Oh, my word! My little pumpkin is 18 months old! I am in awe! In celebration of reaching the 1.5 year mark, I've decided to write a Top 10 list each month on Finley from here on out. Mainly because I can actually see myself still writing All About Finley posts when she is 16 and I'm guessing that it'll be more realistic for me to focus in on 10 things versus 25+...
1. Size: Devin and I were adoring her chubby cheeks the other night and it seems every 6 months or so, she really fills out and 18 months is no exception. She's around 23 pounds and 31 inches. I can't wait for her 18 month appointment for official statistics! She is wearing size 3 diaper, 12-18 month clothes, and size 3 or 4 shoes.
2. Food: We've had a major breakthrough with food this past month if we can call it a breakthrough when it's more of a regression... Regardless, we've gone back to baby food for her dinner meal and it's working out really well. Finally some meat and vegetables. She is still in love with raisins and oranges. These are really the only two foods that she never refuses. Oh, and she is still in love with straws!
3. Teething: She doesn't seem to have any new teeth, but all the drooling over the last few weeks seems to indicate that her current teeth are pushing through a bit more... I think both of us are ready for a break from teething! I can just tell when she is frustrated from all the drool and runny nose!
4. Favorite Toys: This past month she has spent a huge amount of time just taking all of her Little People Animals and stuffing them into her Little People Silo or the Little People Ark, taking them all out, and putting them all back in. She also LOVES to feed her piggies! She has two piggy banks in her room (1 for saving and 1 for giving) and as soon as you give her coins, she will immediately go and put them in her piggies. Oh, and she loves anything with a lid and reading books... especially books that have pages that you lift up to see what's underneath.
5. Favorite Activity: She absolutely craves being outside. It's so crazy how much she loves to be outside... even though she's always enjoyed it now she whines and fusses to stay outside as long as possible. She will stand at the back door and beg to go out. I love it and welcome the change from being inside with the same toys all day! =)
6. Dislikes: She hates it when I vacuum. I always have to pick her up and hold her while I vacuum, but the other day I left the vacuum sitting out and she just threw a huge fit and wouldn't get near it.
7. Newest Tricks: TALKING! She is repeating more and more... She is saying "All Done" "More" "Bye-Bye" "Dog" "Pick Up" "Bark Bark" "Night Night" "Please" "Uh, Oh" "Duck" and "Oh, yeah!". She also knows where her nose and tongue are though sometimes she gets tongue and tummy confused. She just recently figured out how to turn the light switches on and off as well and will put trash in the trash can and close doors without being asked or prompted.
8. Personality Changes: She has definitely developed more of an opinion and though she is still fairly adaptable, I love that she is just a bit strong-willed. I hope that she will use it one day to stand up for what she believes in and be confident in who God created her to be! She continues to be very happy, but like most kids does not behave well when she hasn't gotten her nap! She has really shown her difficult side on a few occasions recently, but thankfully, her tantrums don't seem to last very long and as she is developing more of a vocabulary, she's able to communicate with less frustration. She also continues to be incredibly social... she is not afraid of anyone and loves to "talk" to anyone and everyone, but most especially babies!
9. Current Routine: She is back to waking up around 7:30 a.m. and is still fairly consistent in taking 2 naps a day though I have found that she isn't always as interested in her afternoon nap as she used to be so I'm wondering how much longer it will be until she is down to one nap instead of 2.
10. What I Love Most from This Stage: I love, love, love watching her discover new things and her excitement towards life. She is such a helper and wants to be involved in whatever Devin and I are doing. She so desires to please us and do everything that big people do which obviously means we are having to be careful what we model for her. I love seeing the world through her eyes and the fact that she loves to spend time with me!
Sorry for the lack of pictures, but I have officially filled up my 150 GB hard drive. It only took me a little over a year and almost 24, 000 pictures. I haven't figured out how or what to delete so my ability to upload new pictures has been temporarily halted. More pictures next month! =)
