Rose at 18 Months

I know I've said this before, but I love getting to watch Rose grow! It is amazing to watch the miracle of her life as she learns and grows and becomes more of her own person. She hit her 18 month mark about a week ago and I just can't believe how much she's learned in the short amount of time that she's been alive.



What do you want to know about Rose at 18 months?

She's sassy. Very sassy. She knows what she wants and she is very good at letting you know if you have met her expectations or not. Lately she has developed this incredibly impressive scowl that just cracks me up. I probably shouldn't encourage her, but the amount of grumpiness that teeny tiny body contains sometimes is just hilarious to me.

She just barely started walking in the last month. She took her sweet time, but she has mastered the art of walking...well, I don't know if I would say mastered, but she is very good at getting around on two feet these days. She's also very good at falling down. But along those lines, she doesn't let that stop her and keeps getting up. Some of the obstacles life offers are just a little too much for a new walker. Like little dips in the floor, toys scattered everywhere, and the legs of your parents sitting down on the floor. It's easy to trip.

She also has started to become more verbal. She can say Mommy and Daddy perfectly. She also loves her shoes ("soos") and her socks ("saw!"). Her dad thinks it's hilarious because every time she sees her shoes she says "Oh Soo!" but sometimes it sounds a little bit less like shoe and a little bit more like... something else.

She can point to several different parts of her body when asked to. Eyes, nose, ears, mouth, teeth, hair, belly button (her personal favorite), hands, and feet. It's one of her favorite games to play.

She is also great at playing my favorite game of "Rose, go find your _____ (elephant, book, cup, shoes, blanket, etc.) Normally, the objects are in a different room, and she will happily wander off, and sometimes bring back what I asked for, but sometimes she gets distracted and stays busy for a few minutes and I get to sit back and relax while I wait for her. This game can last forever. She'll grab every single one of her stuffed animals if she's feeling up to it and with the amount of stuffed animals she has, that version of the game takes a nice long time. :)

She loves to explore, experiment with opening and closing doors, put clothes on, and pretend to answer the phone like Mom. Her favorite part of the day is when Daddy comes home. Her favorite food is anything sweet and sugary. And when she's feeling sad, she prefers to cuddle with her Mama.

She's exhausting and she keeps me on my toes, but I love watching her and spending every day with her. I'm so grateful that I get to be her mom, to teach her, to love her, and to be her best friend. I hope she always knows how much I love her, despite my imperfections as a mother.

One of my favorite parts of the day is going into her room to get her from her crib. On the days that I feel particularly like the worst mom ever, I can walk into her room and look forward to the guaranteed grin that she always has waiting for me. How lucky am I to be loved and adored by such a sweet and perfect little being?