First Haircut

We took Reese to have her first haircut tonight. Her hair was starting to get a little unruly (as you can see in the first two pictures), so it was time to trim it up. Daddy and I were a little sad before the cut because it is yet another sign that Reese is growing up.

Reese didn't exactly enjoy the experience, but made it through with Daddy, then Mommy holding her, paci in her mouth, and Monkey and Lovey in her arms. The end result is a more polished look.

I Miss You Mommy!

Mom is away @ a business trip in sunny Phoenix, AZ. Reese just wanted to say hi & tell "Mama" how much she misses her!

Walker

It's official - Reese is walking! She has actually been walking for a few weeks, I have just been slow to get a video posted. Of course she started by taking just a few steps then falling. Within a few days she was taking 15 steps at a time. And now she is walking all around the house.

Balls

Reese is absolutely obsessed with balls. Everywhere we go she points out and goes crazy for all balls she sees. She sees balls at Peyton's basketball game, watching the NCAA tournament on TV, for sale in stores, and even the large red concrete balls in the Target parking lot that I think is supposed to prevent people from driving too close to the entrance.

The obsession continues at home too. She has about 25 balls in our living room which is a favorite pasttime. And we absolutely have to touch the blue plastic ball every time we go in the garage. It's that same blue ball she would not let go of while swinging at our partially flooded park today. The bottom is a picture of a parking lot. I think (hope!) the Crow River has crested, so things should be back to normal soon.

Talker

Reese is saying a few new words this week:
* baba (bottle)
* owl
* E-mo (Elmo - which she points out on her diapers, toys, books, etc. Elmo is truly everywhere)
* pew (which we jokingly say when we change her diaper and take off her socks)
* ouch (which she learned from Daddy when he hurt his shoulder playing basketball. The two of them said ouch for three days straight)
* no (which is her favorite, most used new word)

Reese is also putting two words together occasionally. She said "Hi Mama" to me on the phone the other day, and I just about melted. Then, last night when Daddy and I were getting her ready for bed, I asked, "Should we go say ni-night to Daddy?" (meaning go tuck him in to bed which is part of our bedtime routine). She immediately looked at Daddy, took out her paci, said "Ni-ni Dada", then popped her paci back in her mouth like it was no big deal.

March Madness

We had a great basketball day, or as Reese says "bahball" day.

Our NCAA March Madness picks are doing very well thanks to UNI, Kentucky, K-State, and Baylor. I am now in 3rd place out of 150 in my pool!

We also went to Peyton's 5th grade state basketball tournament where he scored 14 points! These pictures are of Reese in the lobby during the game. She got so excited and wanted to play with the basketball so badly that we had to leave the stands for awhile and play in the lobby area. Luckily we had a ball along and a few people (a little girl and some boys from the Osseo varsity team) played catch with her. She was pretty big stuff!

Neighborhood Party

We hosted a neighborhood party last night. I am part of our Homeoweners' Association Board, so we got everyone together for a meet & greet. We had a good turn out with over 50 people attending. Reese had a great time playing with the kids and, while difficult at times, shared her toys pretty well. The adults had a great time too as some stayed until 2am playing cards. Good times!

Spring Fever

It is so nice outside (we are hitting record temperatures of 60+ degrees!), and Reese has spring fever. She spent a lot of time outside today listening to the water flow down the drains on our street and saying hi to everyone (and every dog) she met.

When forced to come inside, she played dress up in her pretty spring dress. She seemed to really like the dress and kept it on to play. One of her favorite things to do lately is to look at all the greeting cards she has received. She carefully studies all cards as if she's reading them, and puts them back in the box when she's done.

Helper

We had our main floor painted this week and love the colors. Reese has been a big helper as we put things back up on the wall. I'll post more pictures of the new paint once we finally get everything back up on the walls. These things take time with an active toddler in the house!

Hello Kitty

Just a cute picture of Reese in her new Hello Kitty shirt. It's a size 2T! I say this often, but she needs to stop growing up so fast!

Drawer

Reese has found her favorite drawer in the kitchen - the one full of her snacks! She goes to the drawer multiple times throughout the day to take her snacks out, put them back in, and occasionally put some in her mouth.

Katie Bug

We celebrated neighbor Katie's 1st birthday today. She had an adorable ladybug themed party, and all the neighborhood girls had a great time. Reese's best friend at the party was actually Murphy the dog! She shared her meal with Murphy, so Reese became his best friend too.

Finally

Reese has finally gotten more teeth! Her two bottom teeth came in when she was 6 months old, and she finally has a matching set on top at 13 months old. This sure makes chewing more productive!

Traits

Reese has become such an amazing little person. She adds so much fun and laughter to our household. Todd and I were talking this morning about where she gets her traits. Here’s our best assessment from some of her relatives…

Grandma Haag: hair color (with beautiful red tones!) & cute petite stature

Grandpa Haag: love for being busy & constantly working on “projects” (Reese will be Grandpa’s little helper soon)

Grandma Cipra: love for books & affection for other kids (maybe Reese will be a Kindergarten teacher someday too)

Grandpa Cipra: acid reflux (ha, ha) & athleticism (they will be great partners on the court and/or golf course)

Uncle Troy: height (although not as tall as her Haag cousins, still tall compared to her peers)

Aunt Tammy: love for music (sure hope she has musical ability like Tammy too -- and not her tone deaf parents!)

Uncle Brian: verbal skills (Reese chatters all day long and Uncle Brian would never let Mommy talk growing up!)

Mommy: big eyes & determined personality (our two determined personalities could present an interesting dynamic in her teenage years)

Daddy: focus & overlook looks (we call her “little Todd” & she already has daddy wrapped around her little finger)

Both Mommy & Daddy: desire to have things in their place (Reese gets upset when a cabinet door is open or a laundry basket is in the hallway. Oh no, a little perfectionist already!)

Belle (ok, exactly a relative, but we call them "sisters"): love for the outdoors & need for Mommy & Daddy’s attention

In and Out

As mentioned in my last post, Reese loves to take things in and out of containers. She has now discovered that she likes to put HERSELF in and out of boxes too!

New Tricks

Reese has a few new "tricks" in her 12th month...

She now says the following words: Dada, Mama, Ball, Belle, Baba (bottle), Ni-Ni (night night), Yah (yes), and her newest word, Hi. She surprised me in Target last weekend when she waved and said "Hi" to a random lady in the shampoo aisle. Of course she got a tremendous reaction from me and the lady, so she now says "Hi" to almost everyone she meets. It was interesting to try and distract her during church on Sunday when she kept saying "Hi" to people throughout the sermon.

She has a few new moves:
- Shaking her head no, and then immediately wrinkling her nose and laughing. She must think it's funny to tell me no
- Chanting by moving her hand back & forth on her mouth while saying "ahhhhh"
- Turning her books right side up if she happens to pick them up upside down
- Moving objects (toys, diapers, tupperware, books) in and out of containers. She will not rest until every single object has been moved out, then back in to the container. Don't even think about interrupting her during this task
- Putting on sunglasses and socks. Ok, she can't actually put her socks on, but she sure tries hard
- Pushing my hand away when I try to help her with things. Not sure I like that new trick, but I guess it's a part of allowing her to grow up

She also understands nearly EVERYTHING we say. It amazes us every day when we tell her do something (like go get your Frog book), and she actually does it! This understanding also has its draw backs as Todd and I now need to spell some things like b-a-s-e-m-e-n-t (where she loves to play) and c-a-k-e (which she loves to eat).