15 Months

Here is Ava at 15 months old walking. Olivia is 15 months old popping her beloved thumb in her mouth giving me the coy stare. This is the I just walked on the sofa look.

Fifteen months was a historical milestone in our house. It is still the fodder for backyard bar-b-que stories over Mikearitas and bratwurst for any unsuspecting poor neighbor who gets pulled into the wrong side of the fence with visions of potato salad and deviled eggs. They might have to sit through an excruciating 20 minute tale of "my child walked at 15 months." And here are the 20,000 snapshots to prove it, want to see the video?
Don't you just love the Frankenstein walk? The Muffin Man and I were giddily whooping it up screeching like scared little hamsters as she stumbled through those adorable first steps. We are lucky the fire dept. wasn't called.

This week Olivia turned 15 months old. And since she has been walking since 10 1/2 months old there was no fanfare. No major milestone. Just a day where we started to get snowed in. Incidentally it is two days later now and we are still buried under about a foot of snow.

Although, in Olivia's defense she has started using her American Sign Language signs more this week. She signs for more. She signs for food. If we are lucky and use our imagination she even signs for a drink of milk. Usually she signs more frantically until "I tell her 8 times no, Liv that is more...more of what? What do you need baby? " Then we might get something that looks a bit less like more and a little more like eat. Note to self: Watch baby sign video with both children again this week. All of this may not sound like the stuff that warrants an ABC News Special report but for us it is pretty darn big stuff. The signing is allowing her a voice. A sort of quiet voice but a voice nonetheless. I am betting every proverbial last dollar on this sign language stuff since Liv seems not to be all that interested in mimicking our words.


In other 15 month news what she lacks in verbal Olympics she is making up for in real Olympics. The kid will soon be signed up for 2008 Beijing. She is swinging from kitchen chandeliers and upping and downing stairs like her 5 year old sister. She laughs at my panic voice as I chastise her for climbing in the dishwasher and dryer. She stands on every sofa arm and ottomans are now merely vehicles to be moved around the house to allow her access to higher and more dangerous places to bungee jump. Her favorite toy is the bathroom stool, which she carries around to try to open doors..that are locked.

I will leave you with a lesson in ottoman surfing 101.
1. Move bathroom stool into playroom
2. Climb bathroom stool to get onto ottoman.
3. Hop on and start giggling, do a little dance on top of ottoman.
4. Wait for Mom to scream "Sit Down, Olivia Xi." 5. Look at sister for giggle partner.
6. Sit down since Mom's blood vessel above right eye is starting to turn blue and bulge.
7. Refuse to get off ottoman and start the less dangerous surfing session.
Que up Hawaii Five-0 music.