Stella - 18 Months

Stella's Weight: 28 lbs (96%)

Stella's Height: 32" (58%)

Stella's Head Circumference: 49 cm (98%)

Shots: DTaP, Hep A, Flu

COMPARED TO LOTTIE AT 18 MONTHS:

Lottie's Weight: 22 lbs, 12 oz (50%)

Lottie's Height: 31 inches (25%)

Lottie's Head Circumference: 46 cm

Shots: Flu, Pentacel

This comparison really cracked me up!  Stella is 6 lbs heavier than what Lottie was at the same age.

CLOTHING / SHOE SIZES

Tops: 24 months
Pants: 2T
Shoes: Size 5
Diapers: Size 5

TEETH
She presently has 8 teeth.  But as of this past week, she has 4 more coming in on the top and bottom.

FAVORITE FOODS

Peas, Lima beans, hot dogs, beef stew, peaches, pineapples, bananas, baked beans, grapes, grits, chicken, spaghetti, strawberries, blueberries, snack mix, oatmeal, milk, juice, water, oranges, apples, etc.  Honestly, there is not a whole lot this kid doesn't like eating.  She is a pretty good eater.  Although, I will say that it has slowed down quite a bit now that she is so mobile and running all over the place.

FAVORITE WORDS

More (she signs and says it at the same time), NO!!!!!!!!!!!, Juice, Nice, Thank You, Please, Bath, Minnie Mouse, Fish, Duck, Shoes, Treat, Apple, Book, One, Two, Bunny, Boo Boo, Diaper, Amy, Mama, etc.  She can pretty much repeat anything you say to her.  My new favorite name she is saying is, "Lottie".  It is so cute!

FAVORITE SENTENCES

"Bless You", "Thank You", "Not Nice", "Love You"

FAVORITE SONGS

"Bah Bah Black Sheep", "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?", "Let it Go"

FAVORITE ANIMAL NOISES SHE MAKES

Dog, Cat, Tiger, Lion, Bear, Shark, Elephant, Giraffe, Cow, Pig, Sheep

But don't let Stella fool you!  In reality she HATES animals!  She especially hates my sister's two pugs.  She absolutely jumps out of her own skin any time she sees a dog, hears a dog, etc.  We re-visited the Redneck Zoo while visiting my sister about a month ago and poor Stella was terrorized the entire time and not by the big black bears or the lions and tigers............  No, by squirrels and peacocks!  The girl is quite the scaredy cat!  :)

BODY PARTS SHE KNOWS AND POINTS TO

Head, Hand, Eyes, Ears, Nose, Mouth, Belly, Toes, Knees

SIBLING LOVE

WOW, these girls sure do love one another!  But (a big but!) they will not leave one another alone!  Actually maybe I should rephrase that.  Lottie will not leave Stella alone.  She is constantly tackling her, jumping on her, pushing her and knocking her over.  She does all of this very playfully but poor Stella is constantly getting beat down.  I must say at least 100 times a day, "Leave Stella ALONE!" and "Hands to Yourself!!!"  All day every day!  Stella probably really appreciates being in her own classroom at school with kids her own size and age because she finally gets a break from being harassed by her sister.  With that said, between the pushing and shoving, Lottie is constantly telling Stella how much she loves her and Stella is constantly chasing after Lottie ready to play tea parties, blocks and pretty much anything her sister is doing, she wants to be doing.  Yes, they drive me absolutely insane sometimes, but I honestly don't know what I would do without the chaos in my life.  It really is the best kind!

LIKES

Stella loves reading books!  We have a lot of the first 100 words and pictures books that she loves to go through over and over again.  Pretty much anything we ask her to point at, she knows.  She is getting so smart.  I just love watching that brain of hers learn and grow.  It is truly fascinating.  She also loves art.  She does lots of art projects at school and loves to paint at home.  She also loves to go on long walks on the green way and of course loves to swing at the park.

DISLIKES

Riding in shopping carts!!!!!!!!!!!  Bloody nightmare!

NAPPING!  Little monster is what I call her when it is time to take naps on the weekends.  She never wants to give in!  She is what I would call a model child when it comes to a bedtime routine and sleeping like a little angel at night.  BUT, for some reason - she hates laying down for a nap.  Although, at school, she is apparently a little angel for them and will usually nap anywhere from 2 to 3 hours.  She also hates when I brush her teeth!  My motto for both girls is that I will brush first, then you can brush all you want.  She hates that.  She wants to do all the brushing.  She usually throws a full blown tantrum anytime I put her toothbrush in her mouth.

