Eighteen Months

Gracie,

It hardly seems possible that my baby is 18 months old today. I thought Sam got big in a hurry, but somehow, you got big even faster.

At 18 months, you're small for your age. However, what you lack in stature, you more than make up for in spunk. You are fiercely independent and fearless. This week, much to your delight and my dismay, you discovered that you can climb the ladder and get into the swing set fort all by yourself. If I try to help, you fiercely scream "No!" and quite possibly, will try to slap me across the face.

You love to play with Sam and try do everything that he does. Nobody can make you laugh the way that he does. You guys are best buds and I love to watch you play together. While you love to play with his trucks and trains, you also love your babies and kitchen set. One of your favorite things is taking the babies for walks around the house in the stroller. You also love to read and more and more frequently you will drop a favorite in my lap and plop yourself down as you proclaim "book!" It Looked Like Spilt Milk is your current favorite. When we get to the page with the ice cream cone, you lick it, which I think is hilarious.

Lately, you're like a little parrot copying everything we say and surprising us with new words all of the time. Your favorites, and most frequently used words are, "Help" and "Stuck"! The other day, you used them completely appropriately when you fell off of the stool in the bathroom and were hanging from the pedestal sink! You also yell "Help!" when Sam is doing something you don't like. Thankfully, the more words you learn, the less you scream. Although you can say a lot of other people's names (Jack, Nene (Jenna), Wiwa (Willa) and my favorite, Doo-doo (Andrew)) you don't say Sam or your own name yet.

You sleep like a champ. Most nights you are in bed by 6:30 and sleep straight through till 6:30 or 7:00 the next day. Before you go to bed at night, you say "bye-bye" and when I ask you to say "love you", you simply blow kisses to everyone. You're so sweet.

I love you Gracie. I love your giggle, and the way you scrunch up your nose when you smile. I love your intensity and determination. I love you curly hair, sweet baby smell and open mouth kisses. You bring me so much happiness and I'm just so thankful that God chose me be your mom.