Happy 18 Months

As the tantrums slow down and the giggles increase, Ellison has become such a sweet, silly, and smart little girl. We are amazed by her extensive vocabulary, her knowledge of colors, animal sounds, and basic concepts. This is what she is doing at 18 months:

Favorite Foods: Hummus, chicken, broccoli, grapefruit, kiwi, banana, strawberries, blueberries, whole apples (not slices or cut up), crackers (all of which she knows by name, and asks for)

Not So Favorite Foods: Mac & Cheese, sandwich bread, applesauce, sphaghetti

New Words: Anything and everything, vocab is extensive! A few examples:

• Body Parts (names and points to): head, hair, teeth, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, cheeks, arms, hands, legs, knees, feet, toes, tummy, and belly button.
• Outside objects: Sky, trees, squirrels, birds, plane, grass, leaves
• Colors: Orange, pink, purple
• Animals: Dog, cat, cow, manatee, dolphin, turtle, duck, sheep
• Mickey Mouse Characters: Minnie, Daisy (her favorite), Mickey, Duck (i.e. Donald), Pete, Goofy, Pluto
• Manners: Thank you, Please, Bless You
• Clothing: Shirt, dress, pants, diaper
• Personal Hygiene: Bath, shower, poop, pee, brush, change, wash, blows her nose
• Names (recognizes in pictures and in person): Dada, Mama, Kim, Ash, Art, Andy, Grandma, Grandpa, Papa, Nana, Drew, Aunt Chan, Uncle Tim, Rihana, Aunt Suad, Tiffany (swim instructor), Mary (teacher), Gwyn (realtor), Bob (neighbor), Virginia, Alejandra, Jaquan, Nathan (all friends), Baxter, Ali and Bella (her dogs).
• Other fun words: Bounce, Jump, silly, hon (short for "honey" as a term of affection), nice, sticker, stuck, backpack, fun, cool

Favorite things to do:

• Tumble on the bed, her chair, in the yard. (Her note from school on Monday, read "Ellison likes to stand on her head.")
• Sorting everything, everywhere.
• Plays with puzzles and actually puts the pieces back where they belong!
• Loves to play with her neighborhood friends! Ellie's eyes light up when I ask her if she wants to go outside and play with Virginia and Alejandra.
• Loves to feed, bath, dress, and rock to sleep her baby dolls.
• Loves to color and play with stickers!

And the best thing of all that she is now doing... GIVING HUGS! She will reach her arms out and say, "HUG." She gives hugs to show you she loves you, needs you, and to manipulate you. However, I will take any and all hugs that I can get.

At 18 months, Ellison is an unbelievable joy in all of our lives. She is caring and loving, smart and intuitive, silly and funny, and head strong! She is constantly moving, manipulating, watching, and learning. It is a 100% delight to call her my daughter!