POTTY TIME

I guess it is about that time to start introducing Stella to the potty.  I popped her up on the toilet the other day because she says, "Potty" all the time, but she didn't like it one bit!  She normally will pat her bottom and tell us she has pooped.  When asked if she needs to be changed, she nods yes.  We will get there and not something I am going to push too hard until we hit the 2 year mark.  I'll just keep putting her on the potty and hopefully she will start getting used to the idea.  I don't think I will be buying another mini potty like I did with Lottie.  Uggghhhhh - that thing was gross!  I was soooooooo happy to be rid of it!

On another note............ I never had any problems with Lottie playing with toilet paper or sticking her hands in the toilet.  Stella does it all the time!!!!!!!!!!!!!  We have to make sure that we keep the toilet lids closed at all times in our house because you never know when Stella will disappear into the bathroom!  It is disgusting!  And poor Lottie - anytime she needs to go to the bathroom Stella is always right behind her.  Lottie never gets any privacy.  I really cracked up the other day when Lottie went to take a #2.  Poor thing was screaming for me in the other room to get Stella out of the bathroom so she could have a little privacy!  HA!

HAIR TIE / HAIR BOW STRIKE

You've probably noticed that in quite a few photos, Stella never has anything in her wild, unkempt hair.  The girl has been on BOW strike since she was 10 months old or so.  I must have 100 different bows, hair ties, etc. at home that I am dying to put in her hair.  Every single time I put something in her hair, she pulls it out faster than I can get it in.  The exact same thing happened with Lottie and it is still a struggle getting something in Lottie's hair at times.  Currently, bribery is about the only thing that works with Stella!  She's not too bad with hairbands.  But ponytails, pigtails, etc. are OUT!

TANTRUMS

I can't remember who was worse?  I am going to say Stella!  The girl loves to throw them when we are out in public.  She hates riding in shopping carts and hates being restrained in her stroller unless we are on a walk.  She hates holding hands and loves running off.  UGGGHHHHHHHH - the screaming, the crying, the jerking back and forth and the stares from other people - it is truly a nightmare sometimes taking this one anywhere.  But I know it is just a phase.  We will get through it - just like we did with Lottie.

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To wrap it up, Stella is developing into such a sweet little girl with more personality than I think Steve and I know what to do with.  She truly is the last piece of our family puzzle!  We love you so much Stella!  We can't wait to watch you grow these next few months!  xoxo

18 Month Photo Shoot

As you've probably learned over the last year, I am a Milestone Photo Freak!  I love having the quintessential Milestone Photos taken of Lottie!  My mom did the same with my sister and I and it's always fun to go back and look at those photos. 

Per the usual, I took Lottie back to JC Penney where they have unbelievable deals on traditional portraits!  No shame in my game - this mama loves a good deal! 

This photo certainly showcases her little personality!!!

The "sweet" and "innocent" look

The "fake" flowers were for distraction purposes only!!!!!!!!!!  But in the end, she wouldn't part with them so in the photos they go! 

18 Months Old

Weight: 22 lbs, 12 oz (50%)

Height: 31 inches (25%)

Head Circumference: 46 cm

Shots: Flu, Pentacel

Let's just go ahead and get the obvious out of the way here..........."Why is this child so small?  I mean hey, look at her parents!"  If you have found yourself in the past asking the same question, don't worry, Steve and I ask that question all the time.  We are just not small people!  Steve and I both have big builds.  It just doesn't make sense!  :)

The doctor is in no way shape or form concerned about her growth.  He stated that she has continuously grown at a  steady pace since she was born.  In other words, she is a healthy 18 month old child - so don't start worrying about something that doesn't exist.

CLOTHING / SHOE SIZES

Tops: 24 months
Pants: 18 months
Shoes: Size 5

FAVORITE FOODS:

Peas, Chicken Nuggets, Zucchini, Pizza, Spaghetti, Roasted carrots, peaches, applesauce, Cheez-its, yogurt, oatmeal, blueberry nutri-grain breakfast bars, mac & cheese, tomatoes, dips (honey mustard, ranch, ketchup), chips and salsa, yellow rice, biscuits, muffins, chicken & dumplings, fish balls and Gerber fruit / veggie squeeze packs.

