Diem-15 months

Age: 15 months

Diem has been showing us what she wants, by opening and closing her fists and saying, "Eh!?" toward what she desires. She is overjoyed when we respond by giving it to her.
She is slowly starting to walk more than crawl. It's so funny when she transitions to crawling, from walking, she does a bear crawl (crawling on her hands and feet!) She always smiles and laughs while walking. Even if it is a fake "panting" laugh.
Diem's favorite thing to do right now, is to empty out things (such as baskets and drawers.) She could empty an endless basket all day long. She has begun throwing, rather than just dropping things. She also loves pushing people over, when they're on the floor. Lately, Brennan has been saying, "Diem, get me!" Diem loves pushing him over and Brennan loves interacting with her. At breakfast and lunch time, Brennan sits at the breakfast bar and Diem sits in her highchair right next to him. They giggle at each other the entire time. Brennan says, "Diem, hand!" and Diem reaches her hand out to him. Then, they hold hands, until Brennan gets a little too rough by yanking on her arm. Then they do it all over again!

Outtakes:

Diem-14 months

Age: 14 months

Diem took her first steps this month!!! Of course she walked to Ryan, while I was at a friend's party. I'm typically with her every hour, of every day...go figure. I did get her second steps on camera, though! She is so proud of herself and knows that she's doing something big! It won't be long now, until she's running behind Brennan!
Diem just started pointing at things with her whole arm, and saying, "eh?" She's so cute, I can't help but kiss her cheeks every time that she does it. She says "eh?" in the sweetest, inquisitive voice that I have ever heard. When I give her the item that she was questioning, she looks into my eyes with such gratitude!
Diem still loves to be chased and lately she loves to tackle us. She crawls up to Ryan and stand against him. Then, she leans her body into him and tips him over. She giggles and does it again and again. She's still so happy. When I describe her, I say that she goes to bed with a smile and wakes up with a smile. She has a wonderful personality and a great sense of humor. Her and Brennan make each other laugh all day.

Outtakes:

Brennan-37-38-39 months

Age: 39 months

Brennan was definitely in the "why" stage right after his 3rd birthday. His response to every single thing that we said was, "why?" I never could understand why parents were frustrated with this stage, as I thought it was great to have a child with a curious mind. Well, I completely understand now! He's not curious, he's rebelling. It was his way of saying, "No." without being so confrontational. I did a little research on how to handle this phase, and I read that it is helpful to sincerely ask the question back to the child. So, when I would tell Brennan that it was time to brush his teeth and he would ask, "why?" I would say, "Brennan, why do you think we should brush your teeth?" and he would usually reply with a valid answer, such as, "because it is almost time for bed?" To my surprise, he has stopped asking why as often!
Brennan really thinks he is sly. Lately, when we tell him that he needs to do something, his response is, "Ok, I won't!" in a tone that sounds like he is complying. Sometimes I even think to myself, "Did I hear him correctly?" He makes me laugh!
Today, as I was getting the camera out, to take his monthly photo, he pulled the tripod out of the closet and said that it was his camera. He then pretended that as he was pulling the lever, that he was snapping pictures of me. He'd would say, "Say cheese!" then, "Oh, that was a good one!" Then, one time he said, "Oh wait, your eyes were closed, let's take another one." It's amazing how much this little three year old absorbs!

Outtakes:

Diem-13 months

Age: 13 months

This month Diem started blowing kisses! She puts her hand over her mouth and says "mauh!"
Diem's laugh is so funny. It's more of a pant than a laugh! She's really starting to imitate sounds that we make. She loves to click her tongue and then fake laugh at herself for doing it. She has such a great sense of humor. She crawls over by Xander's food dish and just waits until we look at her, then she squeals with delight as she crawls quickly toward to off limits area, as if she's telling us to chase her. She does this same thing with the stairs. She loves "peeking" on us around a corner or the edge of the couch. She's starting to enjoy Brennan's rough housing more. When he does his usual, "Ready, Set, Go!" and then tackles her, she laughs more than whines. She's really pretty tolerant of him, and only whines for a few seconds to warn him that she's not having fun with him.
Diem is a garbage disposal. I remember Brennan being the same way at her age. She out eats all of us, and she'll eat anything. I'm still nursing her 7 times a day and she's eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She is still taking two 2 hour long naps a day (10AM and 2PM) and sleeps from 8PM-8AM at night. I think she has only woken up ONE time during the night, since she started sleeping in her crib.
Diem hasn't taken any independent steps, yet. I know that she could do it, if she would just give it a try. She won't even attempt it, though. She walks with push toys and when we hold onto one of her hands. Brennan started walking at 14 months, and I have a feeling she's going to be following in his footsteps. :)

Outtakes:

Diem is ONE!

Diem is ONE! Year in review.
And just like that, Diem is one year old. This was the fastest year of our life. In some ways, it feels like she was just born, and in other ways, it feels like she has always been a part of our family.
Diem harmonized into our household effortlessly. Including her has been the easiest transition imaginable. She has been easy-going and pleasant since the day that she joined us. Her happy personality radiates onto every single stranger that smiles at her (or doesn't) when she smiles at them, She always gives soft easy notices when she's not comfortable. I don't think she has ever had an outburst, which is so impressive for a person who cannot talk to explain what they need. This may sound redundant, but there are not enough words to describe how delightful our baby girl is.

Diem had a garden themed first birthday party, that went off without a hitch! While everyone was singing "Happy Birthday" to Diem, she looked up into my eyes and smiled so big. It immediately brought tears to my eyes, I was so proud this little angel was mine!