Pumpkin Patch

Last Sunday, we ventured to our favorite pumpkin patch in Harpersville to find the perfect little pumpkin. We went for the first time last year and had so much fun posing a giggly baby all around the farm. This year, we had a busy, running, jumping toddler. Thankfully, my dad came armed with his camera and caught our little firecracker in action.

She loved riding the little John Deere tractors by the corn field.

We headed to the pumpkin patch first. We got to ride a horse drawn wagon to the patch. Catherine wasn't entirely sure she liked it.

First, we stopped to smell some flowers.

Then, it was off to find the perfect pumpkin!

She did lots of stacking and sorting...

And then settled on this adorable little green pumpkin.

She was also quite fond of this little white one. So, of course, we got both...

Success!

We attempted a quick family shot with my parents and sister, but this is the best we could get.
The angle makes Mom look like she's on a giant hay bale above us all.

When we got back, we snacked and discovered that Catherine really likes corn on the cob (she ate all of CiCi's).

And then, we headed to the petting zoo. She had a blast, as usual, with the animals. She loved feeding and petting the goats and even got to pet a fuzzy baby duckling. 

She made friends with a baby cow. It was the sweetest thing. She held hay out to feed it and it walked over to her, ate out of her hand, and let her pet him. Her favorite book right now is about a cow (The Cow Loves Cookies), so she was very excited!

Before heading home, we played in one strip of the corn maze. We ran back and forth over and over and over again. I think she had just as much fun as she would have in the real thing.

She loves her CiCi and Poppa!

It was a pretty fantastic day spent enjoying time with family, eating delicious fried foods, and watching Catherine run around with complete glee. I love our little tradition. Now, we just have to carve our pumpkins!

Disagreement

C and I seem to be having a slight disagreement.

You see, I would prefer she take a nap.

She, on the other hand, would prefer to pretend to sleep for four minutes and then scream for 20 while throwing every single thing out of her crib until I cave and go get her because I simply cannot bear another minute of it.

Silly baby. Doesn't she realize how awesome naps are?

So now, we're headed to the park to play...if she can stay awake long enough to get there.

*Update: she fell asleep in my arms while I typed this. Guess the park will have to wait!

Walk in the Park

We are fortunate enough to live in a city with tons of great parks. We like to park hop around the city and yesterday, we discovered our favorite park yet - Wald Park in Vestavia.

Mom and I used to meet at this park to walk when I was in college and she was killing time in town during my sister's dance classes. I've been to this park so many times, but never noticed the playground (obviously). So after hearing about it from some other mommy friends, I decided to try it out. It did not disappoint!

They have the perfect little area that is specifically designed for the under five crowd. Everything is little. The slides aren't scary. It is perfect for solo exploration by an independent toddler without Mommy having to sprint across the equipment to catch her from falling. She's in love. I'm in love. We're going back tomorrow.

Doing it Again

She's doing it again. She's growing so fast, I can hardly keep up. At nearly 20 months, she is a bubbly, chatty, busy, funny, adventurous, sweet, smart girl. I can't get over how much she is growing and changing before my eyes. I'm watching her, hearing her learn more each day and I'm seeing tiny glimpses of the person she is becoming, the person she will be.

At her 18 month check up, she weighed in at 25 lbs, 3oz. (75th %) and was 33 1/4" inches long (90th %). A month and a half later, all I know is that she is taller than most children her age or older, and that pants that fit her three weeks ago were too short today. For someone who doesn't eat much, she is growing like a weed.

She's been growing her vocabulary too. She says, and repeats, a lot of words; but she understands so much more. Our reading routine has changed to a "where is/what is that?" game of pointing. She loves books with activities (sliding or lifting flaps, textures, mirrors) and loves any book about an animal, preferably on a farm. Out of the piles of books in her room, she picks out her favorites to read and reread each day. Her current favorites are The Cow Loves Cookies; Curious George; Brown Bear, Brown Bear; The Very Hungry Caterpillar; The Going to Bed Book; and Goodnight, Moon. When she's really tired, she goes straight for Goodnight, Moon. When she's too tired for a book, I rock her while reciting I Love You, Forever (its words ingrained from my own childhood).

She's becoming more focused, sure of herself. She takes my hand in hers and leads me to what she wants or needs. The other night, she grabbed her blanket and milk, took my hand in hers, and led me upstairs for her bath because it was bedtime and I was not moving fast enough.

And, oh my goodness, her blanket. She is more attached to her fuzzy blanket than ever. Her favorite corner is tattered and coming apart at the seems. She takes that corner and rubs it between her thumb and index finger when she's tired, sliding the fuzzy side against the satin. She sucks on the corner in her sleep. I watch her reach for it in the middle of the night, snuggle back into the calm, and settle back to sleep. It is a tent, a game of peek-a-boo, and a cape. She cries and beats on the washing machine when I wash it. I just ordered a back up.

She would rather be outside than anywhere else. We park hop around the city, visiting a park a few times a week. 

When we are inside, she loves stacking blocks, playing dress up, playing musical instruments, and playing with the insane amount of balls we have in our living room. Oh, and dancing. She loves dancing! Our favorite game lately is for me to play fast and slow rhythms on the drum while she runs, hops, and spins to the beat. 

Bath time and bed time are up in the air lately. Some nights, she loves it, some nights, it's a battle. But, story and snuggle time is always, always my favorite. 

Before I know it, we'll have a two year old on our hands. I have a feeling I'll utter these words roughly 765,546,238,891 more times in her life, but I can't believe how fast she's growing up! I'm so thankful for giggles, tiny high fives, and snuggles from my favorite dance partner. Life is good with a toddler.