Adah Turns Eighteen Months Old

The last few months, we have found ourselves quite busy. With our second child's due date fast approaching and an active toddler on the loose, our time for blogging has been pushed further and further down the to do list.

Adah is continues to grow into herself and exhibit her independence. She is learning to communicate a bit more calling out an "uh oh" when something is dropped or signing for help when she can't do something on her own. Actually, "uh oh" has become her favorite word. She sometimes uses it even before dropping something (as a warning, I guess). This is quite amusing to us! A little less amusing, however, is entering the stage of toddlerhood where Adah is testing us and protesting our refusal of things she wants. She has developed a real sour face (where she furrows her brow, scrunches her nose, and pouts her lips) in response to our saying "no, no, Adah ... don't do that." She has also been known to scrunch her body down into a ball and fall onto the floor in protest. Sometimes the face is so exaggerated or the fall to the floor is so dramatic that it is hard not to be amused by it. Still, we persist in choosing our battles and sticking to our "no" when it is important. Unfortunately, I think this testing may get worse before it gets better (or at least that is what I am told).

Collecting and sorting are the favorite activities of late. In the waiting room at the doctor's office the other day, she helped the staff collect all 7 of the etch-n-sketches from around the room and put them with the others away on their shelf. At home, she collects her favorite Tupperware containers, coasters, and magazines. She then stacks them in one place then moves the pile to another place. The joy she finds in these type of activities amuses and delights me.

Adah has also moved into her "big girl" room ... a bit of a transition for us all! It's been fun to decorate a room that suits her developing personality ... complete with bright colors and frogs, fairies, and butterflies. Getting back into a good sleep routine has been a challenge though (especially since the room transition also coincided with getting rid of the pacifier and dealing with a couple of colds and new teeth).

Adah's physical coordination is also improving. She runs around the house, park and yard with relative stability. She also rides around the house on the little scooter her uncle gave her for Christmas, and has great facility for climbing all sorts of things (furniture, stairs, parents, etc.). She is working on using silverware all by herself, and (when she wants to) can actually get most of the food in her mouth surprisingly often! She is also getting very good at matching blocks of different shapes to their corresponding holes on one of her toys and completing puzzles.

Below are some pictures of the last month or so. Frankly, it's hard for us to believe that our baby has grown up to become the beautiful little girl in these pictures.

Adah in Her New Room

Easter

Swinging at the Park ... and Loving It!

Too Cool for School