Violet at 18 Months

Growth & Appearance: You appear taller and slimmer. Any and all traces of baby are pretty much gone. Swept away by the winds of time. You look most baby-like when you're asleep. Other than that you look very much like a big girl. Your hair is long and a little wild at times. It hangs in your face a lot. You've recently started pushing it out of your eyes. It's long in the back and flips out sometimes. Your cowlick is very noticeable these days. Your skin is still very fair and recently someone commented that you look like a living doll.

You weigh 30 lbs and stand 32.5 inches tall. Holding steady in 2T clothing, though sometimes I buy 3T so you can wear things longer. Size 5 diaper. Size 5-6 shoe.

Teeth: Sixteen. I had to triple check that in my head to make sure I was right. SIXTEEN. We should be done for a while. Two-year molars will be next.

Talking: You know many words. I'm guessing somewhere in the neighborhood of 100. You've only recently began stringing them together into two-word phrases.

Words you say most often: no, more, hi or hidey, here mama, moon, wow, alright. No is often accompanied with an aggressive head shake.

You call the television Mio Mao which is one of your favorite cartoons. You say the word purple but have no idea what purple is. You just started saying "knock knock" but never finish the joke

You say many things, but understand even more than you can say. You follow direction very well.

Eating: You love food most days. If you don't feel well you skip entire meals. But typically, you have a great relationship with food. You often try to put way too much in your mouth at once and end up spitting it all out and trying again.

When you're done eating you throw everything off the table like one of those crazy musicians that smashes their guitar at the end of the show. You'll flip your plate upside down and do what I like to call "the swipe" where your arm conveniently wipes everything off the table and into the floor.

Sleeping: You're a good sleeper. You nap once a day around 2 and for about 2 hours. You go to bed around 9:30 and get up around 8.

You let me know when you're ready for bed by going to the refrigerator and asking for milk. I apply lavender oil to your feet every night in bed. This has been a part of your bedtime routine for many months now. You will hold your feet up and point at them for me to rub it on.

Development: You are spirited and fearless. You are curious and observant. You've learned so much just by watching. You like to try to help with everything. You help load and unload the dishwasher, sweep, fold laundry, throw things away, water flowers, and so on. We finally got you a little broom because you would get so frustrated trying to sweep with the big one.

You love to dance and you are pretty darn good at it. You won a dance contest at Chuck E. Cheese recently. That's how serious this is. You've memorized parts of songs and can act out actions they say. You've been working on jumping. It began as skipping but you can finally get both feet off the ground now. It usually takes a few warm up jumps to get to the two-footer. You also like to spin in circles until you get dizzy and fall down. Your climbing skills are superb. You climb up on the coffee table often.

You can point out pretty much any body part on yourself and on others. You can also make several animal noises when asked, including: Owl, chicken, cow, frog, pup, kitty and snake. You can also identify animals in your animal books.

You love taking baths. In fact, we musn't speak the word unless we're prepared to give you one. Once you hear it you run through the house pulling your clothes off. After a bath you take your lotion to someone and sit for them to apply it. You also hold your hand out and insist having some so you can help.

You love books, shoes, and blankets. You always pick your shoes out and happily sit for them to be put on your feet. Animal books are your favorite and books with pictures of the moon.

You can turn things on and off. You know where the buttons and switches to all of your toys are. You also love turning light switches on and off and often ask to be picked up to reach them.

Favorites: Being outside. You just love it so much. Your swing is hanging from the big Oak tree and you often ask to swing. You pick up acorns and pile them up, sometimes in the swing. You also pull your wagon around and fill it up with pine cones. Now the pecans are falling and you help me pick them up and put them in buckets

You also really like Mr. Potato Head.