18 Months Old

Dear Louie,

  You are now 18 months old.  The changes you have made over the past 6 months are incredible.  You are no longer my baby, but now a toddler.  I wouldn't have thought it possible, being as you've been absolutely stunning since birth, but you seem to get more and more beautiful every day.

   At your wellness check you weighed 25 lbs (60-70%) and were 33 inches tall (above 90%).  You also had to get two shots, but they didn't seem to bother you much afterwards.  You hate the going to the doctors and don't like anyone there to come anywhere near you.  Dr. Woodward (your pediatrician) says it's just stranger anxiety.  I know better.  You're an incredible smart girl and you know that's the place where you get shots. 

    Like I mentioned, you're incredibly smart.  You still don't really talk, except for the occasional full sentence.  I've heard you say "no I didn't",  "that's okay" and "I can do it".  You mumble Mama and Daddy and sometimes brother and Issac.  But for the most part you just grunt and sing.  But you understand everything we tell you.  The other day I asked you to go get me a diaper so we could change your bum.  You left the room and came back a few minutes later with a diaper and the wipes. 
   You love to sing and one of your favorites right now is Itsy Bitsy.  You can do the hand motions, but your favorite is when Daddy sings it really fast and you just dance and go crazy.  It's very cute.  You also love to play "eyes, ears, nose, and mouth".  You will sit on my lap and actually hold still to play that game.  Which is rare.  You do not like to hold still.  You are definitely a mover and shaker.  You've become very good at giving loves and squeezes and kisses.  You also love to stick your tongue out (which goes down past your chin!) and make squishy face.  Your brothers love to get you to make squishy face and you love to do it and hear them laugh.  You already love to make people laugh and are learning that you're quit the entertainer.

   You're still great with trying new things to eat.  You usually will eat anything I give you, but some favorites right now are: frosted mini-wheats, olives, black beans, meat/chicken, fruit snacks, and mac-n-cheese.  You also started liking green salad with ranch.  You seem to go through phases of how much you eat.  You'll go a few days without eating much and then will have 3-4 days of literally eating more than anyone else in a single sitting.

    Now that it's warm outside, you want to be outdoors all the time!  You love it outside.  You finally like the sandbox and would play in the backyard with your brothers all day if I would let you.  You love the trampoline and your little swimming pool.  You're totally a water girl.  You love anything to do with it from the tub to the sprinkler to a swimming pool.  Thankfully you have my skin tone and tan really easy and don't burn :)  You are also a girly girl.  You love doing my hair, painting nails, "pretties", dollies, and watching me get ready for the day.





   You've become very independent and stubborn.  You know how to throw a fit and do when you don't get exactly what you want, when you want it.  That doesn't happen often, especially with Daddy or Grandpa around.  You are still the princess of the family and have no problem batting those big brown eyes to get any and every thing.  You are a climber!  Holy cow, you are my little monkey.  Your latest defeat is climbing up on the dinning room table and dancing on it.  You haven't figure out how to get in or out of your crib yet, but I'm sure that will happen this summer.

   You are still a Mommy's girl and I love it.  We are besties and I hope that we can figure out a way to continue being that, while also including your new sister.  It's going to be a tough balance for me and I pray that I don't mess it/you/your sister up too badly :)  I love you my Lou and am so blessed to be your Mommy!