18 months old

Granted, we’re 7 days shy of Jessica turning 19 months old, but with packing and moving, my blog has fell by the wayside the past few weeks. Better late than never, right?

A few days after Jessica’s half birthday, we went for her well