Eighteen months

Serene Joy is 18 months. A year and a half! I feel like she has grown so much since her 15 month update. She shot up in height - she's now 31 inches tall and weighs 22 lbs. She has six teeth (two upper front teeth, and four bottom teeth), and spent the last few weeks teething. We used an amber teething necklace when she was about 5 months old for a while, but gave it away before she turned a year old. We caved and got another one last week, which has alleviated her teething woes. Because of her teething, her sleep schedule has been off some days, but for the most part, she sleeps between 8:00-8:30pm for 11-12 hours at night. She takes two naps, one between 10:30am-11am for about an hour and a half, and another around 4:00pm for about an hour. She still wears size 3 diapers and is now wearing size 4 shoes. She wears mostly 6-12 month and 12-18 month clothing. She got promoted to a convertible car seat this week since we washed the infant car seat for her baby brother.

She jabbers nonstop; she knows more words than I can easily count now. She is full of life and giggles at everything. She says "hi" and "ba" (bye) to everyone we pass. She tugs at her diaper and informs us when she's going "peepee" or "poopoo." She asks for "mahk" (milk), "wawa" (water), and "ma" (more) food. She usually says "peas" (please). She has nearly mastered the use of a fork and spoon. She prefers to wipe her own hands and mouth. She has an affection for her "baba" (blanket), "mumu" (Mulan stuffie), "kih-dee" (Cosette the fox and Eponine the cat stuffies), and "pah-pee" (puppy purse). She enjoys bathtime with "da-dak" (rubber duck) and "bur" (bird bath toy). She thinks it's fun to help Mama clean with wipes. She plays "boo!" (peekaboo) with us around the house. She always asks to be read "bok" (books) to, pointing and exclaiming at illustrations of things she knows (mostly animals). She adores animals and spent the last few months learning the names of baby animals and the sounds they make. She can tell you what the cow/horsey/monkey/sheep/puppy/kitty/etc says, if you ask her. She is happiest when she is out and about, pointing at "jee" (trees), "bur" (birds), "baby" (other babies), and "shueh" (people's shoes). Ask her a question, and she will almost always reply with "yeah!" right away. She gets into everything, but is not opposed to putting things back where she found them when asked.

She still has separation anxiety, but thankfully, it is not as fierce as a few months ago. She prefers to have "mama" and "daddy" in sight at all times. Even though she is 18 months old, she still loves being worn in a carrier or sling, which we cherish because for those moments, she seems more a baby than a toddler. Alex and I are so in love with her, and we often reflect on how children are such a blessing from the Lord. She brings so much joy to our lives, and we can only imagine how our joy will multiply when we meet our littler love next month (!).