LETTERS TO LIA | 17 AND 18 MONTHS

Oh my, baby girl. How you've grown in the past two months is crazy. There is no doubt about it - you are really officially a toddler.

In the past two months you've:
Gotten your 1st haircut.
Learned some new words.
Learned to rip your glasses off your face!
Started playing with dolls and using your imagination more.
Played in the ocean.
Become way too attached to your bobo (what we call her paci).
Visited 2 new states.
Perfected your tantrums.
And, been loads of fun!
I don't know your stats - I have to schedule your 18 month checkup. I do know your appetite has really changed and you don't eat nearly as much (meal-wise, snack-wise you are still a big snack eater!) so I would guess your weight hasn't changed too much. Height-wise you look like you grow every day!

You are in a size 4 diaper and wear mostly 18-24 month clothing. Depending on how they are made, some 12-18 months still fit you. You are working your way into size 5 shoes. Your have so much hair you sport pigtails most days! You've got between 13-15 teeth, you really don't like me messing with them. But you do love brushing your teeth!

Your favorite foods include cheese, freeze-dried fruits, apples, mandarin oranges, yogurt, applesauce, pasta, peas, ketchup (you seem to think this is food vs a dip), Gerber lil crunchies, cookies, fruit, french fries, macaroni & cheese. However, I can usually get you to eat eggs, pancakes, chicken nuggets (only from chickfila!) and bread and bites of other normal meals we have. Sometimes. You still refuse to drink milk.

You love to talk  but I have to say, I still can't understand most of what you say. You can point to things and make motions and get your point across, but it does worry me some that you don't speak super clear. I do need to work more on that with you.

So far you can say:
Mommy (very well and you are usually screaming at me).
Ma (which you use to get grandma, aunt shell's & aunt Ashley's attention)
Papi and Dada
Bird
Dog
Hi
Dance
Step
Ball
It's mine
Ouch
Trash
Tickle
Gabba Gabba
Go
Stop
Toby
Shoe
Sit
Three
Tres (3 in Spanish)
Duck

You are doing very good understanding English and Spanish!

You are starting to understand and LOVE games. Peek-a-boo is your favorite. You also love twirling around while mommy sings "ring around the rosie" to you. And, it makes you have a complete giggle fest to crawl all over your daddy and cousins and try to push/roll them over.

You can point to your bellybutton (and everyone else's!). You can also point to your nose. We are working on other body parts!

I have a feeling you may be slightly obsessed with cleaning/organization when you get older. You always find wipes or tissues and you "clean" tables and chairs and yourself! You also pick up trash when you see it and take it to the trashcan. You'll bring mommy or daddy things that don't belong where they are. And, usually, you'll clean up after yourself making sure everything is right.

Today we spent 5 1/2 hours in a Honda dealership trying to buy a car. You did awesome, by the way, and mommy & daddy are soooo thankful for that! We let you play in the toy room for a while and when we were ready to leave for a lunch break we asked you to clean up. You picked up all the toys, organizing them between two toy boxes. As we were walking out, you noticed you had left toys in the play mailbox. You pulled those toys out, put them away and we tryed leaving again. As we were walking out the door you did a double take and noticed you left the toy box open. You turned around and closed it, looked around the room again and then you let us leave. You are one smart and determined cookie!

Your tantrums are something else these days. If you don't get your way or get told "no", your face crumples up like your world is ending, you crouch down then throw yourself into the floor. You cry pretty hard for a minute or two then you stand up to see if you can get your way yet. You also seem to think that if you give us a kiss, we will give you whatever you want/are asking for. Sometimes we do. Because it's too cute to resist!

You are a messy outdoor girl all the way. You love playing with balls. We still can't get through a trip to Target without stopping and playing with all the balls. You like to go outside and ride in your wagon or cozy coupe car. You love playing with sand toys at the beach and chalk on the sidewalk. You can stay outside all day long if we let you.

You are still obsessed with Yo Gabba Gabba. You dance and sing along with all your heart. It's truly adorable.

You love animals, Little People, your new kitchen set and play food, your new grocery cart (it's super cute seeing you push your baby around and "shop"). Lately, you've learned how to unzip mommy's makeup bag and pretend to put make-up on.

You've been sleeping from 8-9 pm until 6-8 am and taking one nap, unless we're driving in the car and you typically sleep then too.

You are so insanely smart and pick up on everything going on around you. I still look at you in awe and amazement sometimes. You are growing so fast but I am loving all the new things you do!

Happy 17 & 18 months, L-bug. I love you!

XOXO,
mommy