On April 28, Olivia celebrated her 18 month birthday! Okay, so we didn't celebrate per se (in fact that is the day that Alex and I left her with cousins for the night so we could get away...stories later), but she did officially turn 1 1/2. It's crazy to me to see her grow up so fast, and I wanted to jot down some stats and milestones, as well as share her 18 month pictures.
I know I'm totally biased, but Olivia is just a beautiful girl. She has such a fun smile and shares it with us often - though it's getting to be a "guilty" smile more often than not! I'm constantly amazed by her big blue eyes...we may never know where she got them, but they are stunning. As of the 18 month mark, she officially has 12 teeth (8 in front and 4 molars). She measures in at a not-so-whopping 22 lb 0 oz (about 18th %ile), and is just short of 34 inches tall (88th %ile).
Olivia has many favorite activities, my favorite of which is reading. She has a whole shelf of children's books, and will sit in front of it for up to 40 minutes pulling off one book at a time, flipping through it - all the while talking excitedly (and sometimes quite loudly) about what she sees - and then pulling off then next. When I come in after a while she is usually buried in books, which completely cover her legs and are usually all open a random page. We are still working on the skill of putting books back on the shelf!
However, that being said, Olivia is a great helper. One of her favorite things to do is put stuff in the garbage can, sometimes even bringing something up to me asking if she can throw it away. We will have to watch the day that she learns how to click the can open by herself, as I'm sure I'll find lots of fun things in there! She is also great at helping mom and dad clean up her toys and books, as has started picking up her mom's knack for organization. She is quite particular about how her stuffed animals are placed, though it only takes moments for her to jump into the pile, effectively disregarding all of her work :). I'm sure in a few years she will pick up more of my tendencies, hopefully they are all as helpful as toy organization!
Olivia loves playing with other kids. Lately she has taken to running right up into some other kid's personal space, getting about one inch away, but never touching them. In fact, one little girl hugged her after she came right up, and Olivia seemed quite put out by it. She and I both enjoy the gym, because she gets to play with a whole bunch of other kids, and I get a little bit of mom time in the middle of my day. She also has a lot of fun at the park, and we are anxious to be back in Oregon where it's not too hot to stay for more than 10 minutes!
P.S. This next picture is my favorite!
Olivia is very excited for her baby brother (to arrive in August). She points out babies everywhere we go, and is quick to pull up my shirt to show off her baby at all of the most convenient times :). She shows off her own belly as well, but that doesn't seem quite so inappropriate! At home, she loves to give the baby hugs and kisses, which inevitably ends with her blowing raspberries on my stomach until I make her stop. She loves that she can make such a funny sound, and I enjoy feeling the baby kick in response to his sister's love. I can't wait to see how they interact together, and know she will be a great big sister.
She has become quite a talker recently, and has a whole bunch of words that she uses all the time. Besides any and all animal noises, she says:
Up please, More please, *insert anything here* please - 'mu muuuuuhhhhh'
Dada
Mama
Names of many relatives (grandma, grandpa, Ashley, Andy, Amber, Maely, Kade, Elli, Teag, Amelia, and more...these are just the most common) - she always wants to sit at the computer and go through pictures of everyone with me pointing out who they are, then she repeats the name back to me
Okay so my memory is failing, but she says all sorts of other things as well. The funniest is whenever she is in protest of anything. She waves her hands in front of her and yells "whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa" very fast. The first couple times she did it Alex and I just couldn't stop laughing, but it does get her message across!
She's a very active girl, running around most places, and she loves to jump. Her toes are yet to leave the ground when she jumps, but she gets plenty of bounce! She also climbs. Anywhere she wants to get, she finds a way (I swear nothing can prepare you for coming out of the back room to find your baby standing on the kitchen counter rummaging through the cupboard!). It's fun to see her little personality developk, and to see how she learns to express herself. I'm sure in 10 years I'll be wishing I hadn't said this, but right now it's a blast.
Overall, she's just my happy girl. It seems like we've had her forever, and at the same time this last year and a half has gone faster than any in my life. Our little monkey is growing up way too fast, and is teaching us every day. She is a huge blessing in Alex's and my life, I couldn't imagine it without her. It's hard to stop calling her my baby girl, but she is a total kid now, and loving every minute of it.
These pictures are SO adorable. They make me feel like I'm hanging out with her playing. We miss all her talking at our house :) - and her busy playing. Teagen has picked up quite a few tricks from her :).
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