18 Months

18 Months

Stats:

Height: 34''/99th percentile

Weight: 27.4 lbs/84th percentile

Clothing: 2T

Shoes: 6

Diapers: Size 5

At 18 months Grace's personality has exploded. She is still our sweet, sensitive girl, but her silly, spunky side has made quite the appearance as of late. She has also become a chatterbox...no idea who she gets that from. ;)

Grace has gotten MUCH better at pronouncing many words and while she still has a long ways to go, I feel like she is picking things up very quickly. It seems like every day there is a new word added to her vocab. Some recents include: Hippo, BOO!, Nana, Waffle, Bubble(s), Diaper, Banana, Cheese, Puppies/Doggies, Bath, Blankie, Bear, Monkey (Ahh, Ahh!), Bird, Tweet Tweet, Meow, Woof, and so many more I'm forgetting.

When D or I walk into the room she exclaims "Dada!" or "Mama!" or if D is not home she'll ask where he is. She hasn't started piecing words together, but I feel like it won't be long.

She loves the outdoors and we spend almost every weekend at the park or going to Riverwalk at least once. Grace has become less shy on the play ground and occasionally is a complete daredevil...running full speed ahead or trying to climb onto things that are just meant for older kids. Gives me a heart attack at least once a week as well. Between the playground and her new love for climbing on furniture and standing up or jumping off onto pillows, I'm sure I'll have gray hairs in the near future. (Thank God for highlights.) 



Grace is still completely obsessed with our dogs and loves on them like it is her job. She also enjoys going to the dog park just as much as Molly and Maj do, if not more, and tries to make friends with other pups as well. It is not out of the ordinary for her to go up to a random dog and gently hug it, pressing her little face against it in the process. 

Momma's girl. :)

I have definitely noticed an independence in Grace the past couple of months. Where before we always had to be within an arms reach, she now is content to play in the living room while I am in the kitchen (in view) making dinner or sitting at the table. She is still completely in love with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and will sit on the couch watching an episode in the morning while I make breakfast and start my workday or in the evenings to wind down. We actually need to cut down on Mickey TV time...it can get a little out of hand.

Notice the bottle in the picture above? We still are using them, but not for long. Since our marathon weekends of hosting have come to an end, we are going to get rid of the bottles cold turkey this coming weekend. Didn't want to put our guests through what I'm sure will be a rough few days. I decided, just like the sleep training, we need to bite the bullet and just go for it. After a couple of  days, I'm hoping we have the same reaction...as in, "Why did we wait so long to do this?!" Grace uses sippy cups just fine, she simply prefers the bottle and sees it as comforting.



Genius with baby laptop...obviously.

Speaking of comfort, she also still loves her blankie. The poor thing is getting so ratty and we have to sneak it into the laundry.

This month she has also really started to enjoy stuffed animals...carrying them around, wanting to bring them along when we go places, pushing them in her play stroller, and even sharing snacks. Such a girlie girl.



Grace used the potty for the first time this month and continues to do so randomly. We haven't started pushing potty training, but are just taking it slow and seeing where things go. It seems a little silly to expect her to be diaperless when she can't even pull on and off her shorts by herself yet. We'll get there.

"Family hugs" have been a big hit in the past couple of weeks. Grace loves being sandwiched between D and I and will have an arm around each of us, squeezing us tight. If I yell, "Family hug!", she comes running with a big old grin, ready to play.

This month, like every month before it, we find ourselves exclaiming, "This has been the most fun month yet!" Grace continues to bring D and I so much joy and we both look forward to what the future with our sweet girl will hold. :)

xo,

H