The Gift of Gab

Well hello there! It's been quite a while since I updated the blog. Apparently as toddlers get older, nap time decreases so they stay awake for longer periods of time during the day. I don't know why this surprised me... Pair much shorter nap times with the fact that I work from home a few hours a couple days a week and you have a recipe for a neglected blog. (I also like to go to bed early!)

Gwendoline had her 15 month well visit earlier this week and she's doing great! Her new stats are as expected- middle of the pack for weight and still tall like her Daddy!
Weight: 21 lbs, 2 ozs (48th percentile)
Height: 31.5" (79th percentile)

The biggest change we've experienced lately is Gwendoline's verbal ability. Just in the last four weeks or so, her vocabulary seems to have exploded! Her little words are so sweet to us and it seems like she learns a new one every day. Since this blog is as much a virtual baby book for us as it as a periodic update for our family and friends, I've listed the words Gwendoline knows up to this point below:

Mama	eyes
Dada	bellybutton ("bellbee")
Riley	shoes ("shees" through gritted teeth)
Lola	fish
banana ("nana")	bird ("bee")
uh-oh	puppy
up	duck
bye	no (she definitely knows this one- tells me "no" all the time)

She has a real country twang for a few of the words: Mama is Mowma, eyes are iiiis, and bye is biii. It's pretty darn cute, especially when I hear "Mowma!" echoing through the house.

This year, we celebrated Thanksgiving in Arkansas at my Granny's house. A big chunk of my extended family was there and we had such a fun time with everyone! Playmates for Gwendoline were plentiful in her second- and third-cousins: Nolan, Natalie, Carson, William, and Katelyn. Not to mention Grandma and Papa Gary, Great Granny, and aunts and uncles galore. As always, the food was delicious and we ate way too much!

First Thanksgiving meal

We have so much to be thankful for!