Body Parts

What better way to learn all about your "head, shoulders, knees, and toes" then on a good old-fashioned care bear.

That's what mom and I have been working on lately, the parts of the body. So far, I've got "head" down really well. In fact, when I hear the song I just walk around pointing to my head.


I've also got "nose" down most of the time, especially if it's on someone else's face. Watch out, I'm still learning the word "gentle", noses make good face handles. The care bear works much better for demonstrating this.


I can also get belly-button once in a while. We don't work on this one much. Mom and dad usually only point this one out on my stuffed animals. Hmmm, why do you think that is? But I usually find it when they're least expecting it...when I tackle them on the floor. Or, when we're tickling each other. Did you know, care bear's don't have a button on their bellies, they have a picture. My care bear has a picture of the moon and stars.


And just for good measure since we haven't posted in a while one more picture...If you haven't noticed, all of the pictures in this post were taken while I sat on the steps. The bottom step is my favorite place to sit. I bring everything here...toys, books, my shoes and socks. I can efficently and safely climb up, reposition and sit, and climb down when necessary. I've only fallen once and believe me, I don't want to do that again. And anyways, what better way to end a post about body parts then with a picture of my face.

Outdoor Explorer

After our wagon ride taoday, mom let me explore the grass. Yes, it's still kind of dead. But, that makes the texture all the more interesting. Dead leaves, dirt spots, brown and green grass...this is all a bit of a stretch for a mom who prefers clean hands. But, she let me explore.

Here I am exploring the grass up close. Mom got my "best side". (Which picture do you think that was? You know, that saying has a different connotation depending on what stage of life you are in.)







































Our yard also has a slope to it which made it great for learning all about sommersaults, rolling down the hill, and just plain falling over. I laughed (and so did mom) the whole time I tried to walk around. I never made it very far.

Outdoor Fun

The weather is finally turning nice here in Missouri. Spring is on the way, and I'm ready for it. I've learned about where my shoes are and bring them to mom multiple times a day. I also like to get my jacket for her. (I love my jackets, I wear them around the house even if mom isn't in the mood to take me outside.) But thankfully, she's usually ready for a walk or a run.

Check me out in my wagon (no longer an indoor toy now that it's seen some actual road time).


We haven't made many friends my age yet to go with me and there are no kids in my neighborhood yet either. But mom is working on that too. She's joining a group, Mother's and More (they have chapters for all you other moms out there), that organizes all sorts of activities for mom's and tot's. It will be good for both of us. We've also started making some more friends at church lately!

Besides the great wagon rides, which is mom's daily walking time. She's also been taking me for a run with her. I love the breeze blowing in my hair! (She tries to walk once in awhile, but I spur her on to run by crying out for more wind.) We're up to about 1.5 miles every other day right now. Mom's trying to get us ready for the Mother's Day 5K. This is definitely a far cry from her last race of 26.2 miles. But we're excited to be getting back at it anyway. By July we'll be doing a half marathon together, if we can find one. Mom says she loves have a running partner (well rider). Check out me in my stylin' ride. (Yes, barefoot, not only do I love the wind in my face but between my toes as well. Thankfully it was a balmy 70 degrees when we went out today.)

Stick a Fork In It

This is the best report I've had since my 6 month check up! I gained 1 lb. 2 ounces in 2.5 weeks. That put me solidly at 16 lbs. 11 ounces and well on my way back into the 3rd percentile. So yes, it seems that we are experiencing "soy"ful times here, firmly away from all milk products.

And here's those pictures we promised with me eating with utensils. I'm not totally self sufficient yet and can't quite get the hang of spearing or scooping my own food. But I love it when mom does the spearing and scooping and then lets me take it from there. (We were going to keep this between us and let you all marvel at my cleanliness.)




And yes, that is a well-balanced lunch you're witnessing. Veggies (edamame-my favorite, carrots, and peas with olive oil italian dressing), fruit (homemade pear applesauce), and chef boyardee. (If only we all had plates like this right? Mom's didn't look nearly as colorful or appetizing.)I actually ate almost all of it too. The Dr. and nutrionist were extremely impressed with my diet and felt that the switch to my special soy drink was definitely the ticket (along with soy everything else). You would be amazed at how long our trip to the grocery store now takes as I watch mom scour the labels for milk and milk proteins.

We go back in another month for another weight/height check. They think I'm really going to start taking off now. Hopefully not too fast though, mom needs some time to catch up in her muscle strength, carrying around that extra 1lb I've gained has taken it's toll.

Walking

We apologize for the lack of quality in this video (Mom doesn't know how to work dad's new camera so she's still relying on the old one), but we're pretty sure you'll get the idea. I'm now walking, and yes it's at a rapid speed. In fact, I use all gears depending on what I'm after, holding on to, or the time of day.


