! Over the course of 3 days (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) she wasn’t given her paci. She did cry at first, and I’m glad Aaron was there with me because there were a couple times I almost caved (in my defense, she had been fussing / crying for over an hour), but I am so glad we (I) stayed strong because the next day she laid down for bed and fell right asleep without any trouble and we’ve had no problems since then. Whoop whoop!!!

Our social butterfly has graduated to giving high-fives & fist bumps.

Life Events:

I Got Rylie’s Hair In A Ponytail
We Tried To Teach Her How To Color
She Tried Banana Bread For The First Time
Her First Steps
Random Photos
Emmaline’s Baby Shower (I deemed Rylie as the “guest of honor” 😉 )

16 months:

Rylie has always been aware of her surroundings and who was there and who wasn’t, but now she notices and asks – mainly with Aaron or myself. On Sundays (when Aaron is at church and I’m getting her fed and ready to meet him there) she’ll look around and say, “Dada?” And when I come home from work she gets super excited! There have been a couple times where she has been up when I leave for work and those are not happy moments ☹

We also fell in love with the park. Slides are our favorite but swings are a very close second.

Now that we know how to walk, we are fairly independent. Although we can usually redirect her seamlessly, there have been a few times where we’ll go to grab her hand and she’ll pull it away.

Bedtime is 7pm, except on Saturdays when it’s 8pm (because it’s our special days so staying up past bedtime is treat).

Life Events:

17 months:

This was a very big month for Rylie! She officially became a BIG SISTER!!!

17 months was really everything Emmaline. Helping and adjusting to life with a newborn.

Rylie was more fussy this month, but that’s because she was adjusting to having to share Mommy and Daddy. I think she was also cutting some molars, which is never fun. She was very helpful though when it came to doing things for Emmaline.

AE682540-1211-487D-9132-ACC1391A3E99

Even though we were adjusting to life with our new addition, we didn’t forget about our big girl. We did hang out at the house a lot, but we made it a priority to get out of the house doing things Rylie loved – like going to the park, attending a the first baseball game of the season and the McWane Center.

F785F5CC-1FBC-4351-B503-6CB25A671878

Life Events:

18 months:

Since 18 months is considered a milestone, I wrote an update sharing all the things Rylie loves, dislikes, and what life is like for our oldest kiddo at the moment. You can read it by clicking here.

49A17121-D898-4D2E-9AA4-C8E0B0A64D4A

As a general overview though – Rylie is adventurous, curious, and full of joy. Her vocabulary has grown quite a bit and she is anxious for Emmaline to be more interactive so they can play together.

Life Events: