18 Months

(This photoshoot was just NOT happening today - a few more outtakes below :)

Dear Annie,

Happy half birthday to you!!! As a near-Christmas baby myself, I have always been a BIG fan of my half birthday, so I plan to share that love with you :) As with your last 2 month birthdays, we spent the beginning of today up at the cabin, one of your favorite places, and ended tonight with your first ice cream cone! I'm pretty sure you only ingested about a spoonful of ice cream since you don't quite get how to actually take bites from the cone, but you enjoyed it, that's for sure! When I think back to you one year ago, a fat bald baby taking your very first bites of rice cereal, I am just astounded by how much you've changed in only a year! You are now just such a little girl, not a baby at all anymore. You have personality, and your facial expressions can entertain an entire room. You are CONSTANTLY in motion right now - always puttering about, chattering to yourself. Pretty much the only time you are relatively still is if there is food in front of you, or if you are sleeping.

You're pretty speedy on your feet now, and are quite steady. This month was when I felt like we could stop hovering over you all the time - you really have quite the grasp of your own abilities and are fairly safe. I am certain that there are many tumbles to come in your future, but right now I know that if you get up on something, you will get down safely. You are fine by yourself on the stairs going up and down, and I love how you always know to go down "on your belly" from anywhere. You try to climb a lot of things, but are too short to get much of anywhere just yet - you can get on some chairs, but not all, and if you can't, you stop and look at us and say "up?" (which still sounds like "pup?") Most of the time, you love playing by yourself and don't need or want much interaction with us, but you do like when we are close and watching you, just in case! One of your favorite things to do lately is walk around the house throwing a tennis ball. You're actually getting pretty good at it! You're even better about playing independently when you are with anyone BUT us - we frequently hear reports from your grandparents and Sue, your daycare lady, about how well you play by yourself and what a great kid you are. You DEFINITELY reserve all your cranky moments JUST for us - thanks, Annie :)

Oh, and tantrums there are - you do get very frustrated when things aren't working exactly as you want - for example, one of your biggest frustrations is if a lid won't fit exactly right on a container. You also get quite angry if you are hungry and food isn't delivered to your face IMMEDIATELY! Your increased communication skills have certainly helped with decreasing tantrums, as you now can ask for things, but they are still there. You also are getting possessive, and tell me when you think things are "mine" (however, much of the time they are not - such as your Grandpa's watch... no matter how much you WANT it to be yours!). You've also started to be pretty forceful some of the time, but so far haven't intentionally hit anyone... I'm guessing it will be a matter of days before that comes though.

Your communication skills continue to get better and better - you have learned a number of new words, and I still find it just adorable that you correctly and without prompting will say please and thank you! New words that I've heard in the past few weeks are "chalk" (olk), "clock" (said without the L - ha :), purple, Grandma (mama), milk (very useful!), and FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!! MOMMY! Even said correctly and in context! It is THE GREATEST thing to walk into a room and have you look at me and say "Mommy!!" I love it. You aren't really stringing words together often just yet, but sometimes you will say "Hi Daddy" or "Water please" so I think you're getting close. You can follow simple directions very well, so it's clear that you are figuring out more and more about how the world works, and what things are for. You can identify most body parts and are getting better with a few more animal sounds too!

One really annoying development of the past month is that you really are starting to become a pickier eater, despite all of our best efforts. You have always had your favorites, and still do always seem willing to try things, but you definitely are NOT a fan of plain vegetables. We still can get them in you in most meals, but pretty regularly you decide you are not a fan of what we're having for dinner and just don't eat more than a few bites. Luckily for everyone, there is plenty of time in your life to develop a taste for barley risotto with beets :) When you like what's in front of you, you LOVE eating still. Your favorites are smoothies, where you scream with glee as soon as you hear the blender, and then start crying because the smoothie isn't there immediately (it seems a running theme here is that you need to learn some patience with food :), any form of carbs, most fruits (especially berries), meat, spaghetti or lasagna, and most Mexican type foods. We've recently discovered that you also apparently love sandwiches, but haven't quite figured out how to eat them on your own unless it's peanut butter and jelly. Oh, and predictably you love all forms of dessert, obviously! We've definitely eased up about only feeding you healthy all the time, and you love the treats when you get them.

Despite your love of food, you are still a bitty little peanut. While I think you look perfectly proportional, I'm guessing that when we go in for your 18 month appointment tomorrow, you won't have gained much of anything since 15 months and still will be tipping the scales at about 21 pounds, which is what some of your 6 month old baby-friends weigh right now :) You ARE eating, but you move literally constantly, and likely have inherited a great metabolism from your parents, which you will surely appreciate as a teenager and adult. I'll be interested to hear what the doctor has to say about your small size - it SEEMS as though you are just fine to me, so hopefully that is the case. You still fit just fine into 12 month clothes, although they are finally a bit short. You are wearing 12-18 month clothes and some fits great, but others are falling off you. We'll just have to keep working on fattening you up - ice cream every day!! :)

You are SUCH a joy in our lives, Annie - we just sit around watching you and smile every single day. I feel like the luckiest person in the world because I get to be your mommy.

Love you always,

Mom

Asking to get "down? down? down?"

Show me your teeth! Clearly didn't work as I'd hoped

Annie's first ice cream cone!!! (From Izzy's, of course)

Major props to Nate for delivering these photos to me in about an hour :)

Right before it fell :)

The dress had to come off after this experience!