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We wish we had sound, are silent films back in vogue now? I'm babbling all the way as I walk. No one is still quite sure what my dialogue with them means but they seem to always answer back. A lot of responses like really, tell me about it, and you don't say work for most of what I'm telling them.

The weather here is getting nice (if you can call mid 60s warm) and mom and I have started venturing out. We went to the park today and I walked all around the jungle gym. I climbed steps like a big girl, went down the slide (with mom's help) and enjoyed the swings again. The park wasn't crowded (we went to the hidden one down by the river and the bridge). It was really cool though. A lot better than yesterday whne we had to drive by the park because there was a line at the swings. Guess 60 is warm to people here, everyone was out!

Mommy's Little Helper

Well, my mom is still working and with deadlines fast approaching I have been helping her out a lot! Check me out, I'm reading and organizing her papers for her

First, I take them off of the stack she has on the floor. (Why in the workd are these papers on the floor? Doesn't mom know that anything on the floor is fair game?)


Now I must say my mom is very organized in her work. She has all of these fascinating tags that indicate what needs to be done sticking off of her pages. I'm mesmerized by them and proceed in helping by pulling them all off. Mom's now finding them stuck to lambie, me, and the wrong pages!


At the end of the day I'm not quite sure how she does it. Except for this stack I've been playing in has pretty much all been accounted for. (She did have to go back and find 5 specific pages out of 600 or so!) So, she keeps me distracted with her old work and just continues on with the new. Aren't you all breathing a sigh of relief for her.

"Soy"ful Times

Yes, in my previous post I had mentioned bulking up on dairy products. Well, after much protest and mom finally getting a clue...I am bulking up on soy products. I was having quite the time and not feeling well as mom tried her hardest to get me to drink and eat dairy. After realizing the connection between my irritability (in oh so many ways) to the milk introduction, we promptly switched to soy.

As you can see here, I now have no problems gulping down a soy milk product. My personal fave is Kidz Dream (an expensive soy/juice smoothie). I'm still boycotting the full fledged soy milk, including chocolate. But, with Kidz Dream I'm up to 20 ounces a day, hooray!



I go for a weight check, nutrition analysis, and who knows what else on Tuesday. Lets hope that the new foods mom has been giving me have added on at least a pound. Say a prayer, we need it!

Otherwise, we are having a blast here in the cold and snow. I'm walking up a storm. All around the house and I'm pretty fast if I'm holding on to someone's finger. Mom will definitely be running by spring!

And I'm talking. Pretty sure I said a "Hi there" the other day. And "that" is my personal favorite. It means "I want that, or that, or that, or that." The pointing that goes along with it is rarely helpful. I just change my mind way to quickly.

Since it's so cold, there aren't a whole lot of new pictures. Mom's notinto making a mess in the house so we haven't done anything new and terribly exciting. But, we'll keep trying to get some new posts out there. Perhaps a new one with me eating with utensils is in the works.

I need to eat how much?

That's right folks. In this day and age of overindulgence, obesity, and lipo dissolve, I need to beef up. The pediatrician is concerned because I'm one year old and weigh just under 16 lbs. Personally, I think this is a good weight for me. I'm lean, agile, and mobile. However, since mom took the doctor's concerns to heart, I guess I'll have to do what I can to put on the pounds. It's rough having to eat ice cream, cheese, and yogurt all day, but this little lady is up for the challenge.

Part of the problem I'm sure is that I haven't been fond of any lacteal fluid that didn't come straight from mom. However, in the last few days she wore me down, and I'm now drinking whole milk as long as it's cut with some water. It may not be my favorite, but you take what you can get when your legs are short and the shelves are high. 

Talitha Grace Rankin

Many of you know that I was expecting a little playmate in late June to early July. At the beginning of the month, some things started to go wrong for my mom with her pregnancy and for that little baby. As the situation progressed, God made it very clear to our family that we would be meeting this precious little one in heaven and not here on earth.

Even though this is a very sad time for our family, God has blessed us greatly. He gave the Dr.'s and dad very clear direction on how to best care for my mom and for Talitha. We give thanks that we got to see Talitha and the miracle of life that she was. We also give thanks that mom is back home with us now and recovering.

Please continue to pray for our family as mom recovers and we grieve the loss of my baby sister.

Happy 1st Birthday

Ahh, I have survived one whole year. I turned one on Januray 19th and we celebrated the occasion with cake and cupcakes on Sunday. Mom thought she would try to keep me somewhat healthy and have yellow cake with chocolate frosting. This she thought would be much better then sending me into a sugar crazed, chocolate frenzy. However, I fooled her and ate only the choclolate frosting. I also let her know what I thought of yellow cake...it's good for smashing in my hands and throwing on the floor!

Inspecting the new item. This looks way too good to actually be sitting on my tray.


The first sampling.


Definitely liking it!


Cleaning up. This was actually just step one. The full bath followed shortly after.


