Resolve.

The content of this blog will give away the date—so I have to admit up-front that I have started this a month ago. So much has happened between then and now. Some of it deserves its own blog post. Until I get myself to writing about the things in my life that really matter, I will go with my un-new year's resolution as well as my update on the babe.

So imagine that you are reading this on January 8^th. Go.

I have to be honest…I didn't plan to make resolutions this year, but, I have a couple really small things that I do want to make a bigger priority. I am not counting them as resolutions, especially since it's already the second week of 2012. New Years was so a week ago!

One thing I am planning to do more of is blogging. I like (love) it but just don't seem to be able to find the time to do it. I don't want a blog to take away from Whitney Paige or my family, but I thought one day a week I could use my lunch break to think/write/etc. We'll see how it goes. I have forgotten that blogging is also a big part of what I want to do, not something I have to do. Not just to tell stories of the babe, but to reflect and think about what is going on in my world. So…we'll see.

The other thing I really want to try to do is cook. I love food and actually like cooking, but I hate cleaning the dishes and grocery shopping. I am thinking of working on a deal with Clark. I will provide the grocery list and will learn some new recipes if he will buy groceries and clean up after. He actually already does both of these things pretty often, so, I hoping that a deal of this magnitude will get me moving…and cooking! If that doesn't work, I'll see what I can do to get Clark in the kitchen!

The final thing I am going to try to do more of is….big pause for effect….wear lipstick. Now, pause for reapplication. Ok, done. When I was a teenager, just starting to wear make-up, my mom said that mascara is a "don't leave the house without" item. I agree with her and it really is! I look weird without something on my eyes. I am now adding lipstick, or gloss, to that list. I always forget about it but love a little touch of color when I actually remember.

Here's to a new(ish) year with three little bitty goals.

Now, onto the good stuff. My sweet baby girl.

Whitney Paige is almost 18 months old! I can't believe how fast the time goes. Last year at Christmas, she was just learning to roll over. Now she is learning to climb up the couch, out of the pack 'n play (uh-oh) and into the tub (double uh-oh). It's crazy how much development has occurred.

She is a sweet little thing with a sweet personality. Some of my favorite things:

1. She sings. Whitney Paige continues to love, love, love Baby Signing Time videos. She does a ton of signs (fish, eat, more, mommy, daddy, Grandy, please, thank you, owwie, hat, drink, water, and more), but the sweetest thing she does is sing the opening song. She literally shouts it out and throws her head back and holds the long note at the end. She gets her drama from mommy and her tone from daddy. Thankfully!
   
2. She plays. We got a new kitchen set for WP at Christmas. I was afraid she might be a little young, but went ahead and bought one. She stirs, holds the cup under the faucet and then pours it into the pot, takes cookies out of the oven (with an oven mitt), and more! My new favorite thing is how she makes believe. She cooks something and brings it for me to try. She'll have a bite and says "mmmmm".
   
3. She imitates. One night, Hannah brought down a stuffed bunny that raps (yes, a stuffed bunny that raps). She taught WP to push the button and dance. We then took it to the next level and taught WP to stomp her feet, clap her hands and raise the roof (imagine her little arms flying up and down over her head!).
   
4. She loves Football. Thanks to her Daddy and the NFL network, WP has a love for football! She can also signal a Touchdown and a symbol for No Good, when a kicker misses the extra point.
   
5. She knows her body. We can correctly identify head, hair, teeth, tongue, eyes, nose, ears, fingers and arms. She also knows where she hides her boogers. I know it's gross, but it is so funny to see her point to her nose when asked this question.
   
6. She listens. Whitney Paige loves chewing on fabric at night. She goes to bed with Chewies (aka cloth diapers). It is how she self-soothes, so I don't want to take that away from her. However, I do not want a kid who runs around with a wet rag hanging out of their mouth—so, we make her leave it in her crib. Each morning when she wakes up, she hangs the chewie on the side of her crib. On some occasions she will find one in a diaper bag or fresh from the laundry and will start chewing on it. When you ask her to put it away, she does, even though it seems to be one of the loves of her lifeJ
   
7. She is the best.
   

My next post will be somewhat more timely! In fact, I have already started working on since this is over a month old!