18-24 month update. Let's squeeze in 6 months, shall we?

There are so many things I'd like to catch up on, but we'll start with my 23.75 month old!  I barely got this written before she turned two.

The time has flown.  FLOWN.  Year two went even faster than the first, especially from 18 months on.  Maybe it was summer, maybe it was general life busy-ness, but wow.  I'm pretty sad I haven't been documenting Addie regularly, since so much has changed, especially in the last 5 or 6 months.  I used to think a baby's first year had the most changes.  From 0-12 months they transform from a sedentary little blob to a mobile, communicating little tot, but from 12-24 months they go from a baby to a kid.  Sure, in lots of ways she's still a baby (we're in no rush to get out of the crib, and yes she still sleeps with a paci), but it's mostly "kid" around here these days.

General stats

Weight: 24.5 or 25 pounds - we're in the 23rd percentile!!  Woooohoooo!
Height: ? We'll find out next week!

Size: Oh dear, this is not a straightforward answer.  She wears 12 month shorts, 18 month leggings, 24 month or 2T pants that are great for length but the waist is way too big, and 24 month or 2T shirts. Shoes are size 6.
Looks like: Dad, dad, dad.  Though I'm starting to get some people saying she looks more like me.

yes we occasionally have issues with tangles. by occasionally i mean every day.

Mobility

She's a running, jumping, climbing little tornado of energy.  When out walking she runs 90% of the time.  She spent the summer getting more and more comfortable swimming, and is fearless in the water to go under, move around on her own, blow bubbles, and open her eyes.

 

Sleep

Addie has never been a bad sleeper (we've never had a night where she was up for long stretches, even as a newborn), but I admit that for a while I worried she wasn't sleeping enough, especially when I compared her to mega-nappers I knew.  Not true these days.  She sleeps about 12+ straight hours a night, from about 7:30-7:45 or 8.  Naps can range from 1.5-2.5 hours, depending on how long she slept the night before, but usually fall around 2 hours.  Some days it can take her up to TWO HOURS to fall asleep for her nap, but I'm trying to tweak her schedule to avoid this.  Thankfully she's always playing/talking/singing happily, but it still drives me kinda crazy.

Eating

She has come so far. When talking with a friend and mentor several months ago, I remember being so stressed and worried about her low weight, her disinterest in all foods (not just normal pickyness, but no apparent desire to eat), her frequent vomiting, and how hard it was to get through every meal.  My friend prayed that things would so drastically improve that I would "hardly remember" the hard months with food.  Amazingly, that has been answered.  Meals aren't a struggle (though they can still take a loooong time), she eats pretty much anything I give her, sometimes even gets excited about food, and her weight gain has steadily improved.  Thanking God for that huge turnaround.

Potty Training

Well, we did it.  Really she did it.  I was trying to avoid the whole process for a lot longer, but around 18 months she was showing so many good signs that I knew I'd be foolish to miss the boat.  It's going really well.  She only wears a diaper to sleep anymore.  Of course accidents happen, but they're getting fewer and farther between.

Language

For a language educator, there's not much cooler for me than watching language develop.  Addie talks in complete sentences most of the time, and is using lots of tenses, including present progressive, future, and irregular past tense (see? language teacher).  "I'm running!" "I want to go to Paha's house.", "I will eat the macky cheese!" "I threw the ball!" "I did it!" etc.  She's also using lots of funny little phrases and expressions, like "Oooh, it's sooo pretty" (after coloring something), "That looks cute!", "Do NOT ____" (when bossing around the dog or her dolls), and "No way, uh-uh!" Her favorite response right now is "Yeah, alright!" when agreeing to do something.

Her memory recall is also pretty amazing.  She can sing several songs (ABCs almost the whole way through, Jesus Loves Me, and oh yeah, Katy Perry's "Roar"), count, and also knows her favorite books by heart.  If I pause at any points reading the story of David and Goliath or If you Give a Pig a Pancake she can pick right up and finish the line.  She remembers things she did last week or even several weeks ago and can talk about the details.  How did we go from saying just a few words at 12 months to a conversationalist??  See?  Tons of changes.

Personality

I'm not even sure how to summarize here!  She is energetic, independent, funny, LOUD, and loves being the center of attention.  She talks constantly.  She gets excited about lots of things and will shake her whole body yelling "I 'CITED!!!!" She plays so well alone and can entertain herself for lonnnng stretches.  She loves to organize and arrange things JUST so.  She can be quite bossy (right now mostly with things like Aslan and her stuffed animals, but can be toward us too), so we're working on having a more gentle tone and speaking lovingly.

She's pretty excited about her friends, too.  She definitely has friends she knows, remembers, talks about, and can't wait to see.  Nana and Paha are tops in her book.

ok this is kind of scary.

not all friends are people.

 

The amazing thing about two-year-olds is that they're really people now.  Of course I've always been a huge fan of Addison and her personality, but now I find myself really, really enjoying spending time together and I just think she's the coolest.  We have conversations, we have things "we" like to do together, and we laugh a lot.  Same goes for her and her daddy.  It's pretty sweet not to just love your child, but to genuinely like her, too. :)

One super cute trait coming out is her mothering instinct.  She loves dolls and stuffed animals, and can spend endless time setting them up, taking them potty, feeding them, putting them down for naps, etc.  One day in the kitchen, she found a little rubber spatula and commanded her doll to "Lay down right now!" (did I mention she's bossy?) and proceeded to spank her.  When I asked her what she was doing she said, "I'm spankin doll.  She's cryin now"  #shouldibeproudorembarrassed

She's very into all things "craft" now - coloring, stickers, and play dough.  Play dough for hours.  She also loves bikes, being outside, animals (especially giraffes, elephants, and all farm animals), planes and helicopters, and riding in the van.   Surprisingly, "School" (mom's morning out one day a week) has become one of the highlights of her week and she literally can't contain her excitement when I tell her what day it is. 

IN a helicopter. toddler life = made.

I really could go on and on, but had better stop.  What a joyful, fun, and exciting little daughter God has blessed us with.  We are so thankful for you, Addison Lynn!