The Wolfe Journal: May 2010

I'd just like to say, "Wow!" - our daughter never ceases to amaze or delight us! Here's a little 18 month report:

She had her 18 month check-up today and all was perfect - Dr. Crittell called her, "extremely advanced" - that's cool, right?
She weighed in at 23 pounds, was 30 1/4 inches tall (today was the first time they measured her height rather than length - standing rather than lying down), and had a head circumference of 18 1/2 inches. She's staying pretty close to the 50th percentile still and is wearing 18-24 month in clothes, size 5 shoes, and size 4 diapers.
I've stopped writing down all the words she says because she says so many new ones everyday. Last I counted, she was well over 200 words. Some of my favorites are: hummus, mustard, milk (she now makes a point to get the "lk" on the end) because she says these so clearly, pronouncing all the letters. I also love that she says "Hi!" appropriately (i.e. when we come to get her out of her crib in the mornings or after nap, to Kenny when he comes home from work, when "talking on the phone," etc.). She's basically to the point of repeating whatever we ask her to say. Of course, she gets stage fright in front of anyone else and clams up! No one knows the chatterbox we have at home!
She's putting together lots of sentences, too. A week or so ago, she told Kenny, "Momma did that." She was pointing to a painting that I had done. But, I've got to say, my all-time favorite phrase these days is, "I love you!" She hasn't said it on her own yet, but she always says it back after we say it, and it's usually coupled with a nice hug!
She is really coming around with the whole food thing. She now loves apples and bananas, spaghetti, and most especially, bean and rice burritos! She still loves hummus, jarred fruits, chips and salsa, and above all else, MILK - soy, rice, or almond. She has become more daring with trying new foods, so that's great. She recently tried (and liked) sliced Tofurkey (I know it sounds gross, but it really is good!) and fakin' bacon (again - very tasty!!). She tends to prefer foods with bolder seasonings, such as Pringles new Buffalo Wing flavor! I know it's junk, but, hey - you've got to live a little, right?!
Kenny and I used to sort of jokingly ask her if she wanted us to "hold her like a baby" while she drank her cup of milk, and we would sit and cradle her the whole time. Now, she requests it! We hand her the cup and she tilts her head way over and says, "daydee?" which, of course, means "Baby." So super-adorable!! Of course, we eat it up!!
She knows pretty much all of her shapes including crescent, semi-circle, and teardrop. Although, she still gets pentagon and octagon mixed up most of the time. She is now saying the names of the shapes, too, so she can tell us what she sees rather than just pointing to what we ask.
She also knows a bunch of her letters, and all of the numbers (most of the time). She is saying a lot of these as well.
Her favorite activities include swinging, bouncing, and sliding. She is working hard on doing a somersault (she has done it all by herself once, but can't seem to remember how she did it) and jumping (she gets one foot off the ground and thinks she's hot stuff!).
She enjoys being outside, and we try to spend a good chunk of our day there. She is loving her sandbox and points out anything to do with the sand (pails, shovels, etc.) everywhere we go. I gave her some seashells that we had collected on some beach trip. She loves to play with those in the sand, too. I think she'll have a blast collecting her own in Destin!
She is really good at doing puzzles and her shape sorter. She knows she must turn the pieces to get them in and does it all by herself about 80% of the time.
She has a new canine tooth poking through right now, so that makes 13 teeth in all. I believe at least one other canine is working it's way through right now, too. She still loves to brush, and we've added toothpaste (the toddler kind, of course) which she loves. She also still likes to floss like Mommy and Daddy (we use the floss picks to actually floss between her teeth)!

Pardon the hair-do - Mommy likes to play "silly stylist" after bath time!

We are pretty sure she has an allergy to vinegar. It's in a certain brand of hummus that we buy and in mustard. Both of which she LOVES and both of which turn her skin bright red with small whelps! Doesn't seem to bother her, but we are keeping an eye on the situation.
She has finally settled in at Gymboree (after only 16 months!) and is now so active while we are there. She used to mostly stand and watch the other kids, sort of "soaking it all in." Well, now she's one of the ones that can't be corralled for parachute time! She loves to climb and slide!
She does almost all of the hand motions for Wheels on the Bus and Itsy Bitsy Spider now. Her favorite is, "the baby on the bus goes whaa, whaa, whaa!"
Her interest in the potty has waned quite a bit, but we still have the occasional success. She mostly likes to read the books these days....while sitting in our laps! We're okay with that though; she's still definitely on the right track.
She still loves her babies - I think we're up to three now? She also likes to point out real babies when we're out and about and anything to do with babies, such as strollers or carriers. Of course, she'll point to a 3 year old and yell, "Daydee!!"

Combining two of her favorite things - baby doll and the outdoors - couldn't ask for much more!

She likes to get in her crib and play like she's going to sleep. She'll say, "night, night" and put her head down and snuggle her blanket. Then she pops up and says, "Hi!" Over and over and over and over....
She has become a little monkey on our living room furniture, making a bridge with her body between the sofa and coffee table.

She does this all day long - sometimes tummy down, but usually tummy up like this.

She knows a lot of opposites - open/closed, long/short, big/small, etc.
She just got a new pint-sized table and chair set. She loves sitting in small chairs everywhere we go, so I figured it was time she had her own. We are starting to have snacks there and will do many art projects there, too, I'm sure! We just have to keep an eye on Shatzie - he's just so hungry!

Mmmmmm, Wheat Thins Tuscan Herb Flatbreads...

She has found one of my old purses and loves to fill it up with trinkets, tote it around, then take everything back out again. One day she had the purse on one shoulder and her baby in the other arm - I wonder where she's seen this??

So BIG! SO CUTE!! She walked around with this load for such a long time!

She has such a great sense of humor and also recognizes when Kenny and I are being silly. When we make funny faces or say crazy things, she calls us "silsee" (silly). She also calls Shatzie silly when he rolls around crazy on the floor. I'm impressed that she always uses the word appropriately!

Well, I'm sure I'll think of more amazing things that I want to chronicle as soon as I shut the computer down, but it's late, and I better get to bed!

One more pic just because she's so beautiful!