C = 15

My not-so-little C is 15 months today. What a big girl we have on our hands! I realized I've neglected a monthly update for quite some months. And my how much our Caris has changed since the last installment. Such a little toddler lady lately!

I want to capture so many of the things Caris is up to these days because this stage is quite fascinating. There is so much learning and emergence of personality. So much of Caris is being revealed to us. I find it almost indescribable to accurately portray.

Caris is busy these days. Busy learning. Busy talking. Busy moving. Busy playing. Busy discovering. So many activities and always looking for the next.

Lil' C continues to love music and has added a new instrument in recent months: her voice. Caris loves to try to sing-a-long to various songs. Seriously, full voiced 'LALAAAA' right on beat to her favorites, trying to match the singer. So fun to listen to. Her piano playing has progressed to what we deem to be 'Caris' recitals'; sitting on her stool, jamming out. Caris' dance moves are seriously hilarious. Girl likes to get 'jiggy wit it'; yup, 199o's Will Smith style. Her new moves include 'body rolls' in her car seat and once witnessed in slumber. Internal beat, I tell you.

Caris is a chatter box and has quite the emerging vocabulary. Although her words aren't quite integrated into daily speech, she repeats almost anything and independently uses appropriate word choices quite frequently. I think we are up to around 15-10 regular words. My current favorites include: 'Skool?' (used when leaving the house with a nap mat, upon arriving to her building, and on inquiry) 'Bas p Ball' (I promise. C uses this upon sightings of such. Remember it's her favorite clutch...) 'Aawwww nunn' (Alllll done. Picture this in sing-song voice. Utilizing her sign. So funny). Least favorites (but admittedly still pretty cute): 'NO Mommy' and I'm pretty sure there was a 'Mean Mommy' used once or twice. Caris' favorites: 'ME ME ME' 'Mine Mine' 'Milk? Milk?'. Girl knows what she wants.

Caris loves to be on the go and for the next adventure. I have always speculated such, as we have much happier days when outings are in place, but lately she lets such be known. When she gets wind of the fact that she is soon to be part of such outing, Caris gets so excited. She beams happily, waves, and excitedly says 'BYE!' to whoever is to be left behind (even if that who is the house). It's so cute to watch. I'll never forget her face when discovering she would be leaving with her Dad, without Mom, to go on an adventure. C looked right at me, her face so full of excitement and said 'BYE MOM'. It was priceless. And again, my descriptors aren't really doing justice, but I love it all the same.

The favorite outing for our summer time Houston girl is by far SWIMMING. Caris loves to swim and is getting the leg kicking and arm movements down. She likes to be tossed and tries to constantly put her face in the water. Caris loves to play in her little pool. It's a great thing. She loves to be outside and will go to the door and say 'Out? out?' if too much time is lapsed.

Current C favorite toys: Movie cases? so random, she doesn't really watch the movies, but loves tto carry around the cases. She cried when we tried to take them away. Crayons. Loves loves loves them. She will take them in and out and loves to try to color. Threader watermelon. basically an object with a string/threader attached. Caris will spend great lengths threading this thing. And she pushes her little shopping cart around like a crazy woman, goes around the house, and loads up all these favorite things and carts them around wherever she goes.

Oh, books. A great love of Miss Caris. She seeks them out constantly and loves to sit by herself and turn through the pages. She takes them seriously. It truly looks like the child is reading the books the way she studies each page.

My favorite part about this stage is the learning. I love watching Caris assimilate knowledge and use appropriately. She follows our commands and responds to our questions correctly. It is so fascinating to watch.

I've loved the past 15 months more than I thought possible. Thanks for blessing my day, every day, for all of them sweet lil C!