I was talking to a friend about this very topic a couple days ago...and one thing I've learned is you can always tell the waiters who have kids, and those that don't by how quickly they bring your food...and check. Before Chloe was born Jon and I enjoyed our dining experiences...they were relaxing...enjoyable...and occurred frequently. We are the complete opposite now - we rarely choose to eat out and when we do it's not so that we can sit and relax - it's the achieve the main goal of filling that empty tummy and dashing before we cause complete chaos! Kids are unpredictable - and for some reason their desire to mash food into every crevice of the high chair, or smear 10 layers of their meal across the table, occurs when you are in public.

I'll take it though. Despite our restaurant experiences becoming messier, it also means she's 16 months old now, and she is learning and developing so fast. She adores books - and will choose a book over a toy any time of the day. Through our reading and constant repetition she is identifying and saying a lot of words. She is still partial to ducks - and is alway quick to point one out. But when it comes to the sounds of the animals, it's the sheep she favors.

At 16 months old, these are her words:
"God made me" is her FIRST 3 word sentence! We have a series of books that goes through everything God made - and the final sentence is "and God made me!". A couple of mornings ago, I was sitting on the carpet reading with Chloe before school, and as I read the last sentence, she looked up and said with much excitement "God made me!". Sweet child :)

In the coming weeks she'll be able to add airplane to her vocab. Throw in a hippo, elephant...lion and some special family members! Along with the house and all the contents required to travel with a small toddler, we are packing some extra sanity for the 30 hour plane ride...

Eight. This many weeks til we soar in the clouds - bound for family and friends. Fourteen years since I made the US home...and this is our second visit home!

fifteen +. The times I've sung "the animals song, and the shapes song" for Chloe in the last day. These are her favorite songs - and she now sings along! She is picking up on the animal sounds really quickly - she has learned in the last few days that a chicken says "cluck cluck" instead of "hello" :)
eleven. the number of times Chloe has woken us in the night the last week. Between teething and a bad reaction to shots, she has not felt the best.

six. loads of laundry.

five. miniature sleep ins. Since Chloe was born I've always done the night duty - and Jon takes over at 6am. This allows me a few extra sleep in minutes when she decides to wake up...its not much at all, but it means the world when I don't have to hop out of bed before my eyelids are open!

one. couples massage. a good way to start the weekend.

seven. bananas consumed by our little monkey! She has a love for bananas like no other. Show her a "nana" and you'll make her day :)

one. very supportive husband who is my strength. He pushes me to pursue those dreams that I'm too hesitant to reach out for on my own. He is selfless, kind and hard working. He wakes me each morning with our baby in one hand and my cup of coffee in the other. I am so thankful for him .
hundreds. the numbers of giggles and kisses I've got out of Chloe! Chloe has always been interactive - but recently she engages on a different level - a more grown up level. She loves to be tickled and chased and tackled and kissed. These are the times when we know we are where we are supposed to be. This is right.

Two things to think about : there is beauty is simplicity - and - look for something positive in each day, even if some days you have to look a little bit harder.