Baby Ringl
13 Months
Well, the first birthday came and went and our precious baby is acting more and more like a little girl. It’s crazy how fast the first year went by, and now we are almost to month 14. That being said, this post is a few weeks overdue with what all Sarah has learned in the past month or so. Let’s get to it, shall we…
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Sarah has learned how to get off our bed, the couch, chairs, and pretty much anything. She also learned to go down the step we have in our house near the hallway and when going into the kitchen. I can tell she feels more independent not having to yell out for one of us to come help her down (and goodness knows I’m thankful she figured it out, the girl doesn’t stay still!)
Her hair is getting longer and that much closer to pony/pig tails. I can’t wait to dress her hair up to match her cute little clothes.
She has started to play with her dolls and stuffed animals. Today she tried to stuff one of her bears into a toy bus, and when she is watching Veggie Tales she almost always holds her Minnie Mouse in one arm and container of cheerios in the other.
Speaking of cheerios, Sarah’s appetite is off the charts! Girl does not stop eating. We probably go through a dozen bananas in a week, and she can eat an entire peeled orange, apple slices, kiwi, and avocado before she seems full. The only time she stops eating is when she’s asleep. While it keeps me busy, and our fridge empty, I’m thankful that she finally has such a big appetite. She was such a small eater for the first 10-11 months that I never thought she’d grow past her 3-6 month outfits. We are finally getting to work through some different clothes.
I know I’ve mentioned on several occasions how much our girl loves to go outside. It’s actually one of the words she recognizes when we say it. Well with her now walking all over the place she has grown extra bold. Just last week we went out on the front porch and she climbed down onto the walkway and the driveway, which she often does. However, on this day she decided to just take off into the yard and started running all over the place. The girl was having a blast! Sadly we have a big ant problem in the front yard and I had to run after her to make sure she didn’t get bit by any. We are now sticking to the backyard just to be sure her terrain is more closed-in and she doesn’t get anymore crazy ideas.
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Not always, but usually when I ask, Sarah will hold my hand while she walks. It’s the most adorable and precious thing I’ve ever encountered. Her sweet tiny fingers grip one of two of my fingers and she moves those little legs like a pro. I love it. Seriously, can’t get enough. I’d hold her hand all day. Stephen and I both would if she’d let us!
Her kisses have finally gone from open-mouth to closed. Not always, but on most occasions. She is such a sweet little love bug. Her daddy gets more kisses than all the rest of us added together. She loves her daddy.
Oh, and she is finally saying dada!!! I was so excited when I heard her. She has been stuck on just mama for months, and I love hearing her ask or talk about dada, especially when she points to pictures of us. She’s also saying gaga a lot, like googoo gaga.
There are a few words she recognizes when we say them, and these are the ones I can think of: banana, outside, bath, nap, minnie, cheerios, water, nose, kiss, byebye, hello, mama, dada, walk, no, uh-uh, let me see (she hands us the item she’s holding when we say that), what/where is it? (she shrugs her shoulders up and puts her hand by her head in question-format), snack… and that’s all I can think of. She hasn’t said any of the words yet, but she’ll get there when she’s ready.
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We have a major climber on our hands! She is a mischievous little girl and loves to get into anything she can. She knows how to use toys (or me) as a footstool to climb onto the couch, or into her toy box.
We are going through a weird stage where if Sarah is upset about something she will pinch you. It hurts like all get out, which has gotten me into the habit of trimming her nails more regularly. When she does it we tell her no and put her down so she can’t keep doing it. She’s gotten her hand popped a few times and she knows what that means because she stops pretty quickly. It’s weird seeing and feeling your child provoke discomfort because they aren’t happy. I don’t like it, but I know this is probably just the beginning so we’re preparing ourselves.
We are finally up to 6 teeth! Sarah cut 2 more on the top. It made for a few rough days, but thankfully they finally broke through. Teething is tough! We have also reached the teeth-brushing stage. Stephen helps her brush her teeth and when the foam starts to develop she slobber/spits out the paste.
We are officially pacifier free! She doesn’t even get it for naps or bedtime anymore. I am so thankful we were able to go ahead and get that done. I know it’ll only get harder the older she gets, so it was a blessing when Stephen’s mom put her down without it one night and we decided to go with it. It made for a few rough nights, and I almost gave in multiple times, but I’m glad we stuck with it!
One thing that’s for sure, the older she gets the more fun we are getting to have with her. She has learned to play chase and hide-n-seek. You obviously can’t hide anywhere tough, but Stephen is good at going around corners or in the next room and she goes to look for him and then runs away when he pops out and says boo. She runs at me, “safe base”, with the biggest grin on her face and the sweetest giggles.
There ya have it, the newest things Sarah has learned during her 13th month of life. Before you know it she’s gonna be getting her permit and going to prom! That seriously is how fast time seems to be going!
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Houseguests
The last week of March our good friends Sara, Jordan, and their little man Jairus stayed with us at Casa de Ringl. I can not tell you how fun it was to have them in our home for a week. They are going to be spending a lot of time traveling the US to raise support for their move to Uruguay next Spring to be missionaries, so we’re trying to get as much hang time as we can 
I’m pretty sure Sarah loved having them over even more than I did! She had SO much fun playing with Jairus and stealing each others sippy cups. The week after they left Sarah searched the house for days looking for them. She would knock on all the closed doors so I had to keep them open so she could see the rooms were empty. Poor girl misses her buddy.
Here they are hanging in the kitchen…
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Playing in the living room
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helping us unload the dishwasher
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and then emptying the drawers afterwards
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I can’t believe it’s been almost a year since Sara had Jairus! The kids are exactly 2 months apart, March 6 (Sarah) and May 6th (Jairus). It was a blast being pregnant together and now we are raising our kiddos. Wow, we’re adults! haha
Here we are 11 months ago…
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and 2 weeks ago…
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Wow, those two have grown, and I need to get some under eye concealer. Babies can give you bags under your eyes… just a forewarning to all your lovely ladies out there 
The Bush family are now busy traveling north, west, east, and then south again sometime later this summer. All I know is I can’t wait to hug their necks again and squeeze on baby J. He is such a love bug and our little Sarah misses him like crazy.
It had been a long time since we’d had houseguest, so it gave me a reason to clean our guest room. I suppose I should have thanked them for staying with us and forcing me to clean, haha.
Having friends over is fun. I totally recommend you try it out. Let me know how it goes
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Love +
This past Sunday Sarah wore the cutest little dress. Check it out…
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Why haven’t I been putting her in sundresses and bloomers all year?!? Oh ya, winter. Hooray for Spring!
Walking Video
This is almost a month old, but it’s one of the best video’s we have gotten of Sarah walking.
Her skills have gotten a lot better, and she is now much faster, but I had to share this cute little moment in time with you…
Enjoy!
Yard Sale Fun
This past weekend we all got to spend some time outside and Sarah had a blast. We are loving this spring weather!
Also, Sarah is officially done crawling. It’s walk, run, or… well there is no other, it’s those 2 or she’s sleeping. There is no in-between with her.
Here are some cute pictures I snapped last Saturday while at our church’s youth yard sale.
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I know you love that onesie-boot combo. She was wearing jeans but it got pretty warm so we let her run wild in her cute boots. Literally, the girl gets some momentum going and gets to running. There were a lot of offers to buy our little girl, but obviously she isn’t for sale
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Phone Photos
Here are a few pictures I took on my phone this week…
Playing on the driveway
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Eating a Peanut Butter sandwich in the living room
(not recommended if you don’t want PB on your couch, rug, and everything in between)
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Running around in her robe after bathtime
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Kissing her birthday card from my Aunt Vicci & Uncle Steve
Part of her gift was a roll of toilet paper… she was a BIG fan!
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Last, playing with daddies rubix cube
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We have spent a lot of time outdoors this week. She wants to explore everything and we are having so much fun!
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A Bucket of Fun
I may not have felt this way Sunday morning, but I am officially a fan of spring forward! Not only is it great having more sun in the evening, but Sarah still hasn’t quite adjusted and has slept past 7 every morning! I never knew I could be so excited about sleeping until 7am… the adjustments of parenthood
Besides getting to “sleep in” this week we’ve also been enjoying the incredible spring weather we’re getting. This entire week has been full of perfect blue skies.
On Wednesday we had a day packed full of fun. I got to visit my friend Melissa and her sister and niece, then my friend, Sara, and her hubs Jordan and little man Jairus came over for a visit. Sarah and Jairus are 2 months apart and are so fun to watch together. The weather was too perfect to hang out indoors so we went on the back porch. After letting the kids swap turns in the swing we decided to let them play in some water. I had no idea a bucket of water could be so fun AND adorable!
