15 Months: A Rose Among Roses

Portland is known for its roses. After all, it is "The City of Roses"and has one incredible Rose Garden to prove it. Yesterday we took a little stroll through the garden and took a few pictures of our 15 month old rose among the roses. :)

Our little girl went from baby to toddler so quickly! Walking like a pro, testing out her independence every chance she gets, practicing a *little* defiance, showing a *little* pickiness, communicating with signs and sounds, enthralled with the world around her,  and surprising us daily with her creative endeavors. 

Zoë's new favorites: 

• Climbing on chairs and standing on them, much to the frustration of mommy and daddy who are constantly saying "Zoë, please sit down. Zoë, we do not stand on chairs, we sit down. No, Zoë, PLEASE sit down. No, Zoë, NO! SIT DOWN!!"

• Putting on a fashions shows. One day, Zoë walked out into the living room with a long blue  exercise rubber band looped around her neck like a scarf and Zac and I nearly burst out laughing!  The next day, she came out of her room with her pink rain coat around her back like a shawl, and on another occasion, her butterfly fleece hoodie on her face. She has started wearing her pink beaded necklace around the house as well. This girl has potential! :)

• Book de-shelving. Zoë loves to take books off the shelf. We start to worry when there is a moment of silence because it usually means she is doing something she is not supposed to be doing :). Lately, when the house gets quiet, we have found her happily entertained with ALL of her books pulled out on the ground, nearly covering the floor of her room! She looks at one, throws it down, looks at another, and continues the process. Up to this point, we have kept her from doing too much damage to the "grown-up" books, but she is definitely intrigued by them. I just hope we can hold her off until her page-tearing days are over!

• Playing steam-roller with mommy. It is so much fun to hear her uncontrollable giggles as I roll back and forth across the floor with her rolling next to me. She tries to get away at first, but she really just wants me to "crush" her :) And then comes the tickle fest!

• Noises everywhere! Zoë is constantly alert to sounds and immediately lets us know that she heard something, whether it be a bird chirping, dog barking, an ambulance siren, a plane flying overhead, or the hum of a fan. She also loves to dance to music and begins swaying those hips the moment she hears a song. One of these days we'll get a video of it. :)

We are so grateful for 15 months of life with our sweet Zoë! Though you may drive us crazy at times, Zozo, you bring us overwhelming joy. We love you always.