Julia at 18 months

I'm writing about life with Julia as an 18 (almost 19) month old so I can remember the details of this time. I also write so that Julia will know what a delight she was as a child. R doesn't favor these text-heavy entries, because he says my blog audience just wants pictures of Julia. I'll be back to pictures soon!

Sleeping Beauty
Speaking of Julia's naps, she dropped from two naps to one in early to mid-January. I remember this, because Oma and Opa kept her the weekend before Inauguration, and the nap situation wasn't clear-cut at that point. She dropped her afternoon nap, but she still wanted to nap fairly early in the morning (~10:30 or so). This made for a grumpy baby in the late afternoon, and gradually over the last two months, we have pushed the single nap back to 11:30 or 12 (occasionally later if we have playgroup). The naps last 2-2.5 hours.

Julia's Entourage
Julia has a number of dolls and stuffed animals and a select few favorites have made it into her inner circle. We have 6 "babies" that she sleeps with every night: Baby, Dolly, Gus, Molly, Tiger, & Bear. When she wakes in the morning, she calls each by name, as she wants them all to come with us when we leave the room. Usually, I ask her to pick a baby or two to take with her. We have been known to carry around 6 babies plus Julia; she's a little Angelina Jolie. She enjoys feeding the babies, covering them with blankets, and kissing and hugging them. As part of our nightly ritual, we kiss each baby and put each in the crib. Julia goes in the crib last.

When we go to other little girls' houses and they have baby dolls, Julia immediately goes straight to the dolls. She assumes they are hers, and it is difficult to convince her otherwise.

Girly Girl
Julia is into necklaces (and all girly accessories.) On the days that I work, I typically wear a necklace. When I get home, Julia begins shouting "Kai-key! kai-key!" (her word for necklace). She searches my neck for the necklace and insists that I put the necklace on her. Then, proudly walks around wearing the necklace with a big grin on her face. In addition to her necklaces, she also loves purses. She likes to load her little purse (a gift from Grandma) with toys, put it in the crook of her arm, and carry it around. She usually goes to the door, opens it, and says "Goodbye!" I guess she is mimicking me when I leave in the mornings. At times, she prances around with sunglasses on the top of her head, the purse on her arm, Baby in the crook of her arm, and a cell phone in her hand. So funny!

Little Daredevil
The girly-girl also has a daredevil side. She enjoys climbing on everything - chairs, tables, our ottoman, and in some cases, jumping off....scaring us to death. She doesn't seem afraid...ever, except for one thing: she does not like it when dogs bark or growl, especially Jake. It upsets her. She's not fearful of new people or places. She also likes the tallest slides on the playground. The short toddler slides don't do it for her.

Little Miss Independent
Julia has a stubborn and independent streak. She is in very much of a "I want to do it MYSELF" stage. She wants to hold her own fork and spoon, brush her own teeth, walk up and down the stairs unassisted, sit in chairs by herself, etc. She currently enjoys opening and closing doors, drawers, and cabinets. She likes exploring the contents of the doors, drawers, and cabinets, usually leaving chaos in her wake.

Temper, Temper
Like most kids her age, Julia is prone to have tantrums when she doesn't get her way; she has a strong will and knows what she wants. It's helpful to me to talk to the other moms in our playgroup and find out that the other kids are doing the same things. When she has a tantrum, I remind myself is the age, not that she is being bad. Her tantrums involve very expressive foot stomping.

Books and Music
Julia continues to love books, and she can request some of her favorites by name ("Gossie," "Ollie," "BooBoo," "Mother," (Are Your My Mother?), "LaLa" (Moo, Baa, LaLaLa). She also loves music, and she loves to make her babies dance to the music. One of her favorite songs is "If You're Happy and You Know It." She requests this song by pointing at the CD and yells "Happy! Happy!"

This age is so much fun, and she seems to learn things new every day!