The Lucas Family: Love Notes: 18 Months

Happy 18 months, Sweet pea!!!! You are officially one and a half years old, and we are wondering where our baby went. What a big girl you are these days!

Mama goofed and somehow forgot to take a pig picture this month (or else I'm just missing it somewhere on the computer), so we are using a tree picture instead.

We went to the doctor for your 18 month visit, and you weighed 22 pounds, 8 ounces and you were 31 inches long. You are in the 20th-25th percentile for both, and the doctor said that was fine- as long as you were in your curve (which you were), we had nothing to worry about.

You are wearing size 4 diapers, 18 month clothes, and size 4 shoes still, but I have noticed things getting a little tight in both clothes and shoes, so I think we will be moving up soon.

We realized this month that it is harder to mark milestones now. It's different than before when you were tiny because back then we could see exactly when you rolled over, or when you put your hand to your face, or when you smiled the first time. Now, you are doing more progressive things that take practice. So, you've been working on some things for a while, but there hasn't been a definite time when you hit a milestone. Things are more of a process now... like running, gripping a crayon the right way, talking. You are doing all of those things now, but we can't say exactly when you learned to do them...we just know you can now, and you are great at them, especially grasping and running. Whew, you run everywhere!

We have been playing these games since you were tiny, but now you really know how to play them and can even ask for them or start them yourself. You love "How big is Helen Claire," and then you stretch your arms all the way out, and we say, "Helen Claire is so big!!!!" We also play "Open and Shut Them" all the time. We sing it like this...

"Open and shut them, open and shut them. Give a little clap clap clap. Open and shut them, open and shut them. Put them in your lap lap lap. Creep them, crawl them, creep them, crawl them. All the way to your chin chin chin. Open wide your little mouth, but do not let them in."

We do the hand motions too. Your favorite part is "do not let them in," and you always put your fingers in your mouth and squeal and laugh. Then you give us a sneaky look and try to do it again, and we have to tell you not to let them in. It is so funny.

You love to play "All My Kisses" too. Mama made up this game to play with you, and it is just like it sounds. I tell you I'm going to get all your kisses, then I chase you and kiss all over you. You laugh so hard you have to catch your breath, and it makes me so happy. You love to get kisses on your neck... you are so ticklish right there, especially on the back of your neck, behind your ear. Oh, that makes me remember how much you love to tell secrets. We can ask you to come here and tell you we have a secret, and you will give us your ear. Then we whisper something (anything, really... most of the time, I say secret, secret, secret or I love you), and you put your ear to your shoulder and get so tickled. You always ask for more. You don't understand yet if we ask you to tell us a secret back... you just turn your ear towards us for another one :)

You make funny faces and do your scared face any time we ask or if we are playing and scare you or play I'm gonna get you. You put both your hands up at your face and make a frown and open our eyes really wide.

You also love to show us your muscles. I will try to get both of those on video, because they are priceless!

If we could pick your favorite word right now, it would be NO. You love to say no (especially to Jordan), and you say it to everything, even things we know you want, like chocolate chips. You hold one finger up, shake it and say "No, No, No" with a passion. We are trying to teach you that you don't always get to say no, especially not to grown ups. It's ok to tell your friends at school no if they try to bite, and it's ok to say no thank-you if you don't want to go outside or play with a certain toy, but it is not ok to say no to a diaper change, or to a bath, or to eating supper. We are working on giving you choices and getting more cooperation. We know you saying "no" so much is just your way of saying that you'd like to make your own decisions and be your own self sometimes, so let's hope that works and helps you feel independent so you can say yes more often.

There are other words you can say, too, and you are trying words more and more often. We label everything with you and have since you were itty-bitty, but we've noticed this month that after we say the word, you will make an effort to say it too. I was worried before your 18 month check-up, because I read that you needed to be saying at least 15 words. We sat down to make a list, and I was surprised at how many words you know! Right now, you can say all of these words:

More
Hey
Yes (es, es, es, es- while shaking your head and signing) We love the way you say yes.
Ball (bawl- very southern)
Bubba (baba for Newt and Josh)
Bay-Bay (for Bailey- he taught you over Thanksgiving, and you've been trying it ever since)
Papa
Lala (for Aunt Laurie)
Ella (sounds a lot like Lala- most "L" words you just stick your tongue out and make an "L" sound- so cute)
Nana
Mama (you say it like Moema, and I LOVE it!!!) I hope you always say it that way. I can just see the way your little face wrinkles up with you make the "moe" sound, and it makes me so happy.
Daddy
Night-Night (Ni-ni)
Rock (Wock-wock)
Go
No
Duck
Look
Book
Quack
Bock-Bock
Hop hop (for bunny- and you LOVE bunnies. Just look at all these pictures of you in your bunny onesie. You wear it out)
Moo
Ssssss (for what the snake says)
Baaa (for sheep)
Tree (we started learning Christmas words)
On
Off
Light
Whoa
Uck (for yuck)
Eat (said over and over and over again, especially if you are really hungry)
Cup
Milk (Mik)
Uh-Oh
Bye-bye
Whoa

I just realized how random that list it... sorry for not organizing it into categories. But, look, you can say 37 words!

During this month, you had your first overnight trip without us. You stayed in Pansey for a few days while we had to work before Thanksgiving. Mimi, Papa and Granny met us halfway to pick you up on Sunday, then we came back on Wednesday and celebrated Thanksgiving together. It was a strange few days for us, and our house was way too quiet! We missed you!!!! You had a good time, though... here is a picture Aunt Vickie sent me after she got you dressed one morning. You are just a little sassy :)

This month, we also started working on using a booster seat instead of your high chair. The high chair was getting too bulky, and we thought you might like to sit at the table like a big girl. You love it so far. We still use the high chair occasionally, but for the most part, you prefer your big girl seat.

I know this is a blurry picture, but these are your favorite PJs, plus it's another shot of you in the booster chair.

We started getting ready for Christmas this month, and you LOVE it. You are such a helper in the kitchen, and we had fun making peanut butter cookies for Daddy. First, you have to measure.

Then, you get to stir and mix

(Side note, your mama irons in the living room. So, that's the reason for the ironing board in all these pictures. That's just our real life- what you see is what you get) :)

You had to look into the bowl to see what was going on in there.

The best part is eating the extra peanut butter chips. You needed no coaching on that!

You love the tree, and you ask us to turn it on immediately when we get home. You know that we are supposed to turn it off at night, and you tell it Night, night every night before you go to bed.

Helping us decorate (or putting Jordan's leash on the lights)

Getting ornaments ready

Putting on your first ornament. You did so great with them and hardly pulled at them or anything once they were up.

You will hate me for this one someday, but it's so funny right now. You are looking like "What is going on with my hair?"

A little bit past your bedtime... delirious

This was your contribution to our mantle decorations, and you actually picked them out yourself from your play food basket and gave them to me to set out- a plastic milk jug and a plastic apple. At least you had the right color scheme going!

Showing Mama your cookie at the tree

What a rough life!

You love to show us your "ballerina feet" now and will get on your tip toes to dance or walk.

Your Little People Nativity is your favorite decoration. It sits under the tree, and you play with all the people, and you know who the Mama is and who the Daddy is, and you make sure Jesus is with his Mama and has a blanket (a baby sock). It is so sweet.

(That's baby Jesus in a passie case)

You also have some funny ideas about the Donkey

In this picture, I think you stayed home with Mama one day because you had a little virus. Yes, you have on PJ pants and a Halloween shirt and are playing with a wash rag. But, you do look happy (thrown away, but happy).

We are getting excited about using our Advent Calendar, and reading our Advent Storybook and celebrating Christmas with you this year.

We took a lot of pictures outside to get a Christmas card shot. We took some before we went to see Santa and some after. By the afternoon, you were tired and ready for a nap. Here are some outtakes.