EIGHTEEN MONTHS!!!!!!

If I only knew how to slow time down...and yet, I think this is every mother's plea as her gorgeous, sweet, precious infant grows into an adorable, active, full of life TODDLER!  (And probably for every other moment of their lives.)

But you know what, each stage has been such an amazing experience...different changes, milestones, and yes, trials.  None of which I would change for anything...ok most things.  I would probably change the whole acid reflux stage if I could ~ if only because I know it was so painful for her :(

I continue to be amazed almost daily by our sweet girl...her vocabulary, her independent mind, her smiles, hugs, kisses and unconditional love.  I tried at one point to write down her words as they came but it turned out I'm not that efficient...or she is just brilliant and learns too quickly :)  However, for the sake of documentation, I will attempt to write it all down!

At 18 Months Sophia...

• Can "say" the following words (and their translation): Mama, Dada, Bubba, Mimi, Nana, Grama (Grandpa), PopPop, PawPaw, PaPa, JaJa (Aunt Jaime), JuJu (Julian), Char-Char (Charlotte), Emo (Elmo), Owside (Outside), Mine, Me, Bite, More, Peas (Please), Eeese (Cheese), Tank Oo (Thank You), Nanna (Banana), Ock Me (Rock Me), Night Night, Uh-Oh, No, Go, Ow, Bye-Bye,  Eddy (Teddy), Dolly, Cacker (Cracker), Shoes, Ocks (Socks), Fork, Oon (Spoon), Up, Down, Baby, Poo-Poo, Apple, Flower, Ball, Yea, Whoa, Ite (Sprite), Book, Ickle-Ickle (Tickle-Tickle), Ingy (Slinky), Pity (Pretty), Uit Oop (Fruit Loop), Gin (Again), Juice, Bump (Fist Bump), Uck (Truck), It (Sit)

Ok, seriously, how many of you actually read that ENTIRE paragraph?!  And scanning doesn't count ;)  I'm sure I missed a few and of course there is a whole slew of babble that we just nod and pretend to understand!

• Doesn't use signs as much since she is more verbal but still uses "please" and "thank you" regularly. Her newest sign is "wait".  This is by far NOT her favorite concept.
• Loves music and dancing.  Her favorite songs right now are Bringing Home a Baby Bumble Bee, Are You Happy and You Know It and You Are My Sunshine
• Has become quite an independent little girl
• Will win you over almost every time with her cute little grin, dimples and gorgeous blue eyes
• Still loves, and I do mean LOVES, outside.  Her teacher at school told me she has never seen a child love outside as much as Sophie.  She doesn't even mind if she has to play by herself as long as she is outside ~ it's the cure all I tell you!
• Follows directions very well (most of the time)
• Enjoys playing chase around the house and pretending to scare you
• Has an annoying habit of throwing all the bath toys out of the tub.  We are now in the discipline/training stage of breaking this habit.
• Is a great sleeper and only wakes up on very random occasions.  Her bedtime is somewhere between 7:45-8:00.  Wake-up time is around 6:45-7:15 depending on how much of a sleepy head she wants to be :)
• Had stopped wanting to be rocked but the past couple of weeks she wants to snuggle before bedtime and we are relishing the sweetness.
• Is starting to tell us "poo-poo" when she needs to potty.  So far, that has not resulted in any successful potty trips but it's a start!
• Adores other kids
• Seems to get bullied at school sometimes :(  This clearly makes us not happy parents!!!!  However, she did hit one kid after getting bit to which we were quite proud...maybe we shouldn't have been, but oh well!  Has also been hit in the cheek with a toy to which she told the little boy "NO, NO, NO!!!"  I think eventually she will get all of them in-line :)
• Wears Size 3 diapers but can wear Size 4.  This is definitely our last round of Size 3 I think.
• Is in 18-month or 2T jeans simply for the length.  We have been buying 2T so that we can the adjustable waist, which we have to pull as tightly as possible.  Also, in an 18-month to 2T shirt.
• Size 5 1/2 to 6 shoe.  This makes me happy because they have more fun options in these sizes :)
• Loves necklaces and bracelets and anything she can pretend is a necklace or bracelet
• Plays with her small kitchen, ball popper and slinky more than anything else
• Still sleeps with Teddy and a blanket (sometimes two...one to snuggle and one to actually use)
• Can sometimes be shy and other times a little too "adventurous"
• Likes to help in the kitchen...I think we are going to request that Santa bring her an actual play kitchen this year instead of the small "baby" one she currently has.
• Will SOMETIMES sit still and actually watch a cartoon/movie...mostly when it involves her beloved Elmo
• Adores art - our collection is growing rapidly!
• Gives the best hugs, best kisses and cutest bye-bye's of any kid I know...but then I am prejudice :)
• Will always be one of the biggest blessings of our entire lives
• And I'm sure a million other things that I just totally couldn't think of at the time of this post...but whatever those things might be, they only add to the amount of love and awe we have for this sweet, precious girl.
• We love you, Peanut!  Always and forever!!!

And since I know this is what you were all hoping for, here is a sneak peek of our 18-month photo session with Sabrina!  This sweet lady has captured such amazing moments of our family and has taken up a place in our hearts and lives.  So happy to have her as not only a photographer, but a friend! We love you and are so grateful for your amazing talent!!!