18 Months Old

My baby is 18 months old!  I do love this stage as she is becoming so much more verbal and really gets how things work in our home.  She knows if we are going out, she grabs her boots, coat and hat.  She knows to put her finished cup in the sink.  She loves washing her hands after using the toilet.  She is so confident on the stairs and I love having no more baby gates in the home. 

The biggest change this month is that she is now in underwear.  It's adorable and it makes her petite 22 lb ish body look even smaller:)  She still isn't comfortable telling others she has to go and so she needs to be asked (she will tell Gary and I though).

Another big change is that she is putting words together.  The cuteness of her voice is so great.  She loves to ask where everyone is and it's so cute when she calls for Koen. `Oooooooooh-en!  Are you?'.  It's also cute when she says `thank you' because it's `doo doo'.   Oh yes, and she calls herself `Aiya'.

My favourite part of this stage is SHE IS SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT.   She also naps for 2 hours a day (12-2pm).  I have slept well for a month now and yesterday I saw a cute newborn  baby and thought `Oh, I want one!'. Yikes.  I feel very content and happy with our family where we are now.  I do think it is a possibility that we would adopt in a few years when Nya is a bit older. 

The biggest challenge with her now is she screams if she wants something from the boys and she constantly goes `Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!' when we are driving and it drives me crazy.  Like, very crazy.  She does sometimes hit me in the face and when I say `No' she runs and puts herself in time out.   Then we talk about being gentle and she hugs me and says `orry'.

Her favourite thing is to cuddle on someone's lap with her bubi (any receiving blanket) and read a book together.  She especially loves Opi and Grandpa and pretends to talk on the phone with them all the time.

She is starting to play with Koen a little now and it's very sweet to see him being so good with her.  He does love making her scream in frustration (what brother doesn't love that) but he also does invite her into his room to play with the stuffed animals together.  They also love having the wildest, splashiest bath together.

All righty, someone is trying to crawl into my lap...must go.

Love you Nya!!!  You are adorable and you are teaching me more and more about patience:)

Love, Louise/Mommy