18 Months Old

Blake had her 18 month check-up, like usual, and the doctor says she is looking great. I forgot to grab the paper from the doctor with all of her stats. But she was relatively normal...nothing high and nothing low. Mostly 50-60 percentiles, from what I remember.

Here are some of the things she has been up to the last few months:

Blake loves to brush her hair. If she ever finds a brush or comb on the ground, she will pick it up and proceed to brush her hair. Or she will go to the bathrooms, open the drawers and find a brush. It becomes really frustrating when I've just spent a while doing her hair to have her brush it a few minutes later and completely destroy it.

She is quite a climber. She climbs up chairs, onto the counter, out of her crib, up shelves, onto the piano, into the playhouse, up slides, etc. Even if it seems impossible, she finds a way to climb it.

It may be about that time to transition Blake out of the crib. Though she doesn't do it often, she sometimes climbs out of her crib if she isn't ready to go to bed. But her climbing out is typically more falling or flipping out. 

Blake is one of the best kids to put to sleep. Basically, when she is acting somewhat tired, you take her into her room, lay her down, give her a binky, put blanket over her, and she'll go to sleep. And she gets excited for naps/bedtime. If you ask her if she wants to go night-night, she'll get excited and book it downstairs to her room. 

There was even a time I was working on the computer and noticed it was a little too quiet. I went downstairs and Blake had put herself down for a nap. 

I was afraid Blake was a little behind on speech for a while, but suddenly she started taking off. Some of the words she says: water, food, vegetables, outside, down, phone, mommy, swing, bath, chicken, noddles, etc. She is able to repeat most of what I say.

When she wants her diaper changed, often times she will tell you she is poopie or she will just lay down in front of you. If she can find a diaper and wipes, she is happy to bring them to you.

Blake is finally starting to fight back to Wills bullying. If he does something she doesn't like,  she will grab his shirt, pinch him, push him, whatever. Will isn't a fan of this. Sometimes I find it funny, though she is starting to get mean.

She loves to swing and will giggle in delight with the first push. It's the cutest laugh.

She is both a follower and an instigator. She loves to follow Will around and do whatever he is doing. And other times she is leading the way and Will copies her. They are both little trouble makers...

She was terrified of it at first, but now she loves standing on something high and jumping into your arms.

She likes to pretend to talk on the phone.

Blake is a bit of a mommy's girl and has some attachment issues. She plays well when I'm close by, but if I leave then she is likely to follow. For a while, she would cry every time I dropped her off anywhere, but she is finally starting to get better at that. 

She loves Slurpees. When we go to 7-Eleven she enjoys getting started on her Slurpee while I check-out. When we get back to the car, I typically take her Slurpee so I can get her buckled in without spilling it all over. She throws the biggest tantrum. Seriously, you would think her world just ended. Once I had her drink back, the panic attack instantly stops.

Blake loves the water. She loves bath time, going to the pool, and spending a lot of time at the splash pad.

Sometimes when she is finished eating, she will throw her food on the floor. Piece by piece. A few days ago she was eating spaghetti noodles and peas. By the time I turned around, the floor was covered in peas and noodles. There is a pile of food/crumbs on our floor after every meal. And it's not just under Blake, it spreads everywhere. Basically our entire kitchen floor is always a mess because I hate sweeping.

Often when we go places, we will tell Will to hold Blake's hand so she doesn't run off. It has become tradition for Will to walk Blake into church and now other places. He is very good at helping her and making sure that she is safe.

If someone is sitting on the floor, chances are pretty good that she will come plop down on their lap. Especially if I am sitting on the floor, though I have seen her do it to other random people as well.

Blake loves babies and will point and say baby over and over again. She has a hard time staying out of their face. She likes to poke them and point to their eyes, etc. 

She loves food. Some days, it seems like all she does is eat. All. Day. Long.

Some of her favorite foods include: noodles, vegetables, chicken, bananas, soup, cereal, rice, etc. 

When she decides she doesn't like something, good luck trying to get her to eat it. Sometimes, even before ever trying that particular thing, she decides that she isn't going to. She will clamp her mouth shut and stick out her tongue if you try to feed her. If that doesn't stop you, then she'll simply hit your hand or the spoon out of the way. The little stinker. 

It's no secret that I take a lot of pictures of my kids. And they are both pretty good to stop and smile for a moment. Blake, however, has her little "cheese" face that she does whenever I try to take a picture. She puts her head way back, closes her eyes, and does a cheesy little grin. 

 

If you do something that Blake doesn't like, such as taking a toy away, she will hit you. Basically she has a temper, and she can be mean. Still trying to figure out how to stop that one.

She is a great little helper. When I am unloading the dishwasher, she loves to help me put all of the silverware away. She also likes to help clean up blocks, trains, Legos, whatever. 

When she hears the train while playing outside, she will scream "Train! Train!" and say "choo, choo". She is building a love for trains, like Will.

Her hair has grown a ton on the last 6 months. It's been fun being able to try new hairstyles. She doesn't always like sitting still while I do her hair, however she does well enough that I'm able to do it.

 

I try to keep her hair looking at least somewhat decent. But sometimes, it just seems impossible and it seems like most of the time, she looks like this.

I would say Blake is generally a happy kid. However, when she is mad, she will let you know it. And she has some of the saddest faces I've ever seen.

She does not like being confined and forced to sit still. She is definitely a busy body and running from one activity to another. And when she isn't allowed to run free, she can get a bit grumpy.

Blake loves shoes. When she finds them, she insists that someone helps her put them on. She also likes walking around in Will's shoes or disorganizing my shoes.

She is a hard kid to take to sacrament meeting. She doesn't like to stay in one area, her and Will always fight over everything. Basically, she spends a good chunk of time in the hall. A few weeks ago we managed to go the entire meeting without a trip to the hall. It was a first, and it was a miracle that has yet to happen again. At least she is good in nursery. 

Everywhere we go, people always comment on how cute she is. And I'd have to say that I agree with them. Every time I look at her, I am amazed how she is no longer a baby, but quickly becoming a little girl.