1/24/03 - Leah had her 15-month check up and vaccinations today. The next one will be at 18 months. She cried the minute we entered the exam room and off-and-on throughout the visit. Even so, the doctor said she looks great! The only concerns are as follows: Several molars are about to erupt, so she might be uncomfortable. Plus, she's got a mild rash on her belly (nothing to worry about) and a recurring redness/rash in her diaper area (keep treating with prescription cream). Leah has recovered beautifully from the sinus/ear infection she had two weeks ago. Her measurements are as follows:

• Head - 19 inches around (95th percentile)
• Height - 30.25 inches (50th percentile)
• Weight - 23 pounds (50th percentile)

Leah doesn't have much vocabulary yet, but the doctor said this is normal and that she'll likely be talking plenty by her second birthday. Leah continues to go to a weekly music class. At home, she likes playing piano and drums and singing. She's particularly good at mimicking notes that are sung to her. We've recently started a "mom-and-tot" exercise class that meets once a week. Leah gets to run around a gymnasium for 45 minutes with other children her age. She walks well across a balance beam and enjoys throwing and rolling balls. She also likes the slide and the trampoline, as well as singing songs like the Hokey Pokey and the Itsy Bitsy Spider. Leah still adores books, but now she flips the pages so quickly that it's difficult to read out loud to her. We still try anyway.

2/4/03 - Leah is almost 16 months old. She has two new pre-vocabulary words-- "dis" and "dat." It's adorable how she points her finger at things while saying them! Sometimes it means "I want out of the play pen." Her new display of affection involves walking up to our knees and hugging them. She then looks up, smiles brightly, and lifts her knee as if to say she'd like to come up. She claps whenever we sing "If You're Happy and You Know It" and when we sing a note with her. She can crawl up and down the stairs on her own and walk up with assistance. She recently made her first crayon drawing which is hanging on our refrigerator. Her tantrums have become more dramatic, but rarely last long. Her biggest upset comes when we're done playing in the yard. We close the sliding door and she immediately throws her arms onto it, wailing. It's actually rather funny. We normally ignore these outbursts and redirect her into another activity.

Valentine's Day 2003 - Playgroup Party

2/14/03 - Tammy hosted a Valentine's Day playgroup for eight of us and our babies (14 - 19 months old). We enjoyed fruit, waffles and bagels and exchanged valentines cards!

It's hard to get eight kids to sit still for a photo.

2/15/03 - Leah has added two new words to her vocabulary-- "ball" and "bye-bye" (with a wave). We clap for her achievement and she claps along with us. It's very cute! She also got a new tooth-- a molar on the lower right side.

3/15/03 - Leah is 17 months old now. She is deeply interested in drawing and throws a fit whenever we take the crayons away. Her piano skills are impressive. She keeps a beat and plays notes individually as well as together.