Friday, March 12, 2010

My baby is 18!

...Eighteen months old, that is :) I can't believe that Aubrey is a year and a half old already! Seriously, I'm still getting used to the fact that she turned one, and now we're halfway to her second birthday!! I feel like we just had her first birthday party last week. It's bittersweet that she is getting so old. I've never been one to get sad about my baby getting older. I truly have enjoyed every stage, so it's not sad to me to see her doing new things and getting bigger. However, it is a little sad when I think about the fact that her baby stage is over. Aubrey will never be a baby again. It is true what they say though -- she will always be my baby. I think deep down, I will always think of her as my sweet little baby :)She is the most active, energetic child I have ever come across. She is literally ALWAYS on the move. The only time she is still is when she is sleeping. People often watch her for a little while and then ask me, "Is she always this busy?" The answer is YES!! I love that she is so curious about everything. It's fun to see her constantly explore her world. Although, it would be nice if she would just sit still in my lap sometimes. Maybe her little brother will be a lap baby. Haha.

All this activeness does come with it's share of problems. For example, Aubrey hates to sit in her highchair long enough to finish a meal. On top of that, she is really picky and I never know what she is going to be in the mood to eat from day to day. So these two things make for very stressful mealtimes (for Mommy!). Here are a few of the things that Aubrey will consistently eat right now:
-strawberry yogurt (she is over the other flavors)
-tomatoes
-corn
-green peas
-broccoli
-Gerber pasta pick-ups
-raisins (I know these are a choking hazard, but I watch her carefully when she eats them.)

Those are my "go-to" foods for Aubrey. She will eat other things, but she really does have to be in the right mood for a certain food in order to eat it. Crazy.

She also hates to sit still when we go out to eat. It's really gotten to be a nightmare. However, I love eating out, and I do not want to give it up just because I have an over-active toddler. I'm trying to train her to love eating out too. Haha.

Aubrey talks all day long. I'm finally starting to recognize some words too! She says:
-Mama
-Daddy
-nana (for banana)
-ooon (for balloon)
-She has said dog, but she doesn't say it all the time.
-She's also said bow but not all the time.
-She says up when she wants me to put her on the couch, but again, she isn't saying that one consistently yet.

I'm just excited that she has some recognizable words! I really think she is saying more than I know -- I just haven't realized what she is talking about yet. She talks SO much more when she doesn't have her pacifier stuck in her mouth (duh). We have been trying to give her the paci less during the day. She's fine as long as it is out of sight. Actually, the days that she doesn't have her paci are the days she says those words that she isn't saying consistently. I think she'll really start talking more when I do a better job of just putting the paci away. Sometimes I just don't think about it.

Aubrey is such a copycat! It's the cutest thing in the world. She copies my breathing (takes deep breathes when I do), blows on her food when it's hot like I do, and even tries to cross her arms when I cross mine. Sometimes I don't even realize I have my arms crossed until I see her attempting to cross her's. Hilarious! (This is a picture of Aubrey with her arms crossed. Super cute, right??)I know every parent thinks this about their child, but we think Aubrey is so smart! I will tell her to go find really off the wall things sometimes just to keep her busy. I never think she will actually know what I'm talking about and be able to find the thing. But she usually does. I'm always surprised at how much she actually understands.

Naptime is hit or miss, unfortunately. Some days she goes down without a peep and naps great, and some days she just will.not.sleep. She just doesn't seem tired sometimes. It's very frustrating, but I'm trying to make the most of it. On the bright side, she usually sleeps later the next morning when she doesn't nap.

At 18 months old, Aubrey still only has 2 teeth. I think that is just the funniest thing. If you feel her top gum it's just one bump after another. Her teeth are all right there. She is probably going to get them all at once. Won't that be fun. Haha.

Aubrey still gives the best kisses and hugs. If I ask her if she loves Mommy, she will either give me a kiss or a hug. Precious! She really is the cutest, funniest, loudest, most outgoing baby I've ever seen. We love her big personality and can't wait to watch her continue to grow and learn!

2 comments:

The Williams Family said...

Yes, she will always be your baby because you are still mine! I love all the things she is doing now too and can't wait for the next 18 months!!

Joy and Chris said...

She looks so different in the face now - getting to be such a big girl! And so cute!! Can't wait to see y'all next weekend :)