Charlotte is 18 Months!

 I really don't like how fast time is slipping away from me.  Charlotte is turning into a little girl more and more every day.  I love it and I hate it at the same time.

For example, these pigtails really make her seem so old.

 But then she's my baby again.  This picture was taken long enough ago that she doesn't even want bottles anymore! Aaahh!!

 Look at this picture with a headband.  Growing up so fast!!

 Then she's back to being a baby who sticks both her hands completely into her ketchup and wants me to eat it or something.  I love this.  But I don't like cleaning it up. :-)

 She's so big and so little all at the same time.

 I haven't taken many of this baby profile shots.  I need more! She won't always have those beautiful baby cheeks.

She's such a little lady crossing her legs while brushing her teeth on the counter.

 Such a gymnast! Splits? Are you kidding me?

 She picked out this necklace and these shoes and made me help her put them on.


She could walk in them! It was amazing.  What is she, a teenager??

She still throws fits like a toddler.  (Don't judge us.  She was screaming in Macy's so we put a frisbee on her head. What would you do???)

Oh wait, teenager again.  Makin' calls on her cell phone!

Baby time.  Santa beard!

She loves Dada's hat and her pacifier.  

She loves to pick out her own clothes and be like big brother.

She loves selfies!

She really loves ketchup.

And RUNNING!!!

Her latest doctor's appointment determined her height to be 32 inches long in the 50th percentile but our doctor thought that was wrong.  She threw a fit and kicked the paper underneath her right before they took the measurement.  It's definitely not the most scientific thing.  Anyway, her weight is almost 25 pounds in the 75th percentile and her head circumference is around 19 inches in the 85th percentile.  One of these days, I will measure her again to see if our doctor was right.

Our dear Charlotte, we love you so. You are a surprise every day.  Your daycare teachers tell us stories all the time about you.  You are too smart for your own good.  You have figured out how to make the bigger kids give you toys.  Biting, or even just the threat of biting, has make you queen in charge even though you are one of the youngest in the class.  We haven't gotten a bite report in a long time but somehow you are still in charge.  You also know which teachers will let you climb on the tables and which will not.  You know lots of animals and the sounds they make.  You know several colors.  You know ALL your body parts except for chin I think.  You know lots of words but your favorites are NO and YAAYYYYYYY!!!  You know the words down, all done, bye bye, night night, peeaasss (please), dada, mama, dy dy (diaper), peepee/poop/butt (the important stuff), eyes, nose, wawa (water), chicken, baby, puppy... I'm sure there are so many more.  She wouldn't talk and I figured it was just normal second child stuff.  But as a parent, you can't help but wonder.  My brother sent me this article which is a mom writing about her situation which was similar to Tommy and Charlotte. http://thelittlestories.com/this-stuff-works/
I realized I needed to find something that might motivate Charlotte to talk.  What would be Charlotte's greatest motivation??? Food, of course.  I would make her say whatever food she wanted to eat.  That night she said chicken ("chigan") and rice ("icy" Hey, works for me!).  Two weeks later, with the right motivation she knew like 30 words! Awesome!

So anyway, Charlotte, you are growing way too fast and are so much fun.  You laugh randomly and often which makes me so happy.  You are a little joy and we're so happy to have you in our lives.  Happy 18 months!