Reading to Lula and Thanksgiving

Sidney loves curling up with a book or two. Recently, she tried to take over Lula's chair and read to her. Then she decided she would let Lula wear her sunglasses. Poor Lula...

For Thanksgiving this year, we decided to combine our two family Thanksgivings into one. It made for a much easier day. I'm not sure if we ended up eating more or less since we just had one stop but it did make for lots of fun. 

Incredibly thankful for all of our family and even more thankful that they're all close by so Sidney can know them well. 

Ginkgo 2013

We didn't make it to the ginkgo tree before the leaves fell off but thankfully we were able to get some pictures of Sidney Kate sitting and playing in the leaves. 

Gateway to the Delta 10-Miler

In preparation for the St. Jude half-marathon we signed up for a 10-mile race in Batesville. Bailey and I headed on down for the race and his parents followed not too far behind us with Sidney Kate. It was a bit chilly starting out but turned into a really nice morning. 

Pre-race selfie

Finish line is in sight!

Cheering Mama and Daddy on!

Finished! It was a tough race. Very hilly but I was very proud to have completed my first long race. And super thankful for my hubby (or coach) who ran alongside me. We finished the race in 1:41:47 (10:10/mile). I was quite pleased, especially will all those crazy hills! After the race we headed over to Cracker Barrel to stuff our faces! 

Halloween

Some time ago I found a picture of a toddler dressed as a retro-mini-marathoner (probably on Pinterest, but not sure what happened to it). So, it was only fitting for SK to play the same part since I've signed up for my first half-marathon and since Bailey has done a couple in the past. And, it was pretty much homemade. 

Jonathan, Tiffany, and Nola-Grace came to town for a few days and were here to go trick-or-trunking with us. The cousins got a little play time in beforehand. 

18 Months

Weight: 24 lbs.

Clothing: Pretty much 18 mos. I've been getting 24 mos. tops so her belly is covered. However, there are just a few things that are labeled 6 or 9 mos. that also fit. It's time to go shoe shopping again. She's growing out of her Toms and doesn't really have any other shoes for fall/winter. 

Diapers: Size 4

Food/Drink: She still eats nearly anything/everything!! However, if she's not hungry, it's pretty obvious. She'll take a bite or two of her meal and then she'll stop feeding herself or turn her head if you're trying to feed her.

Hair/Eyes: Beautiful brown eyes. Her hair is light, light brown. It's definitely growing in. It's hard to tell if it will be curly. There are times when she gets a curl (or cowlick) on the back of her head. 

Teeth: She has 12 teeth. She has the front eight and four molars...she skipped those canines for now. 

Sleep: Sidney is the best sleeper. Bedtime is usually 7:30-8 (later on the weekends). Then she sleeps until about 6:15/6:30 during the week and later on the weekends.

Walking: Practically running now! She took her first real steps the last week of July while Bailey was out of town. She slowly got going after that and now you can hardly stop her!

Fun Stuff:

-Sidney talks all. the. time.

-She will go and find our phone, etc., and bring it to us (if we ask for it and sometimes just because).

-She still loves to look at books.

-She celebrated her 18 month "birthday" with a visit to the doctor and a diagnosis of strep throat.

-Sidney has a new LOVE for Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. She asks for Mickey every morning after breakfast and often asks for Mickey in the afternoons when we get home.

-She also loves to dance. She will dance in circles, stomp her foot, and nod her head, especially to the opening song of Mickey.

-She likes to find her shoes, bring them to us and motions for us to put them on her, especially with her tennis shoes.

-She will "sing" Twinkle Twinkle, Jesus Loves Me, and sometimes her ABCs. Obviously she's not actually singing them, but you can definitely tell a difference in the three. If you start singing Twinkle Twinkle, she will go find her Highlights book that has it in it and turn to that page.

-Sidney is getting pretty quick on her feet; she carefully steps over doorways and into the garage with a little help.
-She will pull her bow out and try to put it back in her hair. She also sometimes looks/feels for her bow when it's not there and starts saying "bow."

-She tries to help brush her teeth.
-She likes playing night-night by saying it and laying down.
-Sidney LOVES carrying around a purse/bag; she'll also pretend to go "bye-bye" with it (or multiple purses/bags).
-She has recently started attempting counting to 3. (We have not really practiced this but that's exactly what it sounds like she's doing and she'll do it along with you if you count to 3). 

-"Real" words include: mama, dada, bye bye, woof woof (sometimes), uh oh, oh, no no, sometimes quack quack, tickle-tickle, BB, Nonnie, Bedford, Lula, Rocco, night-night, milk, bath, ball, bow, sometimes Bear (for AB), Mickey, a form of hot dog (for the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse song--which, by the way, Bailey and I ALWAYS have stuck in our head), cookie

-She understands sooo much of what we say to her. It is so incredible to watch the changes day-to-day. We are so blessed to be parents to this sweet girl!