18 whole months with this little lady?! Can you believe it??! In some ways it feels like life before Kennedy was an entire decade ago. In other ways, it feels like we are still getting used to this life, this beautiful life as mama and dada. And Lala (as she calls our sweet puppy, Callie).
Life at 18 months is pretty swell. Lots of smiles, lots of curls, more words every week. Personality extreme.
We're still finding our happy balance in this dance of life, but more on that later. For now, here is what she's doing, saying, and working on. I realize this is a long list, but I had to keep a mental note since so much has happened in the last 6 months, and this is really more for me to keep track of the little things. It's the little things, people.
Life at 18 months is pretty swell. Lots of smiles, lots of curls, more words every week. Personality extreme.
We're still finding our happy balance in this dance of life, but more on that later. For now, here is what she's doing, saying, and working on. I realize this is a long list, but I had to keep a mental note since so much has happened in the last 6 months, and this is really more for me to keep track of the little things. It's the little things, people.
- She signs "more" and "all done" regularly, and nods and shakes her head to communicate. She also made up this finger pointing sign and I swear she's communicating something to me, but I don't know what it is! She points repeatedly straight up in the air, then looks at me like I'm supposed to get it. It's funny. And we both laugh.
- She clears her throat back and forth with us and thinks it's hilarious!
- She takes her taggie (blankie) and rests it on my shoulders to soothe me. She does the same with her stuffed giraffe and sometimes her teddy bear.
- She likes poking our eyes, nose, ears, and sometimes will plug both her ears and puff her cheeks out like a monkey! Again, a total ham.
- One of our favorite games is "Eyes, Nose, Mouth, Kiss!" It's quite simple. I point to her eyes, nose, mouth, and then give her a big kiss on her face. And she just loves it! She blinks in anticipation. And she'll do it back to me (but still waits for me to kiss her after pointing to my mouth).
- She shrugs her shoulders and holds her palms up asking, "Where is it?" or to signal, "I don't know!"
- She loves running in place, on the steps, at the playground, at the top of her slide.
- She loves to dance to Raffi. Wiggling her body or if it's a slow song, twirling in a circle.
- She loves to be tickled. This is something I can't get over - I HATED being tickled growing up! I'm still scarred from all the tickle tortures! She loves especially when we tickle her on the back side of her calves. She'll try to do it to herself after we change her diaper, which is hilarious. "Tickle Time" by Sandra Boynton is a favorite.
- When I leave for work, she goes to the window on the couch and waves bye-bye. Almost every day, which makes going to work soooo much easier (and hard at the same time).
- Up was one of her first words, extending her arms for us to hold her. She used to whisper it repeatedly: "up up up up..." now it's more commanding, and sounds more like "Op! Op! Op!" Everything is more commanding with a toddler.
- She rests in a ball on the changing table, like in child's pose in yoga. No wonder they call it child's pose!
- Speaking of yoga, this girl is a seasoned pro! If we ask her to do yoga, she'll get into downward dog almost on command. Then she'll do a couple other random moves, sometimes child's pose or happy baby.
- She loves to go to the fridge and look for her own food. Her favorite requests are cheese "eeze", apples, "app", or bread "b b b".
- She also asks for water on the outside of the fridge (the dispenser). And every time she needs water, she asks for ICE. Ice was one of her first really clear, random words. Every time we have water, we need ice!
- She's great at knowing things are hot. She points at the oven, candles, the hot tub, fire, and says "hothothot"
- She's finnicky about what she wears. Not because of what it looks like, because it has to be comfy. Any sort of frilly dress or lacy top lasts about 2 seconds - and she throws a fit. T-shirt and leggings? Absolutely.
- She likes to pretend to sleep in her crib, and she asks for me to join her. So yes - we lay and play in the crib together. She points next to her and says "mama mama" so of course I get in!
- When we're going down the stairs, she instructs me to hold her hand and also to hold the railing. I can't just hold her hand, she stops and points at the railing, waiting for me to hold it.
- She's so careful with her baby, loving on her, cradling her, rocking her, kissing her, and patting her back.
- One of her favorite things to do with her daddy is play the chase game around the house. Whenever he makes a sudden movement she runs the other way and squeals with delight! So much fun being chased, and a big belly laugh being caught!
- She likes to take small objects (a crayon, a grape) and test us by putting it in her eye, her ear, her other ear, her nose - just looking at us and waiting for our reaction. Such a ham.
- This might be my favorite. She asks for water by making a water gulping sound. Almost every time! It's this deep sound of gulping water. I can't even replicate it. And we ask, "Would you like water?" Every time - yes.
This is truly a special age and I know those were a lot of little memories, but these are the things I'll want to look back on and tell her about, to close my eyes and remember when she's zipping around town as a teenager and I just hope for a few minutes a day. For now, we'll hold on to every moment. <3 div="">
