She is a Talker not a Walker

Gwen had her 18 month checkup today. First of all I have to say that I absolutely love Gwen's pediatrician. She is so down to earth and has young children of her own. It is nice that she isn't so far removed from being a mother to a toddler. She shares her experiences which is always great to hear.

Anyway, Gwen is healthy. Here are her stats:
Height: 32.25 inches tall (70th percentile, up 1 inch from her 15 month appt)
Weight: 26 lbs 15 oz (83rd percentile, up 1 lb from her 15 month appt)
Head: Huge. She is still in the 97th percentile

Our pediatrician says that Gwen is a walker, but would just choose to crawl. I kind of agree with her. She is extremely headstrong and needs to do things on her own terms. The fact that Gwen is already stringing 2 words together is huge. Most kids don't do that until 2 years. The pedi says that most kids don't do both well (walking & talking) and that all kids will even out at age 3.

We also got the go-ahead to ignore Gwen during her many temper tantrums. The fact that she is having so many now is actually a good thing. Her "terrible two's" won't really exist. God I hope she is right. I kind of feel like we spend our lives keeping her from breaking down! We were also told to begin time outs, but to really only choose a few things to put her in timeout for. I know that hitting will be one.

Other than that, Gwen is still adorable as always. She has become extremely jealous of Sebastian. The second he is near me or I say "here kitty kitty" she flips out and has to cuddle/kiss/hug me. I LOVE IT. I definitely use it to my benefit. Is it bad to pin my cat & baby against each other?? NOPE especially when you want your non-cuddly baby to cuddle.

Wordless Wednesday: A Game

Can you spot everything that is wrong with this picture?

LOOK AT ME GO!!

The wait is finally over. I truly believe Gwen knew I was having a horrible couple of weeks and decided to start walking to cheer me up. Well it worked. Today I can finally say, that Gwen is walking!!! Enjoy the movie!

Wordless Wednesday

My "instinct" was wrong

My motherly instinct told me that Gwen would be walking by 18 months. I just had a "feeling". I have yet to be wrong about my "feelings" until now. Tomorrow marks Gwen's 18 Month Birthday. She is not walking. She was put in PT, for significant gross motor skills delay, caused by strength in her ankles and hips. The physical therapist seems to think otherwise. Gwen is strong. Gwen is doing EVERYTHING she needs to be doing to walk. It's like the PT appointments are pointless because Gwen can do everything that is asked of her, outside of PT, but is not an active participant, during PT.

I hate that she has to crawl on the floors at parties (GROSS). I hate that she has to crawl around the playground. I hate that she can't wear dresses. I hate that at daycare all of the kids are outside playing, and she has to stay inside, alone, because there is concrete where the kids play. I hate that everyone tells me that I am worrying, for nothing, because I am a "first time mom". I hate all the stupid advice people give me like "try bribing her" and "I did x,y,z and it worked". Don't you think I have tried EVERYTHING down to buying shoes that squeak??? I hate that she can't even stand on her own. I hate that she won't even try.

I have anxiety.....
I am frustrated.....
I am sad.....

Gwen at the park

I have had some requests for a video of Gwen at the park. It is a tad boring and she did disappoint by not going down the slide head first.  She's pretty cute though.  I spared you the lack of excitement and am only posting the short version.

The Small Things

Today I gave Gwen a piece of an apple, without telling her what it was.  She tasted it and said "apple".  It was the first time she ever used her sense of taste to identify something.  It was awesome!!