18 months

Happy year and a half birthday, my sweetest-of-sweet Critter Girl! Today you are 18 months old, and it amazes me to even type that. How did you grow up so fast?

Let's see what happened this month:

KITCHEN! For your 18 month birthday (yes, we will always celebrate your half-birthday, because you are a child born so close to Christmas, you need a half birthday to spread things out) we got you a play kitchen. You've had it about a week now, and wow do you love love love it. You can stay busy for hours with this thing. You "cook" and make us all "hot cheese" in the oven and "stir" your "pot" on the stove. You've learned many vegetable names (onion! pepper!) and will make anyone a yummy stew. It also has a phone where you talk to Dada, just like Momma does.

Two words! You are saying a lot more 2-word phrases, and have begun with pronouns. "I do" or "I come" are now regular sayings from you. I am amazed daily with your language growth, you seem to pick up a new word every day or two. I've lost count of how many you know. And I am so glad you now use "yes" as much as "no" so we may just survive the new opinions you have.

Hold hands! You finally will hold my hand when we walk. You never ever never let me do this before. Even when you were learning to walk, you never wanted to hold someone's hand for balance. But recently you have begun to reach for my hand when we are walking, and you let me hold your hand going down the stairs. Momma loves it!

It's been another wonderful month with you, my sweet Critter. Momma and Dada love you so much, and we say every day how lucky we are to have you. We are so very lucky to know you, and get to watch you grow.