18 Months Old

My sweet Lily,
How on earth are you turning 18 months old today?  It seems like just yesterday that I was finding out I was pregnant with you.  My, how time flies when you are having fun!  Here are the things I always want to remember about you at this stage in your life:

-You are still a big girl!  You wear size 6 diapers and size 2T clothes.  You have already outgrown ALL of Eden's clothes from the summer that she was 18 months old.  Luckily, Aubrey was in 2T clothes last summer or I would be buying you a completely new wardrobe!  I can't wait to see how much you weigh at your appointment in a couple of weeks.

 -Your personality seems to be a perfect mixture of Parker and Eden.  You are easy going like Eden but can definitely be strong willed and stubborn like Parker.  You are also very funny and keep us laughing with the things you do.

-You are still learning lots of new words and can usually, with words and gestures, always get your point across.  You are a girl who knows what she wants, and if it is something out of your reach, you motion for us to follow you and lead us to whatever you want.  

(You love candy, especially the kind that melts all over your face!)

-You are finally starting to be much better about playing on your own, although you still love for mommy to sit and play with you.  Your favorite toy that you always choose first is the shape sorter.  You are also finally getting big enough that Parker and Eden want to include you in their play.

-You love music and love to dance!  Anytime you hear music, you immediately start moving to the beat!  When I was pregnant with you, I would turn on Pandora on my phone, put my phone on my belly, and let you listen to music while I worked on the computer.  I did this almost every day of your pregnancy and I often wonder if this is one of the reasons you love music so much!

-You love to be outside.  You are constantly pointing to the door and saying "ou-si".  You love to swing and have recently learned how to climb the ladder on the swing set all by yourself.  You still do not like to slide without me close by.

-You are a pretty good eater and will always try new things.  You are very independent and do not want anyone helping you eat, which makes for some very messy meals.  Your favorites are fruits and vegetables and you are not a huge fan of meat and cheese.  Just like your daddy and Eden, you LOVE sweets! 

-You are a great sleeper at night (8pm-7am) and take one nap in the afternoon that usually lasts about 1 1/2 hours.

-You are a momma's girl and have been very generous lately with your hugs and kisses.  The one drawback to this is that you are so jealous of Eden and HATE when I hold her or let her sit in my lap.  We are really working on sharing our time with mommy!

-You LOVE to color and could spend hours scribbling with crayons and markers.  You can already hold your crayon the correct way.  I wonder if you will be our artistic child.  By the way that you love to color on mommy's walls and floors, I would think so!  I guess only time will tell!

I know I say this all the time, but you are the perfect completion to our family!  I love the little girl that you are becoming and can't wait to watch you grow over the next 6 months.  I feel very lucky to be your mom!

I love you to the moon and back, Mommy