18 Months!

Sunday, October 2nd Nora reached a big milestone...she's 18 months now!

Before her shots

After her shots

Everything was great at her check up appointment.  I love her doctor & the office. They're all so nice, easy, & caring.  Nora got a few shots, including the flu shot.  She's such a trooper.  By the time the last shot was done and the nurse was putting on the band-aids she started crying.  She pulled those band-aids off as quickly as she could and then stopped.  Crazy girl...thought it was the band-aids hurting her.  =)  Nora now weighs 25 lbs 8 oz (50-75%ile), is 33 1/2 in. tall (75-90%ile), and her head is 33 1/4 cm around (25%ile).  18 months is such a fun age.  There are so many things Miss Independent can do now...there's no stopping her.  Well, I can, but it's not fun.  This girl is strong willed and stuborn but luckily only for a little while and then her attention moves on to something else.


Here are some things Nora can do now:

• Drink from a lid-less cup (& enjoys it well even when it spills, usually on purpose)
• Turn around to get her hooded bath towel on when she's ready to get out of the bath
• Find soap or her baby wash, lather up her hands, and wash her body
• Say 'shower' when she wants to get in.  Probably to play with her tub crayons that she loves!
• Take a shower...meaning stand under the water to get wet and to rinse off
• Open up all the shampoo, etc. bottles in the bath and try to use and/or sink them (joy!)
• Throw a ball (or anything really...even a remote at Daddy's head)
• Say "sorry" (hallelujah!), 'gucky' (yucky)
• Calls me "Mama", "Mommy", or "Mani" (perhaps Mani is Mommy & Lani mixed?)
• Makes rooster, dog, cat, cow, & duck noises
• Still uses some sign language as she 'says' words
• Her favorite sign is 'baby'...uses it everytime she sees a baby or hears anything close to the word 'baby'.  Yes, even with the word 'maybe' sometimes.
• Copies or repeats most words you say
• LOVES to facetime.  Unfortunately everyone doesn't have it, but she loves to do it with Millie (& Niki) and PePaw (that's how she's started saying Grandpa to my Dad)
• LOVES the camera or video camera.  She can be entertained for a quite a while watching herself.  Thanks to Apple she can watch herself being videoed on the ipod and then watch the video afterwards.  Entertainment.
• LOVES brushing her teeth.  Just discovered her baby toothpaste and HAS to have it on there if she sees me use toothpaste.  If she sees her toothbrush, she cannot pass up brushing her teeth just once more.
• LOVES brushing her hair.  She's done this for a while but now she's getting into brushing mine also.  Good thing I have a tough scalp.
• Yelling.  She must love it, because she does it all the time.  Just for fun.  Because she wants something.  Or in the store because she likes the way it echoes.  Sometimes it's with words...often it's just hoots and hollers.
• Saying her prayers.  She's folded her arms for a while, but now mumbles prayers to which exclaimed 'AMEN's follow.
• Says 'hi' or 'hey' to each person she sees in the store.  Even if it's the poor worker she's already said it to 6 times in the last 30 seconds.  Luckily, they usually say it back as they quickly walk away to stop the game.  It's really awkward after the person's been greeted and walks over to us to ask how she is.  She just looks at them.  We haven't mastered what to say next. Ha.
•  Throw tantrums.  Another one she's been able to do but now it's even more often and extravagant.  It may be because she doesn't want to get into her car seat, stop playing in driver's seat, or sneaking into my gum.  (Among many other things.)
• Still way into jewelry and shoes.  Wayyy into them.  Loves to walk around in my shoes.  I'm amazed she even finds matching ones sometimes.  That can be a feat for me in that messy closet!
• Finds little things all over the house and carries them around.  It can be a ball, a small toy, or especially something she shouldn't like money or a screw.  (What? Your house doesn't have screws hidden all over...must not be married to a contractor.)  She definitely keeps the small things picked up around here.
• LOVES to climb.  This is true at home, at the park, or in Nursery at church.  That is not something she inherited from me.
• LOVES (like really loves) Nursery at church.  We open the door & she happily walks in.  Probably to climb on the shopping cart for the umpteenth time.
• Follows simple directions.  This is wonderful!  She can pick up stuff, put stuff back, throw stuff away, etc.  Notice the word 'can'.  Doesn't mean she always does. 
• Enjoys eating apples and tries to eat any fruit like biting an apple.  Even oranges. Gross, I know.
• Be tough.  She must have gotten that from me (HA!).  This girl is extra tough.  Falling on her face doesn't phase her sometimes.  Must be why she thinks it's okay to hit or push anything her same size or smaller.  I may have a bully on my hands.  Oh dear.
• Watch tv.  She likes to watch Sesame Street now and enjoys sitting on the couch or her bean bag chair for at least 2-5 minutes at a time.  Or she enjoys dancing with Ellen.  Lots of things can catch her attention now.
• Poop in the tub.  If you missed this one on Facebook.  Yuck.  It happened to us for the first time this month.  Can I say yuck again?

And the most exciting thing about being 18 months?  PEANUT BUTTER!  She LOVES it!  To celebrate we had a peanut butter day on her 18 month birthday.

Peanut Butter Cap 'n Crunch

Bananas with peanut butter

PB & J (her new favorite...2nd only to bananas)

Sharing with Daddy

PB & J with Tutu

Peanut butter crackers

Only other peanut butter treat was mini Reese's cups.  I didn't get a picture of it.  What a great way to celebrate 18 months...she really enjoyed!  Don't you just love her?  I could eat her up all day, every day. <3