Allie's Progression Since Arriving in Stillwater (from 13.5 - 16 months)

Though we still often refer to Allie as a baby, she is becoming more and more of a little girl. It is amazing to think of what she has learned in the few months that we've been here in Stillwater. We've taken so many pictures of her doing funny things, as well as some of her achievements. It is hard (especially with our camera) to catch things at just the right moment. It's often after the fact when the camera takes the picture, but here are some fun pictures that highlight some of the things that Allie has enjoyed and/or learned since being here.

When we had our DVDs in a box still, Allie loved to play and even just sit on the box.

Watching a video while sitting on the box.

We still don't have an official spot for our DVDs. Allie learned to take them out of the box, so now we mostly just keep them in a pile or two next to the TV. However, Allie loves to spread them all over the floor around the TV. There are many mornings when the first thing she does after getting downstairs is decorating the floor with all of the DVDs.

Within the first week or two of getting here, Allie mastered climbing onto big chairs. She could climb onto some chairs previously, but she conquered the challenge of climbing onto ANY chair soon after our arrival. It was actually an obsession of hers for several weeks. She did have a few falls, but no major injuries.

Sharing her chair with Dr. Bear and Mr. Seal

Allie likes to organize things. She has especially enjoyed organizing kitchen items/utensils. This is one of the most common locations for several of those items - in the small hallway between the kitchen and living room.

Also within the first two or three weeks of being here, Allie had a little run-in with the corner of a wall in the apartment. She and Mommy were playing a game of chase when Allie tripped and dove face first into the corner. She ended up with a nice line down her face. She had a slight black eye, which luckily didn't get as bad as we expected.

Being comforted by stuffed animals (line is over  her left eye and on left cheek).

Chilling with Baby (bruise more visible on cheek)

 She has had a few of the classic adventures of pulling out baby wipes and/or Kleenex (She has done both more than once.)

Allie surrounded by Kleenex

 Allie does not love to have things in her hair. But if she does allow an elastic to remain in her hair for a little while, she'll end up with fun hair. Here's an example. We just thought it was a fun picture to share.

Allie finally made the switch to her forward-facing car seat about 3-4 weeks after getting here. It was so much fun watching her in the car as she got to view the world from a different perspective for the first time. She loved it and was so thrilled with the world as it passed by. She was excited to get into her seat for a few weeks. She still gets into it pretty easily most days. Now, she will say "guck" (truck) and "car" as they pass by. Sometimes she calls the traffic lights, "balls." It is a lot of fun and provides new teaching moments.

We knew that there would be stairs in our apartment, and we were a little nervous about it. Allie had just barely learned to go down stairs by herself at Auntie Michelle's house a week before the move. Going up was not a concern. So far (knock on wood), she has done great, and we have not had any major accidents. I'd even say that we have avoided any minor accidents, too. She can now walk down the stairs by herself (not just scoot on her bum) if she has a hand on the wall. She can go up that way, too, but she gets tired.

Allie on the stairs with Buddy (the dog)

 Sometimes, when Mommy and Daddy are lucky, Allie will entertain herself while dinner is being made. Playing with the magnets on the refrigerator was pretty popular soon after our arrival. She still plays with them some, but nowhere near as often.

One time, Allie actually brought in the two couch pillows and cuddled on and with them. It was pretty cute. The picture below was taken the second time she laid down, so the pillow by her feet had been kicked away.

Allie's hair has grown quite a bit. We can now put it in two pigtails. She's so cute with her hair back. She looks older with it back, too.

One of the ladies that Nikki visit teaches gave us a little wagon for Allie. It has been a lot of fun. Allie loves it! The picture below does not capture the love, but it is all we got right now. We'll have to share more later. If we ask her if she wants to go for a walk in the wagon, she gets excited and runs to the back door (we keep it in the back yard). We're so grateful for having been gifted the wagon! It is so fun.

Wetlands

Several Sundays ago, we went for a little nature walk at the local wetlands. (Allie was 15 months old.) We all had a great time. We had to keep a close watch on Allie since she loves water and there were several areas without railings. We didn't see any amazing wildlife while there, but we enjoyed the scenery and thought it would be good to share what some of Oklahoma scenery, or at least Stillwater scenery, is like.

Allie liked looking at the red, muddy water.

Again, the wonder of water.

Allie with Mommy close by

Birdies!

Red dirt field with trees in the distance

The water at the wetlands from another side.

Pretty Sunflowers with the sun behind them.
Our camera couldn't quite catch just how cool it looked.

A different pretty sunflower by the boardwalk.

Next are pictures of some of the vegetation at the wetlands. We don't know the names for all of them, but it gives you an idea of what grows here.

Big Yucky Mushrooms

Pretty picture taken as we were leaving

Allie loved running around on the sidewalk and boardwalk. She kept doing a mix between a dance and her run. It was pretty funny to watch. We tried to capture it on video. It was hard to tell what she was really doing form behind, so we are sharing one from in front. We apologize for the shaky camera work; it is hard to keep it steady as you run backwards. Enjoy!

(Allie didn't do the dance/run combo throughout the whole video. She had done it more, but was mostly wanting to catch Daddy at this point. She can get moving pretty fast.)

After running around so much in the sun, Allie was tired and had a very red face. Here's our little red-face munchkin. 

Enjoying the warm rain!

When it has been really hot (above 100), we actually hoped for cold rain, but since it has cooled down a little (high 80's or so), the warm nice is pretty nice. We always get a puddle outside our front door. It is pretty easy to get around on one side, so it isn't too big of a nuisance. For Allie, it isn't a nuisance at all - she LOVES it! See for yourself.

This first video is from when Allie was about 14 months old or so.

And a month later at 15 months or so.

Taking a brief break. She's soaking wet!

Allie splashing and waving arms super fast

Hmmm, that's a neat reflection

Back to waving arms crazily

Stillwater, OK

So much for keeping caught up. Life just seems to get busier. We have a lot of pictures and little stories to share, but we'll probably just do a little at a time.

We still haven't taken pictures of the inside of our new place, but we wanted to share some pictures of Oklahoma, our new home.

Where We Live

The townhouses from outside. Ours is the first one with a cream door on the left.

View out our back door. Room for Allie to play in grass!

As an engineering student, Jared spends a lot of time on campus. Oklahoma State University's campus is actually pretty. Here are just a few pictures:

Oklahoma State University Library

They have a little garden area with paths through it.

OSU Student Union Building

 I know that we've mentioned the bugs to some of you. There are a lot of bugs, and they are big and noisy. When we first moved here, the noise was somewhat eery (sp?) and startling, but now we don't even notice it. But the bugs are still big.

Not sure what this one is, but it is big.

We also get some toads that visit our sidewalks and yards, both front and back. They're kind of cute.

We'll share some more of Stillwater, OK scenery/landscape with you in future visits.