18 Months ~Amelia~

I am a couple days late again this month but I wanted to wait until after Amelia’s 18 month check up.  I myself am blown away at the fact that our baby girl is a year and a half already.  It makes me sad because she is definitely no longer a baby but excited to see her grow up, become more independent, and enjoy playing with Grant more and more. 

Growth:

Weight:  23 lbs 11 oz (40th percentile)
Height:  32.5" (80th percentile)
Head Circumference: 47 cm (75th percentile)

She is mainly in 18 month items and mixing in a 24 month or 2T item but most of those are still a little big on her.  Diapers are size 4 and shoes are size 5. 

Mobility/Coordination:  It’s nearly impossible to contain Amelia these days.  She can climb onto our counter height stools and has learned to use the face of our cabinet doors for an extra boost to reach stuff on the counter tops (Not cool!).  She loves using the handle of the recliner as a step and climbing over the arm.  She has also learned how to take her shirt off which can make for quite the topic of conversation.   I think Amelia has been trying to climb out of her crib as well.  On two occasions, we have had to go rescue her because her knee was caught in the slats of the crib. 

Amelia’s fine motor is coming along nicely.  She is getting better at shape sorter toys, stacking, and beginning to work with puzzles.  She can eat pretty well with a spoon/fork at this point and drinks pretty well from a regular cup.

Language/Communication:  New words this month… eye, up, down, bite, cat, snack=“nack” (every meal is referred to a “nack”).  She puts her hand up and says "dop"=stop.  One afternoon she motioned me to come here.  When I hesitated, she walked up to me, grabbed my hand and led me to the bathroom so I could close the toilet seat.  As you can see, Amelia’s language, communication, and comprehension has grown exponentially in the last couple months. 

Amelia has followed Grant’s lead in making noises for toys such as trucks/trains and loves humming along to songs.  Her favorite lately is Itsy Bitsy Spider and she tries to climb the spider with her fingers and follow along with the motions.   

Personality/Amelia-isms:  It has been another month of Amelia finding herself and her personality.  She still loves squealing and screaming usually when she’s mocking Grant or not getting her way.  However, when she is acting sassy she will turn right back around and give you kisses (including to the dogs), hugs, and pat/rub your back.  In the next moment, she goes right for your hair and gives it a yank! 

Sleep:  Amelia is still occasionally sneaking in that morning nap but for the most part there have been very few changes on the sleep front.  Bed time is still about 6:30 or 7:00 and she sleeps through the night without waking. 

Eating:  Amelia still eats like a bird on occasion, pecking here and there and taking little nibbles.  However, last week the kids had spaghetti at a restaurant and she absolutely loved it.  She doesn’t eat my spaghetti like that!  She still loves her carbs and isn’t really a fan of meat. 

Teeth:  Amelia popped two new teeth this month, both the upper left and right incisors.    

Illnesses/Owies:  While we were in Chicago, Amelia was running a low grade fever but otherwise seemed completely ok.  When we returned, we heard that hand, foot and mouth was going around daycare again and sure enough Amelia had 2 solitary blisters that popped up on her thumb. 

Brother/Sister Moment(s):  Grant and Amelia play together daily and for the most part play well together.  The other day Grant came running in the kitchen and said, “Mommy, can Amelia come play with me?”  Off they ran to the toy room to build a “ghost trap.”  (The same “ghost trap” they gave up on building because Grant said he “has an oil that will kill them.”)

Firsts/Adventures:  This month Amelia had her first dentist appointment which was nothing more than an initial knee to knee exam with the dentist.  She wasn’t too happy about him putting his fingers in her mouth.

Trick or Treat!  This was the first year Amelia participated in trick or treating.  She rode in the wagon with Grant and when we got to each house she was trying to climb out of the wagon to get to the front door.  She absolutely loved it! 

Likes:  Playing with the squishy Halloween window decorations ~ singing ~ dancing ~ giving hugs and kisses ~ climbing on Monty ~ blanket ~ Grant’s dolphin (this doesn’t always go over very well) ~ hiding ~ putting her hands in her pockets

Dislikes:  the vacuum cleaner (she clings to you and cries) ~ loud noises ~ being left out of the fun ~ carving pumpkins and pumpkin goo (she wanted nothing to do with it and refused to touch it until we were almost done)

Toddler Moment(s):  We’ve been slowly incorporating the idea of time out.  Usually it lasts for 10-15 seconds max so far and she does not like it. 

