Emma Kate: Month 18

I can’t believe my baby girl is a year and a half old today! So much is going on over here at this age that I don’t even know where to start. Emma Kate has been teething lately, getting her canines on the bottom, and it has not made her a happy camper obviously. She also had an ear infection in February, our first since getting tubes back in November, and after yesterday’s doctor appointment learned that she has another one! Apparently one of her ears is draining properly but the other isn’t….so glad I spent all the money on tubes.

Emma Kate loves going to the park and swinging on swings and sliding down the slides. If there are big kids around, she will follow them and mimic their actions. Oh boy. She is still climbing on everything and is pretty fearless. She will flip over a basket to climb on top and then climb onto tables.

Lately she has been really into pictures, and makes me hand her all our picture frames and she points to each person while I tell her who it is. She will point to me and say “mama” and point to Bobby and say “dada”, so it’s finally clicking the names that go with the people I think!

She also will go to the refrigerator or pantry and cry when she’s hungry, and she refuses to sit in her high chair anymore unless we take the tray off and scoot her up to the table. She has gotten really picky about her food lately, so I never know what she is going to eat…but she still loves cheese and lasagna! (Side note, apparently she eats really well at school, just not for me. Sad times.)

Emma Kate moved up to the toddler class at daycare and it has been a little bit of an adjustment. They sit at a table to eat, have more structure, and take naps on cots. When I was first told that, I thought no way is my child going to nap on a cot, but she does! They spend a lot of time outside now that it’s warmer, which she loves. She also just moved up to a new class in the church nursery this week. She is getting to be such a big girl! With the time change, we have been able to go outside after dinner and play which has been really great.

She knows some of the motions to “Itsy bitsy spider”, “Wheels on the Bus”, and “head, shoulders knees and toes” and loves music in general. She claps in the car when I play the radio or sing to her.

I can say different things like “go get your shoes” or “where is Olaf” and she knows what I am saying and will bring the correct item. She LOVES to have books read to her, and she points at each thing (mainly animals) and wants you to say what it is. She knows a lot of her animal noises (cow/sheep/dog/pig) and and still loves dogs.

Here are her 18 month stats: Weight is right at 27 pounds (91%), height is 34 inches (98%), and head is 47.75 inches (86%). She is still in size 4 diapers, and can wear 18 month clothes in certain things, but most of her clothes are now 2T, especially for the length. She wears a size 5 sneaker, but can still wear a 4 in a few sandals. She has all her front teeth except one canine that is only halfway up, and she has her first set of molars.

When she knows she has something she isn’t supposed to, she will hide it behind her back. She also shakes her finger at the dog and say s”no, no!” so I guess we tell her no too much, whoops! She still does not like her diaper being changed, and hardly wants to be held anymore, she just wants to be put down so she can RUN! We have had a few come to Jesus meetings about her temper tantrums and fussing, she is VERY stubborn and strong willed. It can be frustrating now, but I know later in life it will serve her well.

She knows that she has to put on socks and shoes to go outside, but hasn’t quite figured out how to do it herself. She does very well with routines for bedtime and meals, and I think that makes it easier on everyone. She goes to bed at 7:15, and sleeps until anywhere from 6:30-7:15. She was a rockstar with the time change a couple of weeks ago, too!

It’s hard to remember what life was like before this little ball of energy was here. Each new stage is hard in it’s own way, but also better than the last. Happy half birthday bug, we love you!

QOTD: