Sweet Iyla Grace, today you are 18 months old- officially a year and a half. A big milestone!
At 18 months old, your intrinsic nature is so sweet, giving, affectionate, independent & silly. You are SO smart, and are picking up new words, games, & interests every single day.
Here are your 18 month updates!
How old? 18 months today
How big? Here you are at your 18 month appointment (which was May 16th, 2014):
You were 22 pounds, 1 oz (50%), 32 1/2 inches tall (75%), and your head was 18 inches in circumference (50%). You went up in percents on all measurements! Such a big girl. You also rocked your shots like a champ, crying hard as they went in then instantly calming when I picked you up- and going right back to business as usual.
Getting photos of you with Sam is SO HARD to do these days. However, you both cooperated momentarily this morning:
Words? You have so, so, SO many words! I can no longer keep track, as I will name something new (to you) and you will repeat it and remember it. When having your bottles (yes, yes, still bottles!) you love to grunt and point at different parts of my face and chest, requesting that I name things. This month you got to learn the word "pimple' and you greatly enjoyed pointing that out repeatedly! Awesome. You are also stringing two word thoughts together more and more: "Mama, play"…."kick, baby"…."baba, iyla."
Food? Your current favorites are watermelon (you call this 'me-me'), shrimp, eggs, & these delicious vegan muffins I get from our local coffee shop. You have 3 bottles/day and have been clearing 8 ounces of milk with each bottle! This past week you seemed voracious, and could not eat or drink enough (growth spurt)! You are very clear about your tastes when trying new things. If you do NOT like it, you'll immediately spit it out and say "no, no!" If you DO like it you will say "more" before you've even swallowed the current bite.
Sleep? You take your one nap around 12:30-12:45, and thank the heavens- now sleep closer to 1.5 to sometimes a glorious 2 hours! Bedtime is 7:30, and you usually pop up awake in the 6:50-7:10 window, rolling around quietly in your crib until we come to get you. This past week you have begun fighting sleep time… having a MAJOR meltdown the second we walk into your room. Not fun for either of us, and I hope it is short lived! Otherwise I am going to have to come up with some creative new pre sleep routines.
Potty time? I haven't updated on this one for awhile! The intent with the Elimination Communication was never to potty train you early. And as such, it definitely does not appear that it DID train you any earlier than other babes. You *usually* will go #1 and #2 every morning on your potty, and sometimes after a nap- but that's it for now. However, in the past month you have taken to announcing when you are going ('pee! poop!'), and I know that your awareness of this is a key step in eventually getting you diaper free!
Teeth? Those first 5 you have came in fast and furious… but no more since last month. They are growing and showing up more and more in your sweet little smile!
Milestones?
*Announcing when you are going to the bathroom
*Learning how to climb down stairs and climb down off a bed or couch
*Taking books and turning the pages by yourself, often 'telling' me the story by saying a word relating to each page. I SWEAR you can sight read the word "baby" and the letter "K" already- you point those out on a couple books and say them.
*Walking on your tiptoes. Further evidence of a future ballerina?
*Walking backwards. You are getting better at remembering to peek behind you at where you are going (learned after a couple unfortunate tumbles)!
Favorite things:
*Your baby dolls! All day every day.
*Books! You continue to LOVE reading and can go through 20 or more books in one sitting. A favorite these days are your Ladybug Girl books (we have the doll too- of course).
*Going down slides (you are so proud of this skill!)
*Going for walks
*Baths! You now let me lay you on your back to rinse your hair, as long as I sing the London Bridge song like we do in swim lessons! You call it "lee lee."
*Swim lessons! You fearlessly just jump in the water and go under with ease.
*Naked time (still)! You adore streaking through the house in the buff exclaiming "nakey nakey!"
*Playing piano with your Papa! You sit on his lap and very dramatically bow your head while plunking the keys.
Not so favorite things:
*You are not a kid who falls and gets right back up. You HATE bumping yourself or tripping, and unfortunately do both quite a bit, leading to a lot of fussing and tears. I am guessing this is why you aren't very physically adventuresome! Not your nature.
