The Ashlan show: We have a climber!

As I was doing the last blog entry, Ashlan was awake (about 99% of the time I usually do the blog when she’s asleep, so she never sees me on the computer). So, she saw me turn on the computer and put it on my lap. Just then, she gets down from the couch, gets her leapfrog “laptop”, climbed back on the couch, sits down next to me, puts it on her lap, and starts playing on her “laptop”! I was so surprised! She is always wanting to do what we’re doing! :)

So Ashlan has had her crib setting on the lowest level for awhile now since she’s in the 95% in height. Well, a few days ago she decided that she had had enough of being in her crib and threw her leg over the crib and climbed right out!! Surprised the heck out of us! She was ok but we did not expect this to happen already. We were watching her on the monitor and she had just woken up. We were just listening to her talk to herself for a minute or so. Then we saw her throw her leg over the crib. A second later she was straddling the crib. I was afraid she would hurt herself so I booked it into her room as I’m screaming, “NO!!!” at the top of my lungs but I got there just as she fell to the floor. She just got up and looked at me like, “What?” and ran out of the room laughing with me following close behind her. Ugh, she’s so active, lol! We have thought of using a crib tent but we still want to be able to use the monitor, so that won’t work because we couldn’t see her...and honestly, she’d never go for that option. She hates to feel enclosed. Girl likes her space! So, we ordered toddler bed rails for her crib the other day but they won’t be here for a week…and I’m not even sure if we want to put her in a toddler bed already!!! She’s 15.5 months old! Right now we have pillows lining the floor by her crib, so hopefully she won’t try it again, but if she does, then at least it’ll be a soft landing. She really hasn't tried it too much since that day, thankfully! When we do change her into a toddler bed, we can either close her door (because thankfully she can’t open that…yet!), or we can put a baby gate at her door. Not sure what we’ll do, but just baffled that we have to deal with this. We thought a boy would be rambunctious…but not a girl! We definitely underestimated her.

She just started to get really good at climbing on the couch. I’m sure that’s how she got the strength to climb out of her crib. So now she pretty much has full run of the house. We took the gate off in the middle of February that was closing off the TV room, so she’s been able to go everywhere for awhile. We still have doors closed in bedrooms though, and in the bathrooms, so she can’t get into things we don’t want her in, but even if she does, she really can’t get into much.

Ashlan is getting her 8^th tooth. About a week ago, she got her 7^th. So soon she will have four on the top and four on the bottom. I can see the 8th tooth at the surface but it hasn’t broken through yet. I would give it another day or two, tops. She was a bit cranky when we had company, but we’re not sure it was because of the tooth because her attitude changed almost immediately after they left, and then the tooth didn’t appear for another few days, so who knows what the attitude was about. She certainly knows what she wants and doesn’t care who’s around to see her fit if she doesn’t get her way. And we think her getting another tooth has to do with her insatiable appetite. Honestly, for awhile there she was eating more than Dan! She would have a banana for breakfast and be hungry an hour later. Then we’d give her about 5 oz of cottage cheese. About 2 or 3 hours later, we’d give her about 4 oz of chicken breast and a handful of frozen peas. Then she’d have a little plateful of homemade mac’n’cheese a little while after that. A couple hours later, she’d have about 6 oz of cut up strawberries and blueberries and then maybe broccoli or carrots (or both), about an hour later. This went on for a week! We were starting to think we should call the Ped but then it slowed down a little. This is usually a pattern with her teething though so we’re not worried. I guess that’s why she’s in the 95%for weight too!!

We’ve been making it to the gym regularly again and Ashlan looks forward to leaving the house. She gets so excited when we put her shoes on! We’ve actually had to wait to put her shoes on until we’re completely ready to walk out the door, because if I put them on a little early and end up making her wait, she just whines by the door, reaching up for the door handle and shaking it, and then eventually throws herself to the ground in a fit if I make her wait long enough. Boy, you’d think we never go anywhere, lol! She has actually been motivating me to go because I know she likes a break from the house and likes to play with the other kids. She’ll go to the garage door at various times in the day if she wants to leave…she doesn’t always get what she wants though, lol!

We think she is down to only one nap a day now, which is actually pretty great now. For the past five days or so she has been going down between 11 and noon, and staying down until 1:30 or 2:00. She still wakes up at 5am though! Ugh! And still going to bed between 7:30 and 8pm, so not sure why she doesn’t want to at least sleep until 6, but that’s Ashlan for you. She’s never been one to sleep in (unfortunately, lol!)…always wants to get up and start the day.

Giving Daddy some kissies. <3

This is like the only time she uses the bumbo...like ever. Only used it a few times when she was a few months old, then it just sat in a corner and now she thinks it's her toy, lol!