18 Months

Libby turned 18 months on Christmas Eve!

To celebrate I picked out a meal I thought she would enjoy-homemade meatballs, spaghetti and pasta sauce.  It was a winner.  The girl scarfed down at least 2 bowls and then ate the leftovers for 2 days.  She loves her noodles and sauce.  I wish I had taken pictures.

We also went to the zoo that day-which is our yearly Christmas Eve tradition.  Libby actually seemed to get it and enjoyed looking at some of the animals.  The aquarium type exhibits were her favorite, probably because she was able to see the animals up close and in action.

Three days after her half birthday she had her 18 month check up.  She weighs a little over 22lbs and is at least 30 inches tall (I don't trust the measurements they did).  That puts her in about the 15th percentile for her adjusted age.  She seems to go in spurts-up in percentiles one month, down the next.  That's how she does things-does really well for something for a bit and then stalls out before picking it back up again.  All in all, I'm pleased with her growth-as is the doctor.  She has gained over 4lbs since turned one and has grown an inch and a half since 15 months so her progress is good.

In development Libby can say at least a 2 dozen words and she seems to pick up new ones daily.  Just today the two older kids were tagging each other and saying "tricked ya".  Within two times of saying it, Libby had picked up and was tagging them saying "tricked ya".  Her vocabulary (to me) is amazing.  She also seems to excel at fine motor skills.  She loves to scribble with crayons and recently we played a game where you had to put a very tiny key in a hole.  Libby was able to do that.  Several times over.  That's at least a 2 or 3 year old skill.  So she's very good at fine motor.  Socially she L.O.V.E.S her brother and sister.  She is happiest when she is part of the group and ANYTHING they do she tries to copy.  Immediately.  Whatever they say she has to join in and try and repeat.  She mimicks whatever movements they do.  I love seeing her grow daily and seeing how every day she tries to fit in more and more with them.  I can see everyone-including her-start to accept that she is a playmate and not a baby. 

The only thing Libby is lagging on is walking.  She still is not walking.  On Dec 22nd she took multiple steps-her very first steps ever-but she hasn't really been working on it since.  She will walk if we make her.  If we entice her with a treat or toy.  Probably half the time she'll do it the other half she flat out refuses (crumples to the ground).  She pretty much exclusively refuses to choose walking as a mode of transportation.  She can-and has-taken over a dozen steps in a row.  They are quite shaky but she does it.  She has until the 3rd of February to learn to walk before she is officially delayed.  I have a very strong feeling she will start walking by then.  If not, I'll be scheduling an evaluation.  But I am fairly convinced this is a personality/choice thing and by no means something she cannot do.

So that's our little Libby at 18 months in a nutshell!  She's a doll and we LOVE having her be part of our family!