Anna's 18th Month

A year-and-a-half!

I could not possibly list all the words this month.  She'll try most any word, so it's hard to keep up with what she's tried versus what she has mastery of.

Cereal, for instance...she recognizes what it means, but she rarely if ever uses it on her own.  Milk, fruit, sausage, cheese, raisins, and water (sounds like whyyy-ee) on the other hand, are frequent requests.

Birdy is a new one for sure (there is a bird ornament on the Christmas tree), and I love it.  Like most babies, she doesn't do the er sound yet, so it comes out as boody.  Dirty is the same way: dooty.  Diaper is another new one.

Interestingly, counting has not progressed beyond two through four, but she has loved "counting" everything in the house using the numbers she knows.

My favorite thing this month has been Anna's pretend games of OH NOOO!!!!

This is usually a game of carrying some object around, dropping/throwing it, and then shouting OH NOOO!!! as she scurries to rescue the object.

CLOSE second favorite thing: tickles!!! Ribs and upper thighs especially, but also under her chin and feet.

She has been practicing gentleness with Monkey and really succeeding at it most of the time.

Least favorite thing this month: temper tantrums.

We are fully into the realm of short-fused, fully-illogical, on-the-floor-SCREAMING-with-rage tantrums. I dislike it, but it doesn't make me quite as crazy as I thought it might.  Most of the time I'm ok with maintaining sanity by telling her, "I'll be right here when you decide to use your words," and then doing some dishes a few feet away or quietly playing with one of her toys by myself.  She usually burns herself out within five minutes.  Usually.

Thanksgiving was last month, and she and I took a harrowing plane ride down to Dallas to visit my family.

This is Anna signing "help"

Harrowing because I thought/planned on Anna sleeping on the flight...and she did not.  So all toys and books exhausted, three hours past bedtime, confined to my lap with a neighbor who refused to make eye contact, she melted all the way down.  I was on my own with her.  Gotta say, I don't recommend this method of toddler travel. (The return flight (with Dave) was much better...but still not recommended)

The visit itself was nice, though.  It was good to see family that we usually only get to see on video chat.

Please forgive...I did not whip out the camera very often on this trip, and what I did manage to get wasn't generally "good"

And despite not having much time to see all the people (it never seems to be enough), we got to visit the Dallas Zoo and the Arboretum, too!

Anna thought watching the giraffes get fed (by other people) was amazing, and she loved getting to brush the goats in the petting zoo.

These pumpkins were thrilling as well (and now she has pumpkin pretty solid, too).

Oh, Anna! You are a surprise and delight every single day.  You fill our lives with so much joy and laughter.

I love you so much, my little lamb, so very, very much.  Plus you are legit hilarious.