One and a half...

  
Dear Maya,

You turned 18 months old this past weekend. The time has passed so quickly and now you're no longer a baby by any means. Sigh...  At the risk of repeating things I've already written about you in previous posts, mommy would like to make a list of all your sweet accomplishments and interests. As your personality blooms and changes it will be so nice to be able to look back and remember you now, as a toddler, learning and growing every day. So, a few bullet lists for mommy's sake:

Sharing your cookies with Muppets

Playing dolls with Auntie Bobbie

Your words:

• "no" (even when you mean to say yes)
• "uh oh" (with proper intonation and timing)
• "wow" (you are easily impressed, it would seem)
• "all gone" (when your yummy food or drink is finished)
• "what is it?" (while pointing your finger at anything and everything)
• "dog" (whenever you see or hear something that could possibly be a dog)
• "oh no" or "oh god" (always overly dramatic even if it's just about a minor issue)

Hanging out with your friend Wyatt's dog, Oliver

When Oliver took off through the corn fields, you didn't hesitate to chase after him!

You love Wyatt's other dog, Daisy, too!

Your talents:

• you 'gimme five' and even 'high five' on command
• you 'clink' your sippy cup against our cup when we say "cheers"
• you play the piano at your great-grandparents' house as if you were born to
• you give great kisses and hugs on command and lately sometimes spontaneously, too
• you wave goodbye at appropriate times and sometimes wave hello when you enter a room
• you sing beautifully and your pitch is usually right on, and sometimes you try to mimic lyrics, too

With a little help from your great-grandpa

And a little help from your great-grandma

Applauding yourself after a beautiful recital :)

Your interests:

• books--every day several times a day you pull all your books out and read, read, read!
• rocking--you love your frog rocker and your dog rocker (who said only horses can rock?)
• blocks--your plastic linking ones are easy but you're also pretty good balancing wooden ones
• shoes--you love to put on your shoes and often wear ours, too, especially Auntie Rhi's red heels :)
• marshmallows--mommy gives you a few mini marshmallows here and there and they disappear fast!
• accessories--whenever you nurse or drink milk before sleeping, you have to hold one or more items for security, be it a book, a stuffed animal, a pillow, a doll, or even a pinwheel (adorable but occasionally dangerous to whomever is holding you, especially the pinwheel)

Thanks for Fergie the frog, grandma!

You love sampling all our shoes by the entryway

With half the pinwheel in your hand and half on your toe--you're a cheeky monkey!

Speaking of nursing, that part of your relationship with mommy is starting to come to an end. We've been working on weaning for 10 days now and you're being so much more understanding than I expected. As of this post, we are down to only a couple of feedings between when you wake up in the morning and when you take your first nap at around 9 or 9:30am. Mommy felt a bit sad at first, but in some ways this makes me feel closer to you as I proudly watch you grow before me. Also, you now hug me a lot. I love that!

How did we celebrate your half birthday the other day? With an evening jaunt to a quaint town nearby. We stopped for a picnic dinner at a clearing in the woods on the way. Then we walked around and window shopped with you holding both daddy and mommy's hands and having at least three people stop to say how adorable and sweet you are. Then the highlight of the night for you, no doubt--ice cream! Unfortunately the awesome toy store there was closed by the time we got to it, but we'll have to go again soon.

Well, we're getting ready to go to a 4th of July party at daddy's workplace so mommy has to go get herself and you ready. Love you, sweet little toddler!