The fact that I am writing a 21-month update on my little baby is really tearing me up! This girl is growing up SO fast. I really thought after year one things would slow down but I was definitely wrong! It seems she is growing faster and faster these days. We are just 3 months shy of her second birthday and I am at a loss of what we want to do for her party wise! I put so much into her first birthday party, I feel like I am still recovering 😉
So here is what our little princess has been up to these days…how she got her first big “boo-boo”, and our thoughts on raising her bilingual.
Pose, baby, pose! She literally just stood there posing with her belly out…melt me. She is just TOO much! If you know her personally, you definitely know what I mean!
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So what has Noelia been up to these days?! Anything and everywhere. This girl is constantly keeping me on my toes and showing me just how smart she is daily. She speaks more than any kid her age that I have known and is starting to speak in short sentences.
Noelia speaks in both English and Spanish. She knows all her body parts and counts 1-5 in both languages. My mom is from Chile (a country in South America), so raising her bilingual is something I feel strongly about. My mom mainly talks to her in Spanish as well as my Grandma who only knows Spanish. We speak English in our household, but I will say phrases to her in Spanish here and there. Some may think that speaking both at such a young age can confuse them, but we believe it has in fact enhanced her ability to speak and have a lengthy vocabulary. When she gets mad she even talks to us in Spanish, TOO funny! And I always wonder what people think…”How does that little blue-eyed, blonde haired girl speak so well in Spanish?!” Well, she IS a Latina after all 😉 The German just kinda took over her genes a tad bit when it comes to looks 😉
Running to Mama!
Noelia used to really struggle with eating solids. Some days were a realllll struggle to get her to eat anything substantial at meal times, and it worried me sick. I work full-time (which really sucks at times when you are a Mom), so I was constantly texting my Dad who watches her how she ate, what did she eat, how much of it did she eat, did she drink anything… I mean constantly. Looking back at it now I think it had a lot to do with how much we avidly breastfed. I think she would hold out for me to get home then just go to town for some milk from the tap 😉 I am sure you Mama’s can relate! I will never ever ever regret breastfeeding her (I LOVED IT), but at times I think it is was held her back from eating for so long. She was always perfectly healthy, the girl just didn’t eat sometimes!
Noelia now eats like crazzzzy. Of course she has her days where she doesn’t eat too well, but on a normal day she eats very, very well and I thank God for that! I was actually thinking about doing a post on Noelia’s meals and what we buy for her–let me know if that interests any of you!
Back to breastfeeding, we actually just ended our journey a few weeks ago. I am so proud to say we made it this long and I firmly believe it is why this girl has been so healthy! She still gets the occasional cold here and there, but she has never truly been super sick. After she turned one, her feedings were only really in the mornings, once when I got home from work, then at night. That is nothing compared to her first year of life where she was literally a “leach” on the boob! She hated bottles from the very beginning, never took a pacifier, and eventually refused all-together bottles at only 9 months–the struggle was reallllll! Again, I wouldn’t change a thing. I am actually super sad that journey is over and am looking forward to being able to breastfeed our next child (God willing)!!
She is just too pretty!! I. can’t.
One thing that we have noticed about Noelia from the very beginning is how active she is. This girl does not sit down, and if she is she is either trying to figure out how to do something or is reading herself a book. Ever since she was a little nugget we could tell this girl would give us a run for our money. She just can’t sit still! Noelia loves to kick a soccer ball (must be those Chilean-German roots!) so watching her and her Daddy kick a ball around melts me. I have always said my daughter will be a dancer like Momma, but I think this girl is going to be a sports girl! But who says she can’t do both?!
I have also noticed this girl loves to sing which makes me SO happy. I have been singing since I was little so the thought of having another singing voice to annoy her Daddy with is exciting! And no, he doesn’t really get annoyed with it (lol).
Showing off her shoes
And her all-time favorite obsession…PUPPIES. This girl and dogs…there is nothing like it. She sees a puppy and its V-line there goes Noelia. My family has two goldens whom she’s with during the week but the hubby and I are thinking we need our own. We are actively looking for a new member to add to the family for a special someone’s birthday (don’t tell Noelia!), so if any of you know a local Golden Retriever breeder, please let me know!
We also had our first big accident about a month ago resulting in two scars under her lower lip. Noelia was at my parents and she started running towards my grandmas bed. Noelia fell forward going face-first into the metal railing of the bed. We think her bottom lip was curled over her bottom teeth because her bottom teeth cut completely through. She came up to us gushing blood and I was freaking out inside like any Mom would…my poor baby!! I thought we would have to rush her for stitches but thankfully the cuts were small. She was fine an hour later and still likes to tell us everyday “I fall my Jime. I fall by Jime bed” (Jime is my Grandma’s name). Noelia is one tough cookie!
“Smile, Noelia!” 🙂
Below are outfits I have purchased for her this Summer and a few that I have been eyeballing. I hope you all enjoyed this post about our baby! If you have a young one I am sure you can relate about how fast they grow…hold those babies tight and always know if you are going through difficult rough-patch that “this too shall pass”. The good memories always far outweigh the difficult times. Hold them when they want held, kiss them often, love them always, and take pictures of every milestone! 🙂
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My Want List for Noelia
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Thanks for sharing! Love reading your blog! I would of course definitely be interested in hearing what Noelia eats now. Addy used to be a great eater and now she's somewhat "picky". We are obviously not concerned about her weight or eating habits but just always seeking more healthy options. 🙂
Hey, girl! Thanks so much for stopping by! I would love to do a post like that in the near future! Noelia has had her times of pickiness too and it is very frustrating. You almost want to give them ice cream just so they'll eat!
She is adorable! I agree – would love some ideas on what you make for her. I feel like I'm whipping up two meals these days – one for my 5yo who eats everything and another for my picky 17mo old
Hey, there! Thanks so much for your comment and for stopping by! I will definitely be doing a post on her meals–It may take a few weeks to get all the meals together to post, so bear with me! My daughter can be a picky eater at times, too. It is always so frustrating when they wont eat something you know they like or they just wont eat! UGH!