18 Months

Annabelle is 18 months old. Wow. Time flies. We went to see the doctor this morning for her well-visit. I must have temporarily lost my mind when I scheduled this appointment...for 7:00 AM. Seriously, what was I thinking?!?!?!?! Especially since Annabelle is a late sleeper. We're talking 10:30, 11:00 AM late. Anyway, I woke her up (after prying myself out of bed) and she was in a surprisingly good mood.

She now weighs 21 pounds, 11 ounces which puts her in the 10th percentile for weight. She's moved up in height, to the 25th percentile. She's 31 inches. And since they always measure head circumference, I'll give you that too: 17 3/4 inches, which falls into the 10th percentile. She's definitely gotten taller, but still petite...and adorable. :)

Annabelle is much more vocal lately and I giggled when the nurse asked me if she could speak at least seven words. Annabelle knows a lot of words now:

shoes: shhhhs

trees: tees

juice: dooce (which is her word for any drink)

pig: dih

Jacob: Dahtcha

go: guh

ball: bah

cracker: gack-uh (usually yelled loudly, in a demand)

Mommy: mama (she has said mama for a really long time, but she's only recently began calling me mama. I love it. :) )

Daddy: Daa-tah or Dah-tee

bubble: buh-puh

Bottle: bopple

Paper: pah-puh

Book: buh

good girl: guh-goal (she claps when she says this)

uh-oh: uh-oh

There are more, but these are some of the "regulars."

Each time we go to the doctor for a well-visit, I am given a handout on what to expect from my child at his/her particular age. I laughed when I read this one: "Toddlers sometimes seem out of control, or overly stubborn or demanding." Ummmmm. Yes. This is right on target. Annabelle is quite the stubborn little girl. And she has a fiery temper too; but, we've known that for a while now. :)

She's also extremely smart and catches on to things very quickly. The other day, I said the word "excited" in conversation with someone else. Annabelle overheard me and began clapping...because that's what you do when you are excited. If you mention shoes, she will immediately run to her closet and bring back a shoe. She loves shoes. If you say the word, "go," she is ready. She heads to the door...or to the closet to get her shoes if she's not yet wearing any.

She has also developed a hearty appetite, eating her brother under the table. I'd venture to say she usually eats more than Jacob at just about every meal. I asked the doctor about this. Since she's still in the 10th percentile for weight, we don't have anything to worry about. The doctor's advice: "Feed her 'til she's full." Will do.

I tried pigtails. From the side, very cute. From the front, not so much. I was just excited that she can now actually have pigtails!!