Lillian is now 18 months old and she is such a little person these days. Every Sunday people remark how much you're growing up and how much like a little girl you are... not a baby anymore!I would say that my favorite thing about this age with you has been your incredible, growing vocabulary! It's almost one new word a day that you seem to be repeating and it's been incredibly helpful in your communication and alleviating some of your frustration. It's also adorable the way you pronounce some words, like how flower is "flouw flouw" and how "Huckle" (for Hucklebear) occasionally becomes "Huckle-baby" as you try to pronounce his whole name.
The most challenging thing of the last month has been naps. You've been down to one nap a day for quite some time now, but for about 3 weeks your one nap a day has been less than an hour - with few exceptions. This is hard for you because it's not enough rest to break up a 12 - 13 hour day of playing and it's hard for me because I too need rest and time to do my part time Marketing & Advertising job.
The things that most 'mark' this age for us are:
- Saying goodbye to everyone: when the waiter leaves the table, when the guy passing communion walks away from our pew, to people walking away from us in Target.
- You also LOVE to 'leave' and close the door and say "bye bye". Some of our doors don't latch and so it's just a matter of a push for you to get back in the room. You did it the other day to a door that DID latch and didn't understand why you couldn't come back in from your exit.
- Obsessed with babies (which is great news because you're going to be a big sister soon) - you say "Baby" whenever you see a car seat or stroller and try to look inside.
- You love shoes of all kinds and you get so frustrated when they're too big and won't stay on your feet.
- Love your Hucklebear - and ask for him first thing when you wake up in the morning or from a nap - though we've had to work more on 'gentleness' the last month as you try and play with him and get rough or sometimes push him out of the way. He is less patient with you these days now that you are more aggressive with him, but he is still a very sweet boy and I know he will appreciate your 'play' more over time.
- Somewhere around here we dropped your paci simply by doing everything else in your nighttime routine and just NOT giving you the paci. Mostly your daddy took care of this. We would put your paci in your bed in a corner (so it wasn't as visible when we lay you down) and then we quit putting it in altogether. Somehow this transition was miraculously easy... thank you thank you for that!
- You are obsessed with phones and say "hello" into anything that seems like a phone. You say "hello" and "bye bye" when we begin or end a conversation on the phone.
- Also obsessed with daddy! You ask for him when he is gone at work during the day, you take the keys to the front door and say "Da Da" as if to open it, you hear a mower start outside and ask "Da Da?", but you LOVE to play coy with him when he comes home.
- You are a great night sleeper 11 - 12 hrs a night usually from 8pm to 7am or 8pm to 8am with occasional flukes where you'll get up extra early or sleep in. You are less flexible than you used to be with bed time for small groups and dinners out, probably in part because of the tremendous energy it takes to be a toddler and in part because you hardly sleep during the day.
- Still a great eater (though sometimes this is touch and go if you are overtired). If you are picky with something one meal you will love it the next so I usually don't stress over it too much if you won't eat pineapple for lunch because you'll be asking "more" "more" at dinner.
- You love the pool, riding in the front seat of the car and 'honking' the horn, and your friend "Dane" whose name you can say and will ask for obsessively at times.
- Last but not least, you are definitely experiencing the toddler frustration. Though your vocabulary is increasing greatly it is still hard for you to communicate your needs - or even KNOW your needs. You will be so irritated that you can't carry all of the toys at once that you need to carry, or you can't play with something you'd like to play with. Sometimes a simple "Lillian, let's leave that in the drawer please." will send you into a back-arching screaming fit, but I know that will improve with time.... we'll just have to give it a little time... :)
This month we attended Uncle Marcus' Baylor Law School Graduation (at the end of July) with Ninny, Opa, Yaya, and Marvin & Debbie Walker. (picture at the top and then one below with Ya Ya) And Baby Knox came to visit us in Dallas since I still could not travel - you LOVED HIM!!!! You brought your own baby and put her in the carrier, offered her Knox's paci, and loved laying down next to Knox on the floor (see picture, bottom). Though we really had to watch your steps and 'offering' him toys this positive experience with such a tiny baby really makes me excited to see you with your own brother.
We love you so much and know that you are going to be a wonderful helper to your little brother Reed. In the meantime, we are enjoying our time alone with just you, watching you turn into a little girl before our very eyes.
