Little Miss E: 18 Month Update

Little E is actually 19 months old TODAY, but I'm going to make this post her 18 month update as I reflect on her life the last couple months.

First up...stats from her doctor's appointment. Still long & lean. Weight is 22 pounds and height is 32 1/2 inches. Next doctor appointment is right on her 2nd birthday.

She has 12 teeth and is currently working on more. She gets really excited to brush her teeth. She pitter-patters to the bathroom as fast as she can when we tell her it's time. The actual brushing part is harder though as she tends to fight it. I think when she finally has all her teeth it will become easier for everyone! Teething pain is no fun! I oftentimes wonder if we should have gotten an amber teething necklace for her, but I figure it's a little late now to start. She has her first dentist appointment scheduled for the day before her 2nd birthday.

Eating has been rough, to say the least. She seems to be getting pickier and pickier. She won't pick up a  vegetable for the life of her, so we're doing a lot of "green" smoothies and trying to find ways to sneak them in her little mouth. Meat is also a struggle. Everything else is ok for the most part. She loves fruit, carbs of any kind, dairy, and peanut butter. Current favorites are strawberries, bananas, applesauce, toast with peanut butter, any type of cracker, cottage cheese, shredded or sliced cheese, scrambled eggs, pancakes, and ice cream.

Sleep is still great! Still 12 hours at night and a couple hours for a nap right after lunch. She likes waving goodnight to the fish on her ceiling from her sound and light projector and saying goodnight to the birds on her mobile. She sleeps with a little "blankie"(aka burp cloth), a little bunny and elephant lovey (Arya's old ones!), a glow seahorse (I wouldn't waste your money on one), a blanket to cover up with, and a pacifier (still). We're starting to think about when to switch her to a big girl bed, but she seems to doing just fine in the crib, so we're in no big hurry.

She still LOVES reading. Little E will gather up every book she can find, say "sit, sit" (sometimes pronouncing it as a four letter bad word by sneaking an h in there), pat the couch or rocking chair with her hand a couple times, and then insist on reading. She is starting to get selective with her choices. Sometimes in the beginning of a book,  she'll say "no", slam the book shut, set it aside, and get another book. She is getting bored with her more recent favorites, rediscovering her old baby favorites, and finding new favorites. Today she loves Jamberry, The Foot Book, Hairy Maclary From Donaldson's Dairy, Curious George's Opposites, Blue Hat, Green Hat, and her new Gossie books. One month ago, her favorites were Red Truck, Hooray for Fish, Curious Kitties, Doggies, Cars Galore, and Oink Moo Meow. 

In the very rare instance she is not reading, she likes playing with her kitchen and food, working on puzzles (she is quickly getting better at them!), putting blocks or other small toys in and out of containers, waving around her play silks or playing hide and seek with them, running around with her walker toy, carrying her foam bath letters, and playing with her fridge DJ. I also found a cute baby doll at a garage sale for a quarter that she likes to hug and give kisses. There are many, many other toys that I would like to get for her, but I'm learning to use restraint (especially since 9 times out of 10 she goes for her books!). I am excited for her birthday and Christmas though to finally have a valid excuse to get her a couple new toys.

Erin is starting to say more and more words, but is still mostly quiet. No (no-wa), Yes (yis), Sit (s*it), oops (oos), and duck are the words we hear most often. She points to Brisco or Willie (Gma & Gpa Camp's dog) and says "no, no, no" (poor dogs!). She will say lots of animal sounds (cow, sheep, dog, cat, monkey, snake, wolf pup), will say "beep, beep" for a car, and will say "wee, wee, wee" for the last little piggy. She will also repeat many words upon request when reading.

Current favorite songs are "Row, Row, Row Your Boat", "Baa, Baa Black Sheep", "Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes", "Jesus Loves Me", and "Skinnamarinki Dinky Dink". She doesn't watch TV at home, so I'm not sure if she has any favorite shows (she does watch some TV at her babysitter's place).

Mostly, Erin is just a happy, lovable, adaptable little gal. She'll easily put a smile on anyone's face and everyone she meets comments how sweet she is (thankfully she's only thrown tantrums at home for now!). I feel so incredibly blessed to be her mama. I honestly didn't know I could love a little person so much!