And yes, there were the presents. I got a cool tricycle from Nana and Granddad, a picture growth chart from Nonni and Papa, a glow in the dark care bear from Aunt Trish, Learning Tad from my cousins and Uncle David and Aunt Markie, and of course the cool clothes from Aunt Katherine (she's always keeping me in style).

Waiting on the master builders to finish "some assembly required".

Hanging Out with My Cousins

I spent a few days with my cousins right before my birthday. Who knows what really went on while I was there. But the pictures sure do say it all, I had a blast!
































Motoring with the coup car. I even learned how to make noises like a car. I run out of fuel pretty quick though, it all runs down my chin!

My Second Christmas

No, we didn't go warp speed through the year, but I did have two Christmas's. My Nonni and PaPa arrived with Aunt Trish a few days after Christmas and we started the celebration all over again. PaPa brought a sled (well SUV) full of goodies (all which make noise) for me and we got started early on Friday morning.

Can you believe it, all these presents for me? I am truly a blessed little girl to have such a loving family.



I'm definitley getting into this present thing. It's a good thing to because my birthday is just around the corner. Here I am inspecting the latest toy that makes noise.



With the onslaught of gifts and mom knowing PaPa and Noni so well, I only got a few toys from mom and dad. A set of blocks, some books, and the biggest surprise of them all...a wagon! (Notice how none of these toys make noise.) The wagin has become my favorite indoor toy. It has cup holders, which I use for both juice and my snacks. I never travel empty. And, I always have a friend with me. Whether it's Ted E. Bear or my cousin Chanie, I hardly ever ride alone.

My First Christmas

 

Wake up! Wake up! It's Christmas morn. Actually, how is this different from any other morning in my life, I'm always up early. We celebrated my first Christmas at Granddad's and Nana's and had a wonderful day. It was filled with lots of lovely presents for everyone and I even learned how to open those pretty packages with a little assistance (someone has to get a corner started for me).

But I think the things I liked best were the new foods that I got to try out. My first sip of orange juice (clearly my favorite), rice chex, christmas cookies, and more. Despite the cookies, milk is still a no go for me. We'll see what happens in the next couple of weeks.



I also gave my mom the biggest Christmas present of all. I took my first steps on Christmas morning. Three in all from the ottoman to the big stuffed doggy on the floor. Mom got so excited and yelled to everyone that I freaked right out and sat down. Hopefully, more steps will follow later.

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

The title of this post is fitting in more ways than one....

Yes, I love our Christmas tree, the lights, the presents that are now under it with their glittery bows, but most of all I love the low hanging, non-breakable, ornaments and the Christmas music. Mom plays Christmas music all day long and I sit by the tree and rock back and forth while humming and admiring the pretty things in front of me.





Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree also happens to be my favorite song. If any of you have been to Hallmark, you'll know the tree, jingle-bell penguins, and snowmen plush, singing, lightup toy that they have this year. Well, mom (in one of her weaker, non-thinking moments) bought this for me. It sits on the floor and I dance with the penguins while they sing, about 50 times a day. Mom should know the words to this Hallmark version of the song, but surprisingly or not so surprisingly to some, she still doesn't sing it right.

My favorite decoration of all though is snowmen. I have a fascination with them. I love the snowman that is on my Hallmark toy, Dad in one of his weaker moments bought me the Starbuck's snowman, and I love the snowman on our kitchen table. I enjoy eating with him every day. And yes, Jimmy Durante's version of Frosty gets me laughing when I hear it in the car. I can't wait till we get another real snow and mom and dad can build me a real snowman all my own.

Is it Cramped in There?

Today was a big day for me. I went to the Dr. with my mom and dad and saw my new baby brother or sister on the monitor. I tried to reach out and touch him/her but dad held me back. It looked like it would be awfully cramped in there, I honestly can't remember myself. So, when we got home, I thought I would try out some tight quarters of my own. I lasted only about 10 minutes before I got tired of running out of space to move. My poor baby brother/sister has another 6 months of this!


But in the end, he/she will be free and ready to explore the world with me! (I got out of the cabinet all on my own, a new accomplishment and a welcome one for mom. Though she still watches me like a hawk when I'm in there.) Mom keeps telling me it will be awhile before we can truly explore together, but I just can't wait!


A note from my mom:
Yes, this is no joke. We will be increasing our family by one in June/July. From the sonogram, it appears as if the next baby Rankin will arrive on 7/4, but we're placing the big event anytime between 6/20 and 7/4. Ainsley loves children so this is very exciting for her, and of course us as well. Apologies for the lack of sonogram pictures, the printer was broken and besides we have no scanner. And yes, in any future post the baby will be baby Rankin. We're going to be surprised again. Sorry for the suspense.

As a family we continue to pray that this baby would be as healthy and happy as Ainsley and that my pregnancy and delivery would go just as smoothly as the last one. We would appreciate any prayers you could offer up along those lines. God has blessed us greatly!