18 Months

I had to get creative, since the blocks were at home

18 months... 1 and 1/2 years old!

Typical 18 month old... won't pose for pictures!

Beautiful Steamboat

Can't get her away from waa-waa

Natasha turned 18 months on Saturday and we were in beautiful Steamboat, Colorado for the weekend. I don't think any of us wanted to come back home, especially Natasha, who spent the weekend playing with not one, not two, not three, but four golden retrievers. When she woke up each morning she would sign and say "dog." Same thing after she woke up from her naps or anytime the dogs went outside to play. She loved all of them and they loved her too (since she always had snacks in her hands and she was the perfect height for their mouths). Besides the dogs, Natasha loved exploring the "ouside." I think the sandy beach and pond were her favorite and she was ready to jump right into the water with the dogs. I might invest in a life jacket for her and just have her wear it anytime we are near water. Overall, it was a wonderful weekend and I will post more photos soon and go into more detail about our trip, but let's get back to our 18 month old.

On Monday, Natasha had her 18 month check-up and she is doing great and hitting all the developmental milestones for her age. Dr. Cox was impressed that Natasha has 60 plus words in her vocabulary. We always knew Natasha was smart... S M R T... I mean S M A R T. She must get her brains from her Dada. Here are her stats from her appointment:

Height: 32 1/4" (74th percentile - growing tall)
Weight: 25 lbs. 6 oz. (53rd percentile - leaning out)
Head Circumference: 47 cm (73rd percentile - it's got to hold all those words in there)

At the end of the appointment, Natasha had to get three shots. She didn't even cry for the first one and only cried for 5 seconds for the other two. She did get her flu shot, so she is all set for the fall and winter seasons.

Besides talking up a storm and being fearless, Natasha is still our little ham who makes us smile and laugh everyday. She is so comfortable in front of people and is interacting more with kids her own age at our play groups and in our classes. She is still a very good eater, however she prefers snacks over anything else. Natasha sleeps 12 hours a night and takes one nap a day (averaging around 2 hours). Just today, as we were getting out of the car, Natasha said the word "poop," so I checked her diaper and it was clean. We came into the house and a few minutes later she said it again. This time she had pooped. I don't think we are ready to potty train, but I think this is a good start to when we do venture in that direction. I might buy a couple of potties to have around the house and just have her practice sitting on them at certain times during the day. Other than that, Natasha loves being "ouside." She loves playing in the backyard, running in the grass, picking up sticks and rocks or just climbing on our rock wall... that's our danger monkey!