Just Around the South Bend: 18 Months Old

I have been wanting to write this post for several days now, but I am constantly amazed how little time I have that my hands are free. When Elliott is napping or goes to bed at night (my "free" time), I'm typically feeding or holding Mason. I'm definitely not complaining and wouldn't have it any other way, but it definitely limits my posting. Part of the reason I want to post these updates is I don't want to forget. There are so many moments I want to take a mental snapshot so I can remember the cute things Elliott is doing, so this is my snapshot (since I forget so quickly).

I have decided I have a love/hate relationship with this age. I absolutely love to see how much she is learning, to see her little personality develop, to see her inquisitive nature, to hear her speak more and more words. So much fun! And yet she is at the age where she can go from laughing to a full blown fit in about 1 second. We actually had a moment like that today...in public. Love it. The whining also wears me out. Without further ado, here is what she has been up to this past month.

She is wearing 2T clothes and has recently been able to fit into several 3T things. She is only 18 months, so yes, she is a big girl. It is really hard for me to buy things for the future because I'm not really sure what size she'll be wearing.
She is wearing size 6 diapers. We've been trying to plant the "going in the potty" bug in her ear recently by purchasing her very own green potty. No such luck yet, but she is really loving her potty book that is also slightly annoying.
She is still a pretty good eater but definitely is way more picky than she used to be. She eats very few veggies (although I still offer them), and has limited her fruit selection. I'm thankful she still loves grapes, bananas, and recently prunes. Her favorite things to eat are still all bread products. We give her fruit/veggies, then her protein, then her carb. If she even knows a bread product is coming (like pancakes), she won't eat her protein (like eggs). She's getting too smart for her own good. :)
She still loves to read, but she recently likes to "read" on her own. She spends quite a bit of time looking at books. So cute. It's funny to me the books she wants to read over and over, like Where's Wooly and Whoever You Are. She has really liked paper books lately and is not tearing the pages now.

Mmm...delicious.

She wants to climb on EVERYTHING these days. I think she is a little bit of an adrenaline junky because she wants to stand as close to the edge as possible on anything she is standing on. Not so good for my cautious spirit. Makes me a little nervous for what the future holds.
She LOVES to be outside, in the heat or cold, and she loves the snow. She is constantly pointing to the closet where her snowsuit is wanting to go outside, even if there is no snow on the ground.
She loves to be chased, especially if she thinks Truman is chasing her. She will laugh and run in circles through the dining room, kitchen and living room. Yesterday she was trying to climb on his back, unfortunately Truman was not cooperating with her plans.
She loves music and is either singing or wanting the music on. Her favorite songs are The Wheels on the Bus, 5 Little Monkeys, and the Itsy Bitsy Spider. She loves to "jump" when we do the 5 little monkeys but she can't quite get off the ground. So stinkin' cute.

Having tea with Mimi and Papa

She still is not a big fan of dolls or stuffed animals. She likes to color (which mainly consists of her putting stickers all over her coloring page), play in her kitchen, dump her toys out, climb/jump on things and read books.
She still is our little introvert and rarely talks to strangers...sometimes she won't even make eye contact with them, which always makes me laugh. She will however tell them "bye bye" when they have either turned around or are too far off to see her wave.
She LOVES to watch all kids (especially ones with hats...good thing we live in a cold climate), cats, dogs, squirrels, and birds. We watch for squirrels and birds frequently.
She has a new obsession with lady bugs because we have found 4 in our house. She talks about them often.
She has started talking much more, and although she still is not the most verbal child, she will now try to mimic what we tell her. She does NOT perform though so no one ever sees it. :)
She also communicates in her very own sign language. Head side to side=turn on the music. Motioning to her lips=I want chapstick. Putting something in her ear=I want to listen to music with headphones. Acting like she is drawing=I want to color. Deliberately swallowing=I want a drink. The funny thing is when she does her "signs," she also says, "Yeah, yeah, yeah" over and over. I feel like she is telling me, "Yeah, you know what I want."
She is now a big fan of watching shows. She asks for "Blues" often (Blue's Clues) and likes anything with singing.