Happy half birthday, Samantha! - Eighteen months!

Samantha turned eighteen months last week.  It's crazy to us that she's a year and a half old!  At her eighteen month pediatrician visit, she was 21 pounds, 4 ounces (back to the 25th percentile) and 33 1/4 inches (a little above the 75th percentile).  Dr. Marshall said she was doing great, and she was such a brave little girl when she got her DTap shot in her left arm.  Her patriotic 4th of July half birthday photos show what a feisty, loving, and fun little girl we were lucky enough with which to be blessed!

I had to grab a picture of her with her doggy (thanks I think to Auntie Alissa- seriously one of the most loved presents so far!)  She needs this stuffed animal to sleep these days, and if for some reason you forget to find doggy before reading and nap time, Samantha "woofs" at you until you remember.  Unfortunately, it's often quite a scramble as she likes to carry doggy all over the upstairs (we don't let him come downstairs).

Samantha has also gotten very opinionated in that last month about basically everything.  She's liking to read more and more, but she also has lots more opinions on books.  One of the favorites this month seems to be Llama Llama Red Pajama (thanks Auntie Emily!), which she demands to be read by insisting "Lala".  

Samantha has learned how to climb basically every type of chair this month, and she really wants to sit by herself.  If she's behaving this can be really useful, as we don't always have to carry her booster seat now.  When she's not behaving, well let's just say we have a dangerous chair stander, who doesn't always listen to directions.

Samantha is getting more and more into playing with actual toys.  Inside she's gotten really into puzzles this month (she can currently complete all the wooden animal puzzles, the number puzzle, and the shape puzzle.  She can almost complete all the puzzles that have letters without any help).  Her other favorite game is running around the house pushing her baby stroller and making an adult follow her pushing her toy shopping cart.

She also loves outside toys.  The tricycle, lawnmower, and Cozy Coup are all favorites.

Samantha is often smiling and loves to be tickled. She almost always signs more after you finish tickling her.

She knows almost all her body parts now, pointing to basically every body part when you ask.  Although if you ask her where her teeth are, she grinds them, and when you ask her about her tongue she sticks it out.

Speaking of teeth, we're still at sixteen.  Her little mouth seems to be much fuller than most of her peers, though.

She has really mastered walking up stairs in the last month.  She can step up them if she holds our hands or the railings (although we're still close behind- every once in a while she gets distracted)

She's also stepping down the stairs by holding the railing or our hands.

It seems that this past month, Samantha has gotten more contemplative about what she wants everyone else to do.  She stops and thinks for a second, and although she still has limited language, she can make very clear what her little heart wishes that everyone else in the room should do.

Like right here she is insisting I sit on that piece of bench right next to her.

Not happy that I didn't oblige.

Samantha is still really happy outside- whether she's walking on her own or in her stroller.

Also new this month is an obsession with putting on her own shoes.  She's finally got it where she can get her feet in, but she can't pull the little buckles through.  She continues to love trying on our shoes and walking around with them.

Samantha's comprehension still seems excellent, and she basically knows how to follow pretty much all basic directions you give her if she's in the mood to listen.

Her language has expanded a little bit in the last month, and she can currently say No and Yeah, Hi, Buh-bye, Ball, Baby, Baa for banana and bird, Ba Ba for blueberry, Mama, Dada, Dis for this, Chee for Cheese, Sha for Shoes and Fish, Woof for doggie, Cock a doo a loo for rooster, and probably a few others I can't think of right now.

She is really obsessed with knowing where Andrew and I are at all times.  Here she is pointing out "Dada."  If one of us isn't around, she's constantly asking the other one, "Dada?", "Mama?"  And she has started labeling our stuff- she'll point to Andrew's shoes or bag and label them with "Dada."

She also now recognizes our car and house, and lets out a squeal and points when we're returning.

It is so fun to see her learning so much every day!  Here's to a fun 6 months of being 1 1/2!

Love you, little girl!