Siena is 17 Months!

My sweet girl turned 17 months.  She is looking much less like a baby and more like a little girl.  Compare this picture from just 5 months ago to these 17 month pics, and you'll see what I mean!

Here's my rolly polly baby at 12 months, pictures taken by Trista Lerit Photography. 

And here she is now, full of energy and curiosity, walking like a pro.  And the pig tails!!! Such a toddler, right?

I call this photo collage "Joe Face".  She totally flashes her daddy's facial expressions, especially the bottom lip pout. 

Sisi at a glance:

• although she only says 15-20 (understandable) words, it's enough vocab to get her point across most of the time.  it's nice to know what she wants and needs without the trial and error!  if she says "wa wa" we know she's thirsty, "ducky" means she is tired and needs her blankie, and "all done" means she's full. 
• our breastfeeding journey is officially over.  there were no feelings of anxiety on either of our part, and it seemed like a natural time to end it.  i have a post in the works about my breastfeeding experience in case anyone is interested.
• i thought i'd seen tantrums at 11 or 12 months, but now i've seen REAL tantrums.  the longest one lasted 45 minutes.  i tried to stay neutral, calm, sympathetic, and give her plenty of space to thrash around.  i had to remind myself that tantrums are a perfectly normal part of development, and they are a bell curve with a natural rise and fall. when she was through, she conked out for 2 hours.  i on the other hand quietly sobbed to myself and ate chocolate.  it's so difficult to be stoic when your kiddo is falling apart, i guess i needed that release, too.
• we're starting to see the beginnings of imaginative play- feeding her stuffed animals, taking them on stroller rides, acting out the pages of her books as she 'reads' them.  makes my heart sing!
• i've heard more than a few times that she looks just like me from the nose up, and joe from the mouth down.  except those random blue eyes that came from neither of us.
• she's still pretty quiet and observant.  she's mellow and fairly predictable, at least in this phase. when it comes to nature, she is adventurous but still cautious.  she loves to be chased by the waves and feel the wet sand. she loves rolling around in rocks and leaves. 
• she had her first bee sting last week.  she cried for 5.5 seconds, and then was over it.  she's a trooper!

My sweet Siena, you are simply marvelous.  I love you more and more every day.