17 Month Update

Eliza is now 17 months, and her personality is really coming out! She is becoming much more independent now. She doesn't even want me to feed her or brush her teeth. She has to do it all by herself!

These days she is...

- Walking great. She is practically running, especially when the doorbell rings or when I suggest that we go somewhere. She loves to go, and immediately finds her shoes. She loves to walk down to her friend Anne's house, and she gets SO excited when I tell her that we are going to visit Anne.

- Talking much more. Her vocabulary is much larger, but her favorite word is still "bye-bye". She is also saying mommy/daddy, light, bird, shoes, dog, bath, ball, banana, blueberry ("ba-boo"), Nannie, fish, balloon, rock-rock, night-night, hi daddy and others. It's amazing how quickly she learns!

- Pretty well-behaved. She definitely has her moments, but overall, she is a wonderful child and a good listener. She is definitely strong-willed though. If she wants something, she will find a way to get it.

- Sleeping well. Eliza is down to one two hour nap in the afternoon, and she usually goes to bed around 8:00 or 8:30. She loves her nightly routine of a bath and stories.

- Loves to read. For a while, she was not interested in actually reading books, but lately, she loves reading. She loves to climb in her "rock-rock" chair and read. It's really cute!

Here are some of the latest pictures...


Working on eating by herself. I think she gave up on the spoon.


She loves to climb onto chairs and couches. I just hope she survives the climb!

Reading in her "rock-rock" chair.


Playing golf with Daddy --- She had her own club made of highlighters stuck together, but she figured out how to take the caps off...

Going shopping...

Looking for some money to go shopping....Good luck!!

Enjoying her hard work -- she loves to pull the pillows off the couch. One day she even took each couch pillow to our bathroom and put them in front of the shower....not quite sure why...

Beach Week...a little late

Yes, I know. I am very behind in my blogging...months behind. I am going to get myself into gear though and catch up!

In July we took our annual vacation to Folly Beach. We had a great (and relaxing time), but Eliza was not a big fan of the beach. She liked the waves for a few minutes, but the sand was not her friend. We probably spent a grand total of 2 hours on the beach all week, but we thankfully brought the baby pool as a back-up plan. We set up the pool on the back deck, and she loved splashing around and getting in and out. It was actually perfect for her, and I didn't have to worry about the constant sunscreen application!

Eliza and Benjamin (my cousin's son) had a lot of fun playtime together, and I think they both wore each other out. In fact, when we got home on Monday, Eliza probably doubled her naps!

Here are some pictures from the trip...

Eliza and Benjamin playing on our first morning





Eliza playing in the waves...in her clothes. I think she preferred her clothes to her bathing suit.
She loved sitting in the beach chairs.


The grandchildren with Granny Mac.



More of the grandchildren at breakfast (which was delicious!)
The biggest disaster of the week...my aunt and I made this delicious blueberry and peach cobbler. When it was just about done, the glass dish cracked in the oven! This was the carnage...


I hope to add more pictures once Andrew downloads the ones from his computer...