Eighteen Months

Sugarcube, 

Today marks your eighteenth month of life and wowza, you're just so full of energy and sweet spunk these days! Each week you grow a little bit more in personality and skill, to where I often feel an extra breath is needed to keep up with how fast you're changing! 

You love being in the outdoors, exploring things like bugs, sticks, grass, trees and birds to name a few. Your favorite time of the day is when Daddy comes home and we load you into the stroller or your red wagon, taking the puppy's for their daily walk. You also love that we eat our fill of wild blackberries on these walks! Like most babies, you enjoy playing chase, tormenting the animals who are very good natured about it, dancing to all types of music, watching your favorite baby shows and walking (or running) through the house trying every phrase, voice range or giggle you can muster. It's very entertaining! One of my favorite things you do, is searching the house for flies and squashing them. I love it! We go around the house, in a sing song voice, saying "heeeeeeeere fly'ie-fly'ie-fly. We want to KILLLLLL YOU!" Once we find one, you'll yell out KILL IT (gee it) and then we do. Maybe a bit morbid but eh ;) It keeps you entertained and it's actually productive! Unlike all the messes you like to make, just as mommy finishes cleaning them up...

You talk sooooo much now baby girl. I couldn't even begin to count how many words you know. Some of your favorites are: drink (ink), kitty cat (kee ca), dada, mama, lights (ights), owl, cheese (eese), outside (ah si), hot, hi, bye bye, apple and cookie (kee). You also know phrases and commands like where is, what's that, say____, time for, wipe your ____ and lets go. You love to make animal sounds too. Some of your best ones are a snake hissing, elephant trumpeting, coyote howling, a kitty cat meowing, horse neighing, dog barking and dove cooing. And that's only just a few! As you can tell, mama is very proud of how well you talk and how intelligent you are! 

You have so many facial expressions too. You're a true ham! You've keyed into the fact that you can make mommy and daddy laugh, so you love to get our reactions on the daily. Sometimes that can be bad thing, ha! We certainly shouldn't find your little baby fluffs so adorable, but we do! And you noticed. So now you constantly go around trying to make yourself toot, and immediately look at us with the cutest, most innocent grin when you succeed. THAT is really hard not to laugh at!!! Oh my. What are we going to do with you baby girl...We just love you so much! 

You've certainly made friends with daddy again, since his return, which makes me sooooo happy. It took some time but we've really noticed the past 2 weeks a shift in who you think is the coolest. And it definitely isn't momma! I don't mind one bit. I love watching daddy get "most" of your sweet hugs and slobbery kisses where he missed out on so many during the deployment. You love sitting on daddy's lap while watching him kill space ships on the computer, getting so excited when one crashes and burns, haha! You both also enjoy making shadows on the wall with a flash light, wrestling on the floor and of course, playing chase! Playtime with daddy is just the best...Currently, some of your favorite toys are dinosaurs, little cars and trucks, your stuffed dog that rattles, the dogs leads because they chase you around the house thinking we're going for a walk, your musical piano and your peek-a-boo barn book on mommy's iPhone. You climb everything to chairs, beds, the kitchen table, toilets, couches and the coffee table. This makes me so nervous! I know one day I won't be able to catch you when you fall,  but keeping you off items is just impossible... 

Sleepy sleepy time (bedtime) is probably the sweetest moment of our day; a time mommy really looks forward to and not just because it means I'll have time to sit down... I've worked hard to establish a routine you can count on, knowing what's coming, so going to bed is NOT a battle of fit ands tears. We go upstairs with your blankie (nigh nigh) in hand, a bottle of warm milk, turn on your soft lullabies, the overhead fan, sit in the softest glider ever and just cuddle! You usually drink your milk, then we spend a few minutes, you cradled in my arms, where we explore each others faces and mommy does silly things like making bug eyes ( you die laughing) and trying to catch the baby's tongue. I love it! It really ends my day right where I leave your room smiling and feeling all warm, fuzzy and connected to my baby. Never stop being so fun and sweet Sugarcube. It's one of the best things about you! I hope this routine of our's lasts for sometime...   

Oh my, you are just so fun! Looking at this photo makes me smile so hard. You love to eat dirt baby girl, but apparently not today :) However, things you do love to eat are hummus, green peas, green peppers, chicken nuggets, mac'n'cheese, anything labeled a fruit including tomatoes, spaghetti, quinoa, cheese, anything bread like, eggs, pancakes, mini homemade pizzas, graham crackers, otter-pops and raisins. We try and explore new food combinations 1-2 times a week, which keeps mommy motivated to cook yummy dinners. This, daddy also loves and thinks is for him, but it's really for you baby girl ;) It's important to me that we keep you growing, eating healthy and expanding your love of good food choices... But shhhhhh...don't tell Daddy... it'll be our little secret!    

Your last well check up, done at 16 months, you weighed 22 lbs (putting you in the 28th percentile) and stood 32 inches tall ( putting you in the 70th percentile.) You are right on track for development skills and even ahead on some things, like eating with a spoon, drinking from a cup and all the words and phrases you say. Over the last 2 months, you've really perfected spoon eating and drinking from a cup, although you still take a sippy mostly and do a lot of finger food still. You've had seven teeth explode through in less than a month, where you now have 12 teeth! I felt so sorry for you baby girl, although you handled it like a champ, giving mommy yet another reason to brag on her baby :)  Right now we're working on identifying colors, shapes and body parts, counting to three and sorting. You love to learn and are so focused on the task at hand. Very much like both your parents!  

Daddy and I've been doing a lot of "future" talk... Touching on things like, who you'll be when you grow up. What things will you remember and like about us as parents. And what things will you throw out when you have children of your own. Its conversations like these that really make me appreciate you're still just our small, little baby, writing about your eighteenth month instead of your eighteenth YEAR! I really want to freeze frame this time with you, especially now... This age is such a fun period, as you develop your love of laughter, having fun and exploring the world around you. Never forget that Daddy and I love you deeply Sugarcube; more than we knew a heart could love! Thank you for being ours and thank you for being you; a fun, loving, sweet, impish, determined, intelligent, cuddly, absolutely beautiful baby!