These pictures will prove it to ya : )
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Chowing on an orange
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Running around in her diaper
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Jairus making a splash
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trying to climb INTO the bucket
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Then today we had a blast with Sarah’s new bubble machine she got from her Aunt Valerie for her birthday.
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so many colors in so many bubbles
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bubble face
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I’m sure it’s obvious that we have had an extra fun week! Sarah is all over the place now that she’s walk/running. The past week we explored buckets of water, bubble machines, and next up I’m planning on kiddie pools and beach trips!! I think I’m more excited than Sarah is… hehe.
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What I’ve learned: 1 Year
- It’s day 1 of officially having a 1 year old and I strangely feel like more of an adult… I can’t explain it, it’s weird, I know.
- We are still on the 2 nap schedule with a 6pm bedtime. While nap/sleep scheduling was rough when we first started it, it was definitely the best decision we could have made! Makes for a happier Sarah, which makes for a happier everyone!
- You want to know what Sarah’s favorite toys are? It’s a fun list: mom/dads cell phone, controllers to the tv/Wii/XBox, and pretty much anything we are playing with… The girl has expensive taste
- Speaking of, Sarah knows how to turn the XBox on with the controller, as well as my parents DVD player.
- Grandma & Grandpa Ringl got her a push-along toy and she uses it all over the house. It has done a great job at helping Sarah build confidence in her walking skills.
- Oh ya, and she is officially a walking pro! Started off with 4-5 steps and now she goes until she reaches her destination. She can even do 3-point turns in the middle and come back.
- When entering and exiting a room Sarah knows to turn the lights on and off.
- She has started pointing at everything and “talking” as if she’s telling us what she’s looking at. I’m hoping this is an indicator that she’ll be adding more words to her vocabulary soon. It’s fun telling her what the names of things are that she’s point to. Her favorite is the smoke alarms (I’m guessing because of the green light on all of them).
- We have reached the “when mom/dad eats, I want to eat that too” stage. Her most recent snacks include scrambled egg yokes, guacamole, cheerios, apples, yogurt, grape pieces, mozzarella cheese, orange slices, deviled eggs ‘filling’ (not the whites), and strawberries.
- While she is able to drink from a normal cup, sippy cups are better for everyone, especially if we want her clothes to stay dry.
- A quirky trait, Sarah hates organization. She empties all drawers, baskets, shelves, toy bins. She prefers a messy area. I have a feeling her future room-cleaning chore is gonna be a fun one…
- If she gets excited while walking she speeds up right before she reaches you and then ‘crash lands’ into a hug. Love it
- Cheerios are a great motivator to get your baby learning to walk. They also work for a quick cry-fixer!
- I don’t know about other babies, but Sarah HATES being strapped into things. She is cool with her carseat, stroller, booster seat, and swing UNTIL she discovers she is buckled in and can’t get out at will. It makes for some interesting car rides and meal times.
- She’s figured out how to slide down the couch to get off.
- OH, how did I forget this until now… Sarah is giving kisses!! One day while playing on the kitchen floor she came up to me and put her lips to my face. I got 5 kisses that day! She may be picky with when she’ll give them, but it’s the best feeling ever when she shows this newest form of affection towards us. The first time she did it felt like the first time she smiled. Best.Feeling.Ever.!
- Along with her clapping and high fives, she’s also learned to dance on command. How can everything babies do be so adorable?!
- Sarah has reached the point where she knows that when she poots the noise is coming from her. She likes to look at us and laugh, which is usually kinda funny, but on one recent episode she was pooting (and then looking at me to see if I heard her) while in the bath and it turns out one of those poots wasn’t just gas… yep, we had our first ‘poop in the bath’ episode. It definitely wasn’t funny. Well, maybe after the fact it is, but definitely not during!
- We are down to nursing only 3 times a day and having meals after each nursing. We have yet to find a food Sarah doesn’t enjoy munching on.
- She still only has 4 teeth. Front top middle and front bottom middle.
- While each month and at each stage I say ‘this is my favorite stage so far’, that fact continues to be true. Sarah is so playful and full of giggles and curiosity. I love that we are able to go out and she can interact, eat, and play.