*Car rides: you tolerate shorter distances OK, but I have to time them strategically and also have a huge arsenal of toys that I continually throw back at you when the fussing begins.
*Spicy food- anything with the slightest amount of spice gets immediately spit out with tears!
*Nap/Bedtime. This is the new fun one this week, and the ONLY thing I've found that soothes you, funny enough, is singing "Maybe" from Annie. You stare right into my eyes and listen to every.single.word. Cue my heart melting!
Post Partem Body:
*I haven't written about my lovely Mommy Thumb in awhile, but it sadly appears to be a permanent injury, kind of like a constantly sprained wrist. I've had it on my to-do list for 2 weeks now to call into the hand doctor about costs for surgery, and am ready to get this thing resolved for good!
*Another interesting and not so fun thing that has developed in the past two months is that the very top of my left shoulder- right on the tip of the bone- is constantly in a lot of pain, almost as if a nerve has moved over the bone. I think it is entirely due to my always carrying you on the left side (since I am right handed)- and as you grow, the strain is being felt. So now I have a bum left shoulder and bum right wrist!
Most looking forward to?
*Continuing to get better and better at balancing time with you, time with BC, time for me, and time for work. I feel like we are getting into a pretty darn good stride, and I look forward to our 2014 Year of Abundance continuing.
*July! First for our annual family reunion here in Austin and Houston, where most of our Midwestern family comes up for a week to stay (including your cousin Liam, who is only 2 months older than you).
Also? BC and I booked a trip to NYC for mid July!!! We are flying your Grandma (Papa's mom) in to stay with you, and I just know you are both going to luxuriate in that time together, while BC and I luxuriate in our very favorite city for some R&R.
Here are a few more pictures from the past month. Happy 18 months, my darling Iyla Grace! I am so grateful to be your Mama!
At 18 months old, your intrinsic nature is so sweet, giving, affectionate, independent & silly. You are SO smart, and are picking up new words, games, & interests every single day.
Here are your 18 month updates!
How old? 18 months today
How big? Here you are at your 18 month appointment (which was May 16th, 2014):
You were 22 pounds, 1 oz (50%), 32 1/2 inches tall (75%), and your head was 18 inches in circumference (50%). You went up in percents on all measurements! Such a big girl. You also rocked your shots like a champ, crying hard as they went in then instantly calming when I picked you up- and going right back to business as usual.
Getting photos of you with Sam is SO HARD to do these days. However, you both cooperated momentarily this morning:
Words? You have so, so, SO many words! I can no longer keep track, as I will name something new (to you) and you will repeat it and remember it. When having your bottles (yes, yes, still bottles!) you love to grunt and point at different parts of my face and chest, requesting that I name things. This month you got to learn the word "pimple' and you greatly enjoyed pointing that out repeatedly! Awesome. You are also stringing two word thoughts together more and more: "Mama, play"…."kick, baby"…."baba, iyla."
Food? Your current favorites are watermelon (you call this 'me-me'), shrimp, eggs, & these delicious vegan muffins I get from our local coffee shop. You have 3 bottles/day and have been clearing 8 ounces of milk with each bottle! This past week you seemed voracious, and could not eat or drink enough (growth spurt)! You are very clear about your tastes when trying new things. If you do NOT like it, you'll immediately spit it out and say "no, no!" If you DO like it you will say "more" before you've even swallowed the current bite.
Sleep? You take your one nap around 12:30-12:45, and thank the heavens- now sleep closer to 1.5 to sometimes a glorious 2 hours! Bedtime is 7:30, and you usually pop up awake in the 6:50-7:10 window, rolling around quietly in your crib until we come to get you. This past week you have begun fighting sleep time… having a MAJOR meltdown the second we walk into your room. Not fun for either of us, and I hope it is short lived! Otherwise I am going to have to come up with some creative new pre sleep routines.
Potty time? I haven't updated on this one for awhile! The intent with the Elimination Communication was never to potty train you early. And as such, it definitely does not appear that it DID train you any earlier than other babes. You *usually* will go #1 and #2 every morning on your potty, and sometimes after a nap- but that's it for now. However, in the past month you have taken to announcing when you are going ('pee! poop!'), and I know that your awareness of this is a key step in eventually getting you diaper free!
