Aubree: 18-months

I suck. I haven't taken Aubree's 18-month pictures yet.  Life is just starting to settle down now that we are at Marla's and we're done doing things related to selling, packing, and moving.  Bad thing is, we all ended up with a cold so I swear once we're all well again and Aubree's poor nose isn't all dry and red, I will take pictures.

On to Aubree.

She. Is. Crazy.  Good crazy, though. :)  She is a very busy little lady at 18-months.  Constantly moving, constantly looking for things to get into, constantly talking in half real words, half Aubree-talk.  She has really started to talk a lot and it's so much fun to hear those words coming out of her mouth.  She seems to know what she's talking about and just needs a confirmation nod and "ok" from us.  So cute.  She's learning how to put two and three words together and is learning new words every day.  I'm excited to say that she's continuing to pick up new Chinese words as well.  I really hope I can keep up on that.

She loves being read to.  She comes running with a book and wants to sit down and read it over and over again.  We've also been flipping through those books that just have pages and pages of different things, animals, etc.  We'll ask her where something is and she'll point to it or ask her what something is and she'll say the word.  It's crazy how fast those little brains learn.  I'm always surprised at what she knows.

She has started throwing tantrums big-time. When she doesn't get her way, she shrieks, cries, and throws herself to the ground.  I have learned that if I just set her in a safe place on the ground and let her freak out for a minute, she gets over it pretty quickly.  It seems like lately she's either really freaking out or she's completely the opposite and totally care-free and easygoing.  When she's her usual happy self, she is sooo much fun.  I could just sit and watch her all day long.  She's hilarious.  Anyone who is around her for a few minutes, ends up giggling at her.  She's a riot.  She has such an awesome little personality.  She's so cuddly and lovey...always wants to be close and touching someone.  When she lays her little head on my shoulders and wraps her arms around my neck, there's no better place in the world to be.

She continues to eat really well.  She, of course, has her moments here and there...but for the most part, she pretty much will eat anything we give her.  She's easily distracted, but when she wants to eat, she goes to town.  Her round little belly is the best! :)  She almost always finishes eating before Ayla and is known to do a drive-by and snatch something from Ayla's plate.  So funny.

She and Ayla have a love-hate relationship right now.  Most of the time, they're fighting over toys...screaming "MINE!" and "SHARE!"  I don't know how many times a day I have to pry their little white-knuckled fingers off of a toy that they're both tugging on.  One minute they're doing that and the next minute, Ayla has pulled Aubree onto her lap to read books.  Sigh.  I hope they grow up to be good friends.

Caillou is still Aubree's favorite tv show...and I still take advantage of that.  :)  It calms her down, sometimes even mid-freak out.  It gets her to sit still for just a bit so we can get a few things done.  She also still loves Curious George.  Thomas the Train has become a favorite, as well as Barney and Elmo.  The typical stuff.

Before we moved to Marla's, she had been sleeping from 8:00 p.m. to nearly 8:00 a.m. on a good day...but since we've been here, she's been up as early as 6:30 a.m.  Yikes.  I think once she adjusts and is used to being here, she'll probably start to sleep longer.  Good thing is, after she wakes up in the morning, she likes to talk and play with the stuffed animals in her crib.  She needs a good 20 minutes or so to do that in order to wake herself up.  I've gone in there too soon a couple of times and she actually protests and wants to be put back in her crib.  Weird.  But I'll take it.  She just takes one nap during the day that's usually around two hours or so.  I have a feeling she will continue to nap for a while.  (Ayla was done at 2 1/2, which I was fine with because it was often a struggle).  Aubree goes down the majority of the time with zero issues and is asleep within minutes.

She is nuts.  She is a mess.  And she can be exhausting.  BUT she is so awesome at the same time.  I can't get enough of her sweet little smile and the sound of her laugh and the way her nose crinkles when she giggles.  I love how anytime I'm sitting on the floor, she's sitting on top of me within seconds.  I love how when I tell her I love her, she says, "Ma-Chu" in response (her version of "love you").  She is my little buddy and I am so lucky to be her mommy.