Ella turned 18 months on June 22nd! We can't believe that she is 1 1/2 and closer to 2 now than to 1! Such a big girl! Actually, according to the stats from her 18 month well visit, she is a little girl-in the 5th percentile for height (at 30") and in the 68th percentile for weight (weighing 24 pounds.) The doctor wasn't totally convinced that her height was exactly correct since Ella does not like to be measured and was crying and kicking the entire time so the nurse had a tough time getting an accurate measurement but she is definitely on the more petite side. Ella has not been a fan of the doctor's office since she was a baby and continues to cry whenever it is time to get measured, and then as soon as it is done she is fine and all smiles. That pretty much describes her personality right now though-she can go from all smiles and giggles to crying and even stomping her feet in a matter of seconds. Thankfully we see way many more smiles than feet stomping but she definitely has it in her!
This picture is a perfect snapshot of her at this age! She is just a little wild child with a lot of personality! She is so active and has recently been caught climbing on top of toys to get herself onto the arm of the couch and then jumping onto the couch (we can thank her older brother for teaching her this trick!) She loves standing and jumping on anything, especially on things that she shouldn't be standing or jumping on.
She continues to have a sensitivity/allergy to cow's milk. She does fine with cheese, yogurt, ice cream, etc but the minute that she gets her hands on Joseph's milk her bottom breaks out into an awful rash and her diapers are a mess for a few days. Thankfully she is a fan of coconut and almond milk so she is getting plenty of calcium from those sources. If only we could convince Joseph to like almond milk then we'd all be drinking only that!
She LOVES the trampoline!!
She continues to be extremely affectionate and loves to snuggle while being held right into your shoulder, especially after waking up in the morning or from her nap and before going to bed at night. She often falls asleep in the car on the way home from being out and about in the morning and does a great job of being transferred into her crib for naptime. She normally naps for an hour and a half but definitely wakes up happier when she sleeps closer to 2 hours which happens a few days out of the week.
Ella has been loving the pools this summer. We definitely have water babies! Both kids have no problem getting their faces wet and Ella actually comes up laughing when I dunk her under the water. In the toddler pools she likes to lie on her back and kick her legs, imitating Joseph floating. She also still drinks a pretty good amount of pool water but is getting better at spitting it out instead of swallowing (which also is pretty gross but at least better for her!) She gets really excited when talking about playing with friends, especially when we mention Olivia, baby Jack, Kolton or Kason. She is always trying to keep up with Joseph and the bigger kids and normally hangs pretty well. She continues to be a tough little one.
She gets so excited when she hears the alarm beeping for Daddy to come in and runs to the laundry room door to greet him. When Daddy and Joseph are wrestling or rough housing she wants to be right in the middle now and will imitate whatever Joseph is doing. It is so cute to watch! She's definitely a little firecracker!
Ella still isn't talking a ton. She has about 13 words (ma ma, da da, buh bye, bu bu/bubble, uh-oh, eese/cheese, da-dos/Joseph, uh huh, no, na na/nani, up, ump/jump, uck/duck) and can do a few animal sounds (woof, quack) and is still signing frequently for "more", "please" and "thank you." The pediatrician and I discussed this at her appointment and she wasn't overly concerned since her receptive vocabulary is very strong but she did say that especially for a girl the expressive vocabulary was very low so she gave me the number for Early Childhood Intervention Services. I called and spoke to a coordinator and she did a screening over the phone and she wasn't concerned and said that there wasn't a need for someone to come to the house to evaluate her. She imagines that her vocabulary will continue to increase (as do Rich and I) but if it doesn't then call back in a few months. That was reassuring and we know that there is such a huge range for normal at this age so we will continue to monitor her...gosh, as parents it seems as if there is always something to worry about!!
She loves wearing her brother's shoes (as seen here) and is also known for wearing Daddy's socks. When she can get her hands on my phone (which is pretty regularly) she will steal it for hours and walk around with it attached to her ear. She also is normally caught with a purse or bag of some sort which she always fills to the brim.
As mentioned earlier, she LOVES to climb and is really good at it. Here she is one afternoon after the swimming at the pool
She made it to the top and was SO proud of herself!! She looks like such a big girl here!
Love you sweet and sassy Ella Bean. Happy 18 months!
No comments:
Post a Comment