bottles & blunders: 18 months!

Oh my. We're a year and a half into this parenting business and couldn't be happier. Guess what. I get it now. I'm in on the secret. Now I know why parents choose to do this all over again. Because at this point, you just forget. You forget all the sleepless nights and the crying and the stress and the anxiety. Suddenly you're more on top of things more than you aren't. Suddenly things make sense day after day and you have a grasp on who these little beings are. This is by far the best stage we've been through together. She's a little human being! She's so fun! She's funny!

At 18 months, Adly has begun speaking in phrases. Some are completely understandable, others need mom or dad to translate, and others are just plain babble. But either way, it has propelled our conversations and understanding of each other big time. Some of the most common phrases are: "I like it", "I don't like it", "Ohhhh boy!", "That's awesome", and "I'm done now". Adly is also starting to understand using "I" as herself. She's trying out how to use it in sentences when I say things like, "you go get it" she'll respond with "I go get it" instead of mimicking what I said.

My little mini-me also continues to mimic and copy just about everything I do. She sweeps the floor after I do, she picks up around the house behind me, and she cooks like I do. Adlys aunt Nora and uncle Steve got Adly a kitchen for Christmas. Her papa Dan and Tata got her some plastic foods and I picked up a metal cooking set. All of these combined have helped to advance her love of imaginative cooking play. She cooks around the house or in the kitchen as I do. Anytime she can, she's up working next to me as I cook. It's the cutest thing ever.

She's demonstrating her independence more and more by saying "no" when she doesn't want to do or eat something. However, at this point in time it's really just cute. She says it really demurely in a high pitched voice but also matter of factly, just a quick "no."

Her love of playing hide and seek has come through this month as well. She had a blast in Door County with her aunt Ra Ra chasing her saying "I'm gonna get you!" Adly giggled non-stop at being chased and being the chaser for this game yelling "I getchuuuu". Around the house, she loves to "hide" (stand out in the open around the corner) and for you to come get her. She also calls out for you if you don't find her fast enough, so clearly we're still developing the concept of hiding.

We traveled a TON during the month of November and December. While it's definitely getting harder to do with Adly, technology, mama in the backseat, and books helped to make it more bearable. I'm hoping as she gets older, the sleeping in the car thing gets easier.

Lastly, Adly continues to grow height-wise and is back in the 98th percentile for height. She is a champion teether and pushed through her two top canines this month without us knowing. I hope the bottom two are just as easy. After that we're done with teeth until her last four two-year old molars come in.

I swear it feels like I blinked and suddenly this little lady was in front of me. What an amazing winter break we had together! Here are some pics from our NYE vacation up in Door County, WI.