19 months old

snippets of lela memories from the past month or so...

• more of an independent player
• increase in comprehension and phrase making (little sentences)
• likes collecting stones, branches
• "NO NO" spasms for no reason
• eats fully on own... however we don't always let her since we don't want to clean it up 
• goes down the slide solo and can do steps solo
• spins in circles until toppling over
• explains where things "hurt" and then immediately says "all better" (thanks nana!) or requires a kiss on the spot
• adds -ing and -s to words
• shakes head "no" with a firm attitude 
• shrugs shoulders
• says "no problem", "don't worry"
• coming into her room to get her after a nap she says "here's big mama"
• walks around in our shoes
• flosses in her car seat with strings she finds and says "daddy" since brant always flosses with her... she was doing this two different times and laughing at herself
• practices running across the house or outside and huffs while she is doing it
• bites bread into the shape of letters and says "M" and then turns it over "W"... the following morning did the same thing, but for "A"
• says "love you"
• knows her colors
• says "uh oh spaghettios" but sounds like "uh oh ohios" (true wolverine!)
• at the easter egg hunt that we got her all psyched for (and then forgot her boots so she couldn't walk around anyway since it was ice cold and the grass was sopping wet) she got exactly one egg.  thank you to all the parents who let their kids pick up 100 easter eggs to add to their overflowing baskets...  now i know why there are fights at youth soccer games.

"knock knock, it's wolf, can i come in?"

whistle while you work

doing her best "toddlers and tiaras" impersonation

please leave my food outside the door

celebrating 18 months and 32 hot ones... to paris!

in celebration of my 32nd birthday and lela's 18 wild months of life, we headed to the city of lights... brant and i ran the half marathon and lela spent some time hanging out with her buddy, camden, who was also in for the weekend.  :)  despite no quality sleep (lela equates sleeping in a foreign crib to being dipped in hot acid) and lazy training, we did fine... and our bodies survived!  the french fry stands at the finish were the best!  we ate our piping hot plate of fries so fast, i'm surprised we didn't choke.  deliciousness.

we attempted a night on the town, but received yet another parental defeat when lela (after screaming for an extended amount of time) hopped out of her crib and came walking into the living room where we were all hanging out (waiting for her to go to sleep so we could got out to a nice dinner... our friend tommy's parents so graciously volunteered to watch the babes)!  it was crazy!!!  we heard her crying getting closer and all of a sudden she was standing in the living room, after having walked from her secluded crib area, down the hall to where we were... too bad.  we ended up going home, putting her to sleep (she fell asleep in my arms) and getting take-out sushi.  it ended up being a sweet night after all... but still a bummer we couldn't hit the town.  comes with the territory though.... :)

lela is now...

• responding when we ask her "how are you?" with a quiet "good" under her breath... then "happy" and tilts her head smiling
• tapping on doors and saying "knock knock" and "beep.  beep.  beep." when she closes them
• saying 2-3 word phrases, started with "hi mama"
• saying her name a lot, sounds like "weeeewa"
• saying "tractor" every time she hears one go by outside
• saying "outside", but sounds like "haji"
• coughing into her sleeve
• pointing to something (mostly her eye) and saying "eye hurt" and then requiring a kiss on it to make it better, then smiling  :)
• in the tub while putting her toys back in the bucket, i hear her quietly counting... "4, 5, 6... then 1, 2, 4, 8, 9"
• feeding everything else while she is eating to include her cup, a paper, her sleeve, and people that aren't even in the room... to include all her grandparents
• saying many adjectives in the correct contexts - heavy, tired, sleepy, big, tiny...
• saying "oopsie-daisy", but it sounds like "oh daisy"

18 month check-up:

weight: 25.9 lbs. (75th percentile)

length: 33.5 in. (94th percentile)

head circumference: 19 in. (87th percentile)

17 months, elmo, and her abc's

• we started making fun of how lela says "no" (she sounds like an old southern woman that smokes a couple packs a day)... "neeeeeeeeeeeooow" and now she says it all the time and busts out laughing 
• sleeping so well - 12 hours at night and one 2-3 hour nap starting at about noon
• 10 teeth to include two sets of molars...  being that lela was a fire-breathing dragon in her newborn months, we were SURE that she'd be a disaster when teething... but after the first two that came out in the states, we haven't even known when the others came in!  can't believe it.... like they say in parenting,  "you'll pay the piper at some point".  we paid early on and she is just a sweet doll now - strong mind (i will go into hibernation during her teen years) but pure sweetness now.
• says "oh boy" all the time and now when she sees a boy, she says it too... it's really funny because i'll point out a girl to her and she'll say "girl", but then i point out a boy and she'll think for a minute and then say, "ooooooooh booooooooy".  hilarious.
• thrives off of all interaction.  reading, cooking, sorting blocks, legos, sorting cups and tops, displaying her dolls, and most recently repeating her abc's.  she has a new magnetic board with abc magnets and LOVES reciting them.  
• asks to go running.  (starting to feel guilty when she asks and i don't feel like it... "no, we're just going to walk to the playground today".)
• and i never thought i'd have to say this, but she loves elmo.  can find his face anywhere and just loves listening to him talk.  
• loves scarves on her head and waist, hats, belts, and her shooooooooes.
• says "hhhhhhhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeee" in a high pitched voice like you'd say after reuniting with someone you haven't seen in ten years - she must have gotten it from brant and i, always excited to see her.
• brant got her saying please and thank you for things... which sounds more like "peeze" and "tank you".
• still obsessed with pirates.
• LOVES the moon and points it out day and night and can find it when you would least expect it - anywhere!!
• coloring, play dough, dancing, playing with other kids, swinging, animal hats and noises, pirate hats and noises, reading a lot, and laughing... an active age it is.  it is THE BEST EVER!