FAVORITE WORDS:

Shoes, Ball, Bear, Dog, Car, Fish, Up, Back, Amy, Bubbles, More (she signs and says it at the same time), No No No No No, Yes, Snack, Juice, Eyes and really most anything you say, she can copy back to you if she is in the right mood!

FAVORITE SENTENCES:

"What's That?", "Get Down", "Stop It", "Diaper, Diaper, Diaper"

FAVORITE ANIMAL NOISES SHE MAKES:

Dog, Cat, Tiger, Lion, Bear, Shark, Elephant, Giraffe, Cow, Pig

Let me just say that about two months ago, Lottie was actually saying the names of these animals, but since she has learned the noises they make, she refuses to call them by their names and instead only shouts the noises they make!  Example: Lottie will see a dog and start saying, "Ruff, Ruff" or a pig, "Oink, Oink" or a cat, "Meow, Meow" (the Meows are very drawn out so it sounds like someone just stepped on a cat)  - hilarious to say the least.

BODY PARTS SHE KNOWS AND POINTS TO:

Head, Hand, Eyes, Ears, Nose, Mouth, Belly, Toes, Knees

WHAT WE ARE CURRENTLY TEACHING:

We are working on Please and Thank You.  For the last 4 months or so, she has been signing and saying the word "More" which is pretty darn adorable.  But, it is definitely that time to start teaching manners and working towards being a polite little girl!  Yesterday, she said Please (sounds like Peeeaaaaassss) so we are getting there. 

"I Love You" is another phrase we are working on.  Steve and I must tell her that we love her 1,000 times a day.  She really is the best thing in this world.  She has got the "I" part down to a tee but the rest not so much.  We've been signing it quite a bit and have learned that helps her with saying the words out loud. 

"Potty Time" - during her last doctor's appointment, we discussed potty training.  He suggested we go ahead and buy the potty that you can attach to your own toilet.  He said that in the long run it helps them get accustomed to using the "big" toilet, plus it is less of a mess when it comes to cleaning up.  I think we are going to try and start introducing toilet behaviors.  I am hoping that with a little time and patience, we will have a potty trained little lady by the time she is 2.  Lottie already tells us when she's had a poop, she starts patting her bottom and we ask her if she needs her diaper changed.  If she does, she will usually take off to her room to be changed and we sing, "Diaper, Diaper, Diaper" - something my sister started with her.  :)

HAIR BOW / HAIR TIE STRIKE

You've probably noticed that in quite a few photos, Lottie never has anything in her wild, unkempt hair.  The girl has been on BOW strike since she was 12 months old.  I must have 100 different bows, hair ties, etc. at home that I am dying to put in her hair.  Every single time I put something in her hair, she pulls it out faster than I can get it in.  I am hoping this is just a phase because I don't know what I am going to do if she keeps this up for the next year!  I might cry!  Really!!!!!!!!!

CURRENT MOOD SWINGS / TANTRUMS:

It AMAZES me how quickly my child has developed her own little personality and the characteristics of a child who wants nothing more than to be independent.  I guess we are approaching what everyone refers to as the "terrible twos".  I'm talking tantrums, fake crying (she's a pro at that) and the attitude.  It seems though that 9 times out of 10, the tantrums, etc. stem from her not getting her way. 

Example: "Lottie, please come inside so that you can have your dinner. "No, No, No."  "Lottie, I'm only going to ask you one more time to please come inside."  (Fake crying ensues, which leads me to pick her up and physically take her inside.)  She then plops down at the door and continues to fake cry.  This is just one of many examples where she either wants it her way or no way. 

On the flip side, I've never seen a child more affectionate and loving than Lottie.  She is constantly laughing, smiling, giving kisses, blowing kisses, giving hugs and making faces that absolutely crack you up.  At the end of the day, these tantrums are only temporary and just a phase.  We will get through it just as we've done in the past.

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Overall, Lottie is developing into such a sweet little girl with more personality than I think Steve and I know what to do with.  Maybe that comes with the territory of having a girl!  But hey - I wouldn't have it any other way!  :)

Up Next: 18 Month Photos