19(ish) Months

So, this was originally going to be an 18 month update, and Natalie is now almost 20 months old.  Oops!!

Here are her 18 month check-up stats:
Height: 2' 7" (25th percentile)
Weight 23lbs 12oz (62nd percentile)
Head Circumference: I can't remember the number, but it was the 85th percentile! Yep, she's our kid!

I had sort of forgotten just how absolutely charming this stage of toddlerhood can be.  Natalie's vocabulary has really exploded-- in addition to the ton of words that she knows on her own, she will mimic almost anything that you say.  In the last few weeks she has started stringing two words together at a time: "Help you, shoes on, more please, neckace (necklace) on, etc." Here are her words for family members:
herself "Nat-ee,"
Nathan "Natn,"
Grandma and Grandpa are "Bamma" and "Bampa." 
Dan is "Papa"
I am Mama/Mommy
Todd is Dada/Daddy/Todd (soooo funny when she calls Todd by name!)
Stuart is "Stu"
Erin is "Ennan"
Steve is "Seev"
Joanna is "Onna"
Henry is "Henny"
Ozzie is "Ovie"

Natalie loves to play with whatever Nathan is playing with, so she is good with a matchbox car.  She also loves to put on necklaces, carry bags and purses around, and to play with her baby dolls.  Both kids have been loving the sandbox this spring, and Natalie also loves the swing, except when it starts making her feel sleepy and then she wants "OUT!"  It's fun that she has a variety of interests.

She is a great eater--she eats pretty much everything that we do.  She especially loves yogurt, cheese, cereal, and green beans.  Until the last two weeks, Natalie has had almost no interest in cow's milk.  Then, suddenly she decided that she wanted to drink Nathan's milk out of Nathan's cup, and she was emptying the cup completely every time!  The next week I sent her to school with milk in one of Nathan's sippy cups, and she is now a full-fledged milk drinker! So funny.

Natalie seems to really like her friends at daycare, especially Riley, who has been her little partner-in-crime since they were infants.  Every day she lists the names of her friends and teachers at daycare, and will often add commentary like, "Buggy!" "Happy!" or "Naughty!" :)

We have been continuing with swim lessons, and Nat really seems to be loving the water.  She likes to jump in, and also likes to sit on the edge of the pool and kick her legs to make big splashes.  She's a fan of the bathtub and shower too.  I think she's going to have a blast on the beach this summer.

Natalie self-weaned from breastfeeding right around 18 months.  It was a little bittersweet, as we don't plan on having any more babies, but at the same time I think that both of us were ready to move to the next stage and it felt like a very natural and non-dramatic ending.  In place of nursing her in the evening, Natalie and I have developed a really sweet bedtime routine that we both love.  First she gets in her jammies and then gives good night hugs and kisses to Daddy and Nathan.  Then we get her favorite furry friend Cocoa Bunny and snuggle up in the rocking chair in her room.  We read the same three books every night: Duck and Goose Find a Pumpkin (she loves to laugh about the leaf on Goose's face, the fact that Goose is upside down in the apple tree, and talk about how the pumpkin they find at the end is heavy), Llama Llama Red Pajama (loves to point out Mama Llama's necklace, the faucet, and talk about all the colorful squares on the inside of the back cover), and How Many Kisses Do You Want Tonight (we mostly just name the animals and their sounds, and of course I give Nat lots of kisses).  Then she and bunny turn around for a "Huggle" (snuggle) and I sing her "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."  Usually about partway through the song (when she knows that bedtime is coming next, she sits up and then starts to talk and smile and generally be the most charming, funny, irresistible human being on the planet.  This most definitely allows her to successfully delay actually getting laid down in her crib, but eventually I am able to resist her charms and I tuck her into her crib with her snuggly pink blanket.  She usually protests for a minute or two, but then settles down quickly to sleep.  Such sweetness!

I know I'm forgetting to write down hundreds of adorable, funny things that Natalie's doing right now, but suffice it to say that she is an absolute joy almost all of the time. I love her.