First steps, giggles and fits

It's official. I have a full blown toddler now. What an adventure! I can't even explain the joy I feel in my heart when I see her get up and toddle around. We have spent the past month in Australia, Dubai, Turkey and Germany. It has been such a blast bringing Keturah to these countries and introducing her to new cultures, new food and new friends. With as much time we have spent out of the country during her life, it was so fun that she took her first steps in Turkey. She is 14 months old and has been standing on her own for 2 months. I was starting to think that she would never start walking...it's almost as if she was waiting to be in Turkey because she took her first 2 steps at the Istanbul airport during a layover. Then, just a few days later she was walking across an entire room... and once she figured that out...she was off.
With such pride;). (literally cheering herself on by chanting "Turah Turah Turah")
I have a walking toddler. Bye bye baby, hello miss independent. With this independence, came a new facet of her little personality. Now she can dance standing up, which she has wanted to do for a long time now;) She also has the ability to disobey on an entirely different level. Quite a challenging stage..although most of the time her tantrums or disobedience is hilarious and I have to look away to laugh until I cry...and then discipline. Her new routine is: She looks at me while touching somthing she shouldn't, I discipline, and she has a tantrum... then In about 5 mins she is walking around giggling and toddling over to hug my legs. It's the sweet giggles and hugs that fills me with grace to handle the fits. Although I'm still trying to figure out how to handle those outbursts of dramatic emotion. I've heard consistency is the key. Workin on that;) I have a new respect for mothers. Especially for mothers who have sweet, well behaved children.
Another new facet of Turah is: she is a sponge. This can be good and bad. She is so aware of everything going on and picks up on pretty much everything and anything a child does. I am faced with this in an intense way because I am constantly with people. She is constantly watching, and I am amazed at how fast she picks things up. Sometimes I pray she forgets some things as fast as she learned them;)
My little adventure is the best thing to happen to me and I love learning about her and how to love and raise her...now I need to go catch up with her! Bye for now...