Misono

As a child, I remember getting my height recorded every year on a growth chart, and I always thought that it would be a fun tradition to continue with my future kids, too!

I searched high and low for the perfect growth chart, but being very picky when it comes to these types of things, it took me a long time to find one I liked.  Most of the commercial ones I found either looked too cluttered or baby-ish (I wanted the growth chart to be something we could keep hanging until Mio stops growing, so 15-20 years from now), and the ones I actually liked were pretty expensive and I wasn’t about to shell out $80+ on a growth chart. I wanted something made of a sturdy canvas, so that it would be durable but could be rolled up for compact storage if/when we move someday. I  turned my sights to Etsy, and while I couldn’t really find the perfect growth chart, I found one that was simple, cute, easy on the eyes, and affordable. If I had a sewing machine and was better with that kind of thing, I would have wanted to make one myself, but I just don’t have the time between chasing a toddler around and all the freelance projects I’ve got going on right now. (I’m actually pretty busy with a lot of work coming in these days, which is very exciting!)

So this handmade growth chart arrived a while ago and I’ve been nagging Dan to nail it up on the wall… and we finally got it up yesterday! It was a bit of a challenge to accurately measure and mark the growth chart with a squirming toddler, but we had fun with it! 😀

Mio just turned 14 months old on Saturday, so I wanted to also write an update and all the awesome things she’s doing these days.

The Rundown at Fourteen Months…

Stats: You now weigh approximately 23 lbs, and according to our measuring skills (which may not be very accurate), you are around 29 inches tall! In the past month, you’ve gotten four of your molars in, resulting in a total of 12 teeth!

Things You’re Doing Now: You’re very vocal these days and we find you “talking” a lot — having conversations with yourself while playing, to us, to random strangers walking by… we wish we could understand what you’re saying, but it’s just really sweet to hear your voice! In the past couple weeks, you have been saying “uh oh” whenever you’re doing something that you know is wrong (climbing things, knocking books out of the bookshelf, opening things you’re not supposed to open, going places you’re not supposed to go, etc.). It’s hard to get mad at you when you say your “uh oh”s because it’s so darn cute, but we wish you wouldn’t do those things if you know you’re going to get in trouble for them! haha* You’re mastering the signs for a lot of animals these days, such as “dog,” “bear,” and “monkey.” You’ve also picked up on how to sign “baby,” “yummy,” and “shoes.” You completely weaned yourself from nursing while we were in Virginia and are drinking a lot of milk these days. You want to eat everything we eat, and you surprised me last month when you bit into the corncob I was eating — surprisingly, you ate most of it without leaving many kernels behind! You’re starting to get a little picky with your vegetables sometimes, but you always have a healthy appetite and eat almost everything we give you. You’re starting to be able to run now, and it’s hard to keep up with you when you move so fast! Lately, you are really interested in books — it used to be so hard to hold your attention for more than ten seconds while reading to you, but now you are fascinated by them and like to turn the pages, and sign certain animals as you see them in the book. You especially like the interactive books that feature audio sounds, flaps, or pop-ups and I often find you sitting on the floor, “reading” books books to yourself. We’re so thankful that you are growing into such a sweet, bright, and active little girl!