18 Months Old

On April 8th, 3 days after becoming a big sister, Alexis turned a year and a half old! As if the age itself doesn't make her seem more grown up, looking at her in comparison to a newborn proves that she is not my baby anymore... not sure how I feel about that :( We had some professional photos taken of her to capture her in her "18 month-ness".

 Alexis at 18 Months: We have noticed in the last 6 months or so that Alexis is a very strong willed child.

She knows what she wants, and more importantly to what she doesn't want. She is a very happy girl for the most part and loves to give hugs and kisses. She enjoys watching Sesame Street, particularly Elmo's World. Alexis likes to drink from Mommy's Starbucks water cup. No matter how many cups of her own that she has available, she wants Mommy's. Whenever she hears a sound outside of our door she yells, "Daddy!" and runs to the door. Sometimes she will take Mommy or Daddy's keys and walk to the door and try to put the keys into the door handle while saying, "bye bye!" She knows how to turn on the TV as well as Daddy's PlayStation console (she knows this is how to get Netflix started). Alexis also loves to video chat on the phone with anyone, but gets especially excited when we get a call from her cousin Macie. Alexis likes to unload the silverware from the dish washer and hand it to me to put away. She helps Mommy do laundry by sitting on top of the dryer and throwing items into the washer, then later Mommy hands her items from the washer to put into the dryer. She is a great helper!

Words Alexis can say: yeah, no, uh oh, Elmo, Macie, Mommy, Daddy, Nanny(Nana), please, thank you, no thank you, all done, more, up, down, sorry, hot, hush, dog, yummy, ball, baby, hi , bye, eyes, nose, head, toes.

Favorite foods/snacks: strawberries, apple slices, grapes, animal crackers (or any type of cracker), fruit snacks, hot dogs, cheese quesadillas, macaroni and cheese, Puffs, yogurt melts, yogurt, and Cheerios.

Favorite books: anything with Elmo, Goodnight Moon, and Eric Carle books.

Favorite songs: Jesus Loves Me, The Wheels on the Bus, Sesame Street theme song, any song with Elmo. 

Mommy wants to remember...

• When I go into Alexis' room in the morning or after a nap, she is almost always standing up in her crib with a big grin on her face and she greets me with a "Hi!" 
• Sometimes she will come over to me, lean in, and give me a hug and a kiss "just because". 
• When we read books at bedtime she has started chanting "hush" until I give in and read her Goodnight Moon... "the quiet old lady who was whispering hush". 
• She still has a difficult time with separation from us when we drop her at the nursery for church or when I am at Mom's group during the week. However, I'm told it only takes her minutes to calm down and she always enjoys herself. 

We sure love our sweet girl. Is 2 years old really less than 6 months away?!