Eighteen Months...

Precious Mollie, last week you turned 18 months old.  You started out as the most laid back of the three, but lately it seems that with every month older you grow, the bigger your will and persistence grow too!  And what a big personality you have!  You are learning so much.  Each day is a new discovery and you soak up everything like a little sponge.  You copy everything you see us do, from putting dishes and groceries away to dance moves and attempting to work the phone and computer.

Three months ago you began feeding yourself with a fork/spoon, and by now you've become very proficient at it.  It's lots of fun to see your language developing, in that even though you don't say much yet, you understand and follow through with most simple commands.  To date, your favorite words are "bir" (bird), "hot", "tickle", "dits" (thanks), "Eh yeh" (Ellie), "zoos" (which you use for juice, shoes, and cheese), "ish" (for fish or goldfish crackers), and if you don't know the word for something you just point to it and say "daddy...daddy!" (not quite sure how you made that connection, but it's funny anyway.)  You also 'bark' when you see dogs, 'moo' when you see a cow, and say 'ahh' when you see a cat.  You love playing outside, being read to, drinking slushes, and looking at animals. You also love to collect rocks and other small things in your little hands, and you will carry them around (or hold them in your mouth) for a long time!

At 18 months you weigh 23 pounds and you are 32.5 inches long.  Many days I wish I could stop time, as I cannot quite grasp how fast it seems you are growing up.  I'm holding on so tightly to every single minute of your babyhood because I see it so quickly fleeting.  Every day with you is a precious gift, my sweet baby girl.  I'm so thankful you are mine.