Our 18 Month Old

 

Our little baby turned 18 months old on July 9, 2011.  As I write this email Evie is now 19 months.  Life just doesn't seem to be giving me much time to update the blog these days, but I have to get this post done before I forget all the awesome things Evie did at 18 months.  These pictures above were taken at a recent photo shoot by our friend Melissa Babasin.  Didn't she do an amazing job.  

At Evie's 18 month checkup she weighed 21 lbs and 15.3 oz and measured 30 1/4 inches in height.  Her head measured 17 1/2 inches.  Our doctor thought she was doing fabulous and made a prediction that she would probably be about 5 feet 2 inches later in life, just like her mommy.  Our doctor thought this would be perfect as we could share clothes.  He is so funny!  One of the best compliments we got from our doctor during our appointment on July 19 was that Evie was acting more like a 2 year old.  He was very impressed with her vocabulary and comprehension as well as with her motor skills.  Jim and I are so proud of our little girl!  

Here is a picture of her after her appointment with a sticker from the doctor and a lollypop from Mommy after her shot.  She was very brave!  She only had to have one this time which was good. :)

Here are some more of Evie's milestones at 18 months:

-Evie is our little talker.  She can pretty much say anything you ask her too and understands everything.  It is crazy.  She is a constant amazement.  She even puts things in sentences already.  For example, when she does something she is not supposed to do, she has the cutest little "I'm Sorry" you pretty much instantly have to forgive her. :)

-Evie continues to adore her brother; however, she also knows how to push his buttons.  She likes playing with everything that Evan likes to play with and can be found taking his toys and running off just to get a reaction out of him.  This happens all the time.  Nevertheless, Evan and Evie have a blast playing together.  She has to do everything that Evan does and she wants everything that he has too.  She also can be found saying exactly what he says. The latest is that Evan has started to say that he is shy when someone asks for a hug, etc.  Evie now says, "I'm Shy" too.  

She is currently into wrestling.  Here she is taking Evan on...he loves it.  The hardest part is that these sessions usually always end with someone crying.  

-Her hair continues to grow.  She probably could use a haircut, but we are waiting just a little bit longer before doing this, however, she has to have her hair up somehow or her bangs are in her eyes as demoed below.

-She sleeps real well at night, usually going down around 8:00 p.m. and sleeps until about 6:30 a.m. or 7:00 a.m.  The past few nights she has been waking up a bit, but we think her front side teeth are coming in.

-She loves her babies.  She has two favorites (we call them the twins) and she recently got a brand new Minnie Mouse doll that we purchased when we visited Downtown Disney last month.  She also has a very special blankey she loves too.  Here is a picture of her below with her new Minnie.

 

-Evie's eating is okay.  She LOVES all dips, especially sour cream and guacamole.  Sometimes we think she confuses sour cream with ice cream, she can seriously eat it by the spoonful.  We have to remind her that this is supposed to be enjoyed in small quantities.  All we know is we have a girl who loves dairy.  She eats cheese in great quantities too!  Her palette has grown a bit, but she still isn't a huge eater.  She has good and bad days.  At this point we still just keep offering her everything and hope she will eat it.  The other day we had a victory when she was eating red peppers.  Go Evie!  Her favorite eats are still the sweets- cupcakes, cookies, ice cream, candy, you name it!

-When she eats she can't sit still and at restaurants prefers to pretty much stand for most of the meal.  So she usually gets either pretty messy or is a danger we tend to not even bother with high chairs, crazy girl.

-She was officially weaned from nursing at exactly 18 months.  I had my MOPS Leadership Retreat during the weekend she turned 18 months so it was the perfect opportunity to end.  She did really good.  Ultimately, she was already drinking milk from a cup from even before she was one, but still enjoyed nursing.  It was actually hard to be officially finished for Mommy too because it meant that my baby was growing up, but we are both doing great now with the adjustment. 

-She doesn't get as tuned into television shows like Evan did and still does. :)  She will watch here and there, but would rather be doing a variety of activities.  She is not one to sit still for very long, except for when she has to go #2. :)

-She does love Minnie Mouse and Elmo.  These characters appear to be her favorites so far.

-Evie loves to read (her favorite kind of books are the ones where you can touch and feel).  She also enjoys stickers, coloring, 

and playing outside especially in the water.

-Evie can be very destructive with toys, packages, paper, etc. and we have to watch her with throwing and stepping on toys.  If you give her something to hold while in a store she will usually figure out how to open the package or tear the package apart.

-She likes shoes, but what girl doesn't.  Here she is modeling some pink boots.

-She enjoys friends and does great in Sunday School and in playgroups.  She isn't the best at sharing, but what one and half year old is.  However, when asked she will share.  She also can be very possessive and likes to verbally claim things that belong to her or Evan and will quickly say "Mine."

-Evie does make you work for a smile if you are taking pictures of her.  But, she recently learned how to make a "Sad Face" and likes to do it when asked.  Here she is giving her "Sad Face."  Isn't it just stinkin' adorable?!?! :)

-She is very stubborn and has a temper.  She likes to stomp her feet when she doesn't get her way.

-Evie loves being tickled, spun around, and looking at her belly button.  She also enjoys buckling straps on anything that has buckles and climbing.  She is not afraid to get dirty, especially if it is with her brother.  She is slightly a little more cautious than Evan, but not by much. :)  She enjoys exploring; however, does stay a little bit closer to Mommy so far and will not run off as much as her brother did and still does :)

Overall, Evie is just the sweetest girl ever and we feel very blessed.  We love you Evie Joy!  Happy 18 Months darling.  We are so lucky to be your Mommy and Daddy!