19 months

My little sweetheart is 19 months old now!

I intended to write a post for 18 months but somehow March flew by so fast and I didn't get a chance.

At 19 months old:

Size: 23 lbs, 3.2 oz, 31 3/4 inches (at 18 mos dr appt)

Clothes: starting to wear 24 mos clothes, still some 18 mos.

Shoes: some 4's & some 5's

Diapers: almost always cloth, or size 3/size 4 at night

Teeth: you have 18 teeth now! (your 4 canines popped through at about 16 mos and 2 of your 2 year molars are partly through.

Eating habits: favorite foods-any kind of fruit (especially grapes, strawberries & oranges), yogurt, bread, cheese; you are ready to eat breakfast as soon as possible when you get up in the morning - it puts you in a much better mood too when you have a full tummy ;)

Some things you do:

• You talk soo much now! You started saying your own name right around 17 months - it sounds more like "Anna" but you use it very often - especially when you want to do something yourself (which is most of the time!
• At about 18 months, you started to pretty much repeat any words that we say - and sometimes it amazes me when you say a word that we didn't try to teach you but you just picked it up by hearing it. Before 18 months, you started saying words like "Jesus," "Bible," "pocket" and "animals" - speaking quite clearly. It's nice for us to usually be able to figure out what you're trying to communicate now that you talk all the time :) You often can recount events that happened in the past and "tell us" about them with one or two words at a time.
• You can say the names of most of our family members and love to talk about them!
• One of your favorite words is "No!" - you say it even when we know you mean "Yes." Instead of saying yes, you've started to say "Oh" to show agreement with something.
• At about 17 months, you began to hide behind chairs, in corners, etc - sometimes to go to the restroom, haha, but also sometimes just to be in your own little "hideout" - read books, play, etc. - or to get away from Mom and Dad when it's time for a diaper change (for which you can tell us that you're "stinky" - but of course sometimes you deny it!)

• Books are still one of your very favorite things - we almost always read about 6 books before naptime and bedtime and usually in between as well. 
• When Mommy brings out a new book or one that you haven’t seen in a long time, you get excited – and will often see the book later on and say “new, new"
• At 18 months you started picking up on some of the letters of the alphabet - you can say the letter “H” and love to find capital “h’s” wherever you can – usually in books we read or signs you see. You also can find “D” for Daddy/Daniel, “M” for Mommy/Mimi, “G” for Grandma/Grandpa, and “P” for Papa, “S” for Shannon/Sam,  “N” for Natalie/Nathan/Nehemiah, and we're working on  “J” for Jean/Justin, as well as “I, K,  and W”  for Isabelle, Kindra, and Wendy. (covering all the immediate family
• You really love being rocked in the rocking chair - if you wake up in the middle of the night (which has been happening more lately than in a long time) you usually say "ock, ock" - requesting to be rocked. We don't always give in, but it is nice to get that snuggle time that we don't get at other times because you're such a busy girl!
• You sleep with your lovey, a plastic butterfly teether, your soft baby doll, and often your toothbrush - silly girl! Usually after we brush your teeth at night you want to hold onto your toothbrush to take to bed.
• Speaking of sleep, you are a little one who needs it! We can tell quite a difference in your demeanor between when you are in need of more and when you're well-rested.
• You LOVE looking at pictures - photo books that we've made of you throughout your life, various photo albums, Mommy and Daddy's wedding pictures... if it has photos of people you know, you love it!

• We introduced "Play-Doh" to you at around 18 months - you love it and have managed to keep it all on the mat so far. We save it for "special occasions"/don't bring it out too often.
• Same thing with coloring - we introduced that earlier than the play-doh but save it for special playtimes - you love it!

• You LOVE to help Mommy with anything you possibly can - sweeping the floor, unloading the dishwasher, putting dishes in the sink, throwing things in the trash, "cooking" (when Mommy lets you - you've helped with banana bread & brownies), putting clothes in a laundry basket or dryer, and even cleaning the toilet! I hope you will keep being a willing little helper after baby brother arrives!!
• When we are leaving to go out to the car to go somewhere or leaving the car to go back into the house, you want to “alk” – walk by herself – usually getting distracted by other things and especially not wanting to go inside.
• One of your FAVORITE things is going on walks - either just on the sidewalk by foot or in the stroller. You've recently started recognizing stop signs by saying "op, op." You are not afraid to get dirty in the grass and mud!  
• You love to be on the go - especially love going to “church” and says it very clearly. You often want to go “bye-bye” in the morning and suggest that we go to “church.”

• You always remind us to pray before a meal by saying "Amen, Amen!" - then you make sure we all  hold hands while we pray- we're still working on the whole "closing our eyes" thing but you usually are pretty quiet during the prayer :) 
• Hannah Beth, you love ice and know that you can ask for it and usually get it when we go to Grandma Smith’s house – you love to use Grandma’s sippy cups for ice water – but don't ask for it as much here at home.

Random facts (things that Mommy wants to remember):

• You go to the childcare at a local church about twice a week while Mommy goes to exercise class - you love it and I'm so glad! You also usually do pretty well in the church nursery and during ladies' Bible study. Sometimes you'll cry for a minute when I leave but it doesn't usually last long.
• You love music - in church, at home when Mom and Dad sing to you, musical toys (one of your favorites is the piano) on TV/DVD - pretty much anywhere. One of your favorite songs in the "ABC" song. You always say "H" when we get to that letter :)

• In the above picture you were enjoying some of Uncle Nathan's birthday cake and ice cream - a rare treat to get sweets! You definitely have a sweet tooth though. Ever since Daddy's birthday, you started calling birthday treats or any kind of cookies with sprinkles/cupcakes/ice cream "happy" for happy birthday.
• We try to go to visit your Great-Grandparents every Thursday since they only live about 6-7 minutes from us. They love it and you do too! We almost always visit the "birds" in a cage. You are becoming a popular little girl with some of the senior citizens in their "retirement home" and it's a great place to walk (run) up and down the halls and get some energy out!

 

• In the above picture you are trying on the little flower girl dress that Mommy wore when I was right around your age in Aunt LaVonne & Uncle Jon's wedding. Even though you mostly look like your daddy, it was fun to see you in mommy's dress!

 

• You love spending time with your cousins - they were in town for a few days a couple of weeks ago and it was fun to watch you play together (and enjoy ice-cream cones)! The below picture shows you and your cousin Nehemiah brushing your teeth.

• You are somewhat obsessed with bugs right now - you call them "ucky" (unless it's a butterfly - that a "butty") but you will willingly pick up an ant or ladybug and play with it.
• You love Elmo and Barney and though your attention span is still pretty short, we sometimes watch Youtube clips of these as well as animals and Sunday School songs.
• We had a very "a-typical" winter here without much snow so your boots went un-used most of the time, but you did have fun playing in the snow a couple of times this winter.

 

• We love your sweet little grin!!