Potty Training:  Amelia definitely knows where the potty is and when we tell Grant to go potty Amelia will go and point to the bathroom.  There have also been occasions where I ask if she is pooping (because she is grunting and pushing) and she will walk to the bathroom.

  

Autumn at approx. 14 Months

Amelia at 18 months

Happy half birthday Amelia Grace!! 

17 Months ~Amelia~

At 17 months, we are seeing more personality and spunk out of Amelia than any other time to date.  She is fun and silly with a side of sass.  She adores her brother and has been enjoying spending time with Grandma Cheryl during her visit.  

Growth 
Weight:  23.4 lbs
Height:  32" (Maybe?) 

She is in 18 month items and occasionally mixing in a 24 month or 2T item but most of those are still a little big on her.  Diapers are size 4 and shoes are size 5. 

Mobility/Coordination:  Amelia loves trying to do a somersault.  She now knows how to fly down the stairs on her tummy and likes taking our hands to lead us places.  Her favorite game is ring around the rosie. 

Language/Communication:  One of Amelia’s favorite new words is “truck” which actually sounds pretty close to truck.  She says “mush” repeatedly which usually means milk.  Other than that, there is a lot of babble and trying to talk but most of it is babble that she insists should make sense to everyone.  She can now identify her ears, feet, eyes, and hair. 

Personality/Amelia-isms:  We’ve recently noticed that when we have Amelia one on one with no other distractions she is a completely different little girl.  She isn’t nearly as busy or sassy and is an absolute blast.  Not saying she isn’t fun when others are around she is just different and thrives with the one on one attention.

As I mentioned already, she is still full of sass and if she doesn’t want to do something she will let you know by blowing raspberries and shaking her head no incessantly.  Biting has still been on the down swing thankfully but boy does she scream when she isn’t happy about what you’ve done to her.  I’m talking blood curdling squeal if she isn’t happy! 

Sleep:  Amelia likes playing with and rubbing a blanket as she falls asleep sucking her thumb.  At daycare, she has pretty much dropped her morning nap but at home still prefers to take two. 

Eating:  No change here… Amelia’s appetite is still about the same lately.  It’s hit and miss with meals but milk is usually chugged or whined for before she will eat a bite.  We are working on this right now because we really want to encourage eating full meals instead of snacking and drinking mainly milk.    

Teeth:  No new teeth this month but her four incisors are very close.  You can see them just below the surface and I think they are giving her a bit of a hard time.    

Illnesses/Owies:  None 

Brother/Sister Moment(s):  Amelia loves to grab Grant’s hand to play ring around the rosie.  And I know I say it month after month but she is his little shadow.  It is so adorable.  She adores him and wants to do everything he does… or try to at least.  Grant is becoming much more tolerant and actually enjoys playing with her and asks if she wants to play with him.   

Firsts/Adventures:  This month Amelia was the flower girl in her first ever wedding, her Aunt Kelli and Uncle Ben’s.  She did surprisingly well with no nap but was zonked by 6:30.  We also had my best friend Jenni’s wedding in which she held up like a champ before crashing.

We took our first family trip to the zoo this month.  Amelia enjoyed it but I would say overall it left something to be desired for her at this age.

My 30^th birthday was also listed in the activities enjoyed this month.  It was pretty low key but exactly what I wanted.      

Likes:  ketchup or dip of any kind (she dips, licks it off, and dips again) ~ putting lotion on ~ playing with my hair ~ ring around the rosie ~ washing her hands ~ sucking her thumb ~ snuggling with a blankie ~ getting her oils on (as soon as I grab them, she lays down and sticks her feet up in the air)

Dislikes:  eating a full meal ~ being told no

Toddler Moment(s):  Amelia is slowly mastering the limp noodle.  She is also a master of shaking her head no, blowing raspberries and screaming when she doesn’t get her way. 

Potty Training:  No progress here.  She still isn’t patient enough to sit still on the potty but will for a split second without freaking out so I guess that is a plus.