Teeth? Those first 5 you have came in fast and furious… but no more since last month. They are growing and showing up more and more in your sweet little smile!
Milestones?
*Announcing when you are going to the bathroom
*Learning how to climb down stairs and climb down off a bed or couch
*Taking books and turning the pages by yourself, often 'telling' me the story by saying a word relating to each page. I SWEAR you can sight read the word "baby" and the letter "K" already- you point those out on a couple books and say them.
*Walking on your tiptoes. Further evidence of a future ballerina?
*Walking backwards. You are getting better at remembering to peek behind you at where you are going (learned after a couple unfortunate tumbles)!
Favorite things:
*Your baby dolls! All day every day.
*Books! You continue to LOVE reading and can go through 20 or more books in one sitting. A favorite these days are your Ladybug Girl books (we have the doll too- of course).
*Going down slides (you are so proud of this skill!)
*Going for walks
*Baths! You now let me lay you on your back to rinse your hair, as long as I sing the London Bridge song like we do in swim lessons! You call it "lee lee."
*Swim lessons! You fearlessly just jump in the water and go under with ease.
*Naked time (still)! You adore streaking through the house in the buff exclaiming "nakey nakey!"
*Playing piano with your Papa! You sit on his lap and very dramatically bow your head while plunking the keys.
Not so favorite things:
*You are not a kid who falls and gets right back up. You HATE bumping yourself or tripping, and unfortunately do both quite a bit, leading to a lot of fussing and tears. I am guessing this is why you aren't very physically adventuresome! Not your nature.
*Car rides: you tolerate shorter distances OK, but I have to time them strategically and also have a huge arsenal of toys that I continually throw back at you when the fussing begins.
*Spicy food- anything with the slightest amount of spice gets immediately spit out with tears!
*Nap/Bedtime. This is the new fun one this week, and the ONLY thing I've found that soothes you, funny enough, is singing "Maybe" from Annie. You stare right into my eyes and listen to every.single.word. Cue my heart melting!
Post Partem Body:
*I haven't written about my lovely Mommy Thumb in awhile, but it sadly appears to be a permanent injury, kind of like a constantly sprained wrist. I've had it on my to-do list for 2 weeks now to call into the hand doctor about costs for surgery, and am ready to get this thing resolved for good!
*Another interesting and not so fun thing that has developed in the past two months is that the very top of my left shoulder- right on the tip of the bone- is constantly in a lot of pain, almost as if a nerve has moved over the bone. I think it is entirely due to my always carrying you on the left side (since I am right handed)- and as you grow, the strain is being felt. So now I have a bum left shoulder and bum right wrist!
Most looking forward to?
*Continuing to get better and better at balancing time with you, time with BC, time for me, and time for work. I feel like we are getting into a pretty darn good stride, and I look forward to our 2014 Year of Abundance continuing.
*July! First for our annual family reunion here in Austin and Houston, where most of our Midwestern family comes up for a week to stay (including your cousin Liam, who is only 2 months older than you).
Also? BC and I booked a trip to NYC for mid July!!! We are flying your Grandma (Papa's mom) in to stay with you, and I just know you are both going to luxuriate in that time together, while BC and I luxuriate in our very favorite city for some R&R.
Here are a few more pictures from the past month. Happy 18 months, my darling Iyla Grace! I am so grateful to be your Mama!
I'm having the same bedtime issues!!! I think it's all the extra daylight. Jett used to go down at 7pm no problem, now it's a huge fight to get him down by 8pm!!! It's like he can't get settled until it's dark in his room, even blackout curtains haven't helped. Sigh! At least I'm not alone ;-) Iyla's adorable, such a ham for the camera!
ReplyDeleteAck! Soooo cute! I am so jealous of all your smiley pics! I can never catch R smiling on film! So funny to hear about her as she and R are so close in age. We are all about the babies here too...and the slides.
ReplyDelete