18 Months Old

Wow, it is so hard to believe our girls have been on this earth for a year and a half already! What a trip it has been. The great thing is that it only continues to get more and more fun! It is a lot of fun to see their personalities continuing to shine through. The girls are really starting to learn words. Their recognition of pictures is great, and their understanding of what we say to them is unbelievable. They are really starting to knowingly test us too. It is evident in their eyes and the way they approach the things that they know are off limits. I didn't think they had a ton of words for their age, but after a routine visit to Dr. Patti, she was amazed at what she heard. She has two children with speech delays so she said she is really tuned in to words kids at this age are saying. I guess I am not as tuned in, because most of what I hear doesn't sound much like words. I was thrilled to hear her say this and she also said she heard combos of words which is really great for them. I am going to try harder to understand them and to make them feel like their communication is working.

The absolute best thing Dr. Patti said was that based on each girl's 18 month developmental survey they are right on track, FOR THEIR ACTUAL AGE!!!!! This is so exciting and reassuring to hear since all we have heard over and over is to expect them to be delayed and to always adjust for their 11 weeks of prematurity. To be honest I really was never too worried about it and I always tried to keep things in perspective because I knew they would eventually catch up and be like any other kiddo their age. I just didn't expect to see them achieve this as quickly as they have. I could not be a more proud Mama!

Taylor:
Weight: 23lbs 8 oz (40%)
Height 32in (55%)

She is such a little helper and loves to tidy up. She finds little pieces of string, or something that is out of the ordinary and brings it over to me right away. It is so darn sweet. A few weeks ago she came up to me trying to get my attention like crazy and she is holding one piece of Carmen's hair. I cracked up because she was so serious about it and I am thinking there are probably 100 million of those around this house. She has such an innocent sweetness. She plays really well by herself, shares with her sisters the most and really is such a pleaser. She brings her sisters their blankies, water, books, etc. She has also been really into dancing these days. She sways her hips like I have never seen a little one do, especially when she is standing in front of her vanity mirror. I must find a way to get it on video. Taylor also is doing phenomenal with her identification of pictures and she loves to read out loud. Taylor also has her moments as a total stinker. She is the one that spends the most time in blanket time mostly because she gets a little rowdy at the dinner table. She starts to mush her food all over the table and throws her sippy cup. She seems to go through phases where she is really well behaved at the table and then a streak where it is bad for a few nights. It really tests me at the end of the day when I am tired.

Brooke:
Weight 22lbs 8oz (25%)
Height 31in (45%)

This little peanut is having a rough time these past few weeks. This whole one nap a day thing is not suiting her real well. She was such a good morning sleeper and I think she is a kiddo that needs more sleep. After reading a little I thought we would work her through it and she would eventually adjust, however after the Dr. appointment it was clear we need to put her down at least for a short nap in the AM. We went without for about three weeks, but now have decided to go back to two naps at least a few days each week. It hasn't helped that she is fighting a virus that has made her gums extremely inflamed and she has had a terrible flare up of her eczema on her face. The poor thing looks pretty miserable these days, all I want to do is hug and snuggle her up. She spends a good amount of the morning cuddled up with her blankie on my lap. On the brighter side, she still has her moments of being crazy silly little Brooke. She is a doll and still cracks me up daily. I think this is a tough phase for her right now, but I know we will get things figured out and she will be back to her energetic little self soon.

Sydney:
Weight 22lbs 15oz (30%)
Height 32in (55%)

This little darling is really coming out of her shell now that she is walking. She still is a little shy with new people, which I don't think will change much, that is who she is. She loves giving kisses to us and to the doggies. She loves to bark like a dog and to say Wrigley. Syd has had no problem with the adjustment to one nap. She is the reason we decided to make the change and she is happy as can be. The only change I see in her is that she does get really sleepy before the afternoon nap and since lunch is immediately before the nap she tends to eat very little at noon. She is also the most timid when it comes to getting in trouble. She definitely knows when she is about to do something she isn't supposed to because she looks at me with a look like should I? Sometimes she does it and most times she knows better. She does like to test and make sure I am watching. She is very gracious and whenever someone is leaving the room or I say goodbye to someone she says in a sweet little high pitched voice bye bye. I love it. We also continue to brush Sydney twice each day. Although she has come a long way with her sensitivity to things, there are still things that seem to bother her. The most recent is the feeling of grass. We have been outside to play a few times and the new texture seems to bother her quite a bit, but I know she will get used to it in good time!