- While I sooo enjoy Sarah going to bed at 6pm, I also look forward to when we can go to church on Sunday nights and Wednesday nights. We miss out on a lot of church activities and Stephen-time, but I’m definitely in no rush for her to grow up and out of this precious time I have with just her and I.
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That’s it, or at least all I can think of from the past month. I’m not sure if I’m going to continue these ‘What I’ve Learned’ posts. I’m sure I probably get more out of it than anyone. I also know that Sarah learns more each and every day! Right now I’m looking forward to more of her ‘firsts’ she’ll be experiencing. We got our firsts kisses. Next up: hugs, i love you’s, beach trips, learning to run, jump, and play hide-n-seek! Don’t worry, I’ll definitely share those experiences with you, accompanied with an overload of pictures
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seriously? how did we get so lucky?!!
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You Are My Sunshine: Sarah’s 1st Birthday Party
On Sunday we celebrated our little one’s very 1st Birthday Party. We kept it small and had family over to my parents house for some Sarah-loving, present opening, and light snacks with cupcakes. We had 19 people over, which I guess isn’t ‘small’, but considering that’s just family I’d say it was minimal. Sarah had a blast showing off her walking skills and being fed some of her favorite snacks. Oh, and of course Sarah had her very own smash cake!
To decorate the house for the event we went with a ‘You Are My Sunshine’ theme. The decorations were fun, easy, and turned out perfect. We DIY’ed almost all of it, which made it nice and cheap (which is always a win in my book!) I never could have pulled it off without my sister and mom’s help, so a shout out of thanks to both of them!
Alright, enough talk and on to the pictures!
~ The Birthday Girl ~
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~ Party Room ~
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~ Smash Cake ~
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~ Sarah was all Smiles ~
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~ Our Little Family ~
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~ Birthday Banner ~
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~ Birthday Cupcakes ~
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~ Snack Table ~
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Table Setup w/ Finger Foods
these are some of Sarah’s favorites: mozzarella cheese, oranges, strawberries, & deviled eggs
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Balloons were a BIG hit !!
~ A Birthday SURPRISE ~
Uncle Matt and Cousin Graycie snuck into town for the weekend!
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~ Photo Wall ~
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~ The Personalized High Chair ~
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~ Birthday Wall Photos ~
Grandma & Grandpa Ringl
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Grandma & Papa Wells
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Uncle Jason & Aunt Kelley
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Aunt Valerie and Uncle Kyle
(and the twins!!)
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Aunt Ri
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Great Grandma’s
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My mom’s twin, Aunt Mary
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Second Cousins, Paige & Kaley
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Sarah playing with the photo wall
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~ Cake Time ~
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~ Icing Fingers ~
Sharing Cake with Daddy
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~ Cake Face ~
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~ Present Time ~
Sarah loved the ribbons
Looking at her cards
Saying THANK YOU for her pool!!
Clapping when she finished with presents
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~ The End ~
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I can’t believe Sarah’s 1st birthday party has already come and passed! She had a fabulous time seeing everyone and getting tons of hugs and kisses.
Seeing that Sarah loves ALL food we weren’t surprised when she chowed down on her cake. Thankfully she didn’t smash it up too much so we could finish it off for her It was delicious!
One thing we didn’t expect was the sugar-high she had about an hour later. It was hilarious seeing her giggle more than she ever has before, she was snorting up a storm! Oh, and she definitely crashed fast at bedtime. I was glad to see the sugar worked its way out quickly!
I sure wish we could all get together like that more often! I guess we only have 365 days until the next one
Happy Birthday baby girl. Daddy and I love you so so much!
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51 Weeks, 1 To Go
People, I am fixing to have a 1 year old! TOMORROW to be exact.
I can’t believe how quickly the past year has flown by. Can you? After this post I’ll only have 1 more weekly photo update for you. I’m sure Sarah will be more than happy to have the flash out of her face every week.
Here we go. Week 51 of our little Sarah-Bear.
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If I did the math of how many weekly photo’s I’ve snapped it would be a scarily atrocious number. Thank about it…
51 weeks x 2,000,000 per week = atrociously large number (or more specifically: 102,000,000)!
1 week to go friends. Oh, and don’t worry, a birthday post will be up soon. Uploading, sorting, and choosing my favorites is crazy tough! Yep, they’re that cute
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