Ella Grace {18 months}

Dear Ella,

As of yesterday, you are 18 months old!

It's a little bittersweet to think we are now closer to your second birthday than your first, but you really are a big ball of fun right now! I know I've said that pretty much every month, but I'm for real this time! You are a trip, girl.

We were supposed to go to the pediatrician today, but they had to reschedule our appointment...for SEPTEMBER {insert angry mom face here}. Totally ridiculous, so I tried to weight and measure you myself. I think you are 26.2 pounds and 31.25 inches tall! Getting so big!

You are still wearing 18 month clothes, with a few 12 month dresses sprinkled throughout your closet. You are also rocking a few 24 month/2T outfits, and I'm trying to buy mostly those sizes for your fall and winter clothes. Still wearing size 4 diapers.

You are obsessed with things that move, especially choo-choos. I can bribe you to come pretty much wherever I am in the house if I tell you there is a choo-choo where I am standing! You also love cars, trucks, buses, boats, planes, motorcycles...basically anything with a  motor! 

Along with that, though, you also love your "bow bows." When we get you dressed in the morning, you know your outfit just isn't complete without a bow, and when it falls out over the course of the day (which it does, multiple times!), you cry until I put it back in. I'm so proud of you for no longer ripping the bows out of your hair!

Your gross motor skills have really taken off (remember when I was so worried about you not walking?!), and you are now running all over the place...and you are quick, chica! I also love watching you try to jump; it cracks me up every time. You think the staircase is a playground, (news flash: it's not.) and you've fallen down the steps a few times. But, when holding someone's hand, you can walk up the steps with only one foot on each step, and you're getting better and better with going down the steps too (although we still have to help you with that one)! You love twirling because you discovered how dizzy you get from it, and think it's hilarious when you fall down! And the stretching...oh let's talk about the stretching. I have absolutely no clue where you picked this up, but you are constantly stopping to stretch out your arms. It is so funny! 

Maybe it's because it is summer, or maybe it is because you are an Aquarius, but you love water! Anytime you see water, you yell "Pool! Pool!" and you are constantly grabbing your puddle jumper and asking "swimmy swim?". You even try to swim in the bathtub! You have absolutely no fear around the water, which definitely keeps me on my toes when we do go to the pool...good thing I used to be a lifeguard! 

This month, we've started to let you watch a teensy bit of TV (even though I know you're not supposed to watch TV until you're 2, blah blah blah...shhhh don't tell). You love to grab the remote and yell "show! show!" until we turn on the TV for you. Your favorite (and pretty much only) things to watch are Daniel Tiger, Chuggington and Sesame Street. 

You have a new infatuation with Elmo, because you've discovered he is also on your diapers (yes, I still buy Pampers...they are the cheapest using Amazon subscribe and save! And now I can't stop because God forbid, Elmo isn't on the diaper!). Through those wonderful diapers, you have also learned about Cookie Monster (if we ask you what he says, you go "ommm, ommm, ommm!") and Oscar the Grouch, which you've consolidated into "Ouch." 

You are constantly picking up new words! On Sunday, Daddy and I made a list because we were curious how many you actually knew. I alphabetized them so we could easily avoid repeats.

Whew!! That's a lot of talking!! We also didn't include a few things that we know what you're saying, but the general public probably wouldn't (for example, "Mah-mah" = banana; "woof"=dog). 

You can also (kind of) count to 6. I say 1, you say 2, I say 3, you say 4, I say 5 and you say 6! Basically, you're a genius!

Thank you for another fun month, sweet girl! Can you stay this age forever?!?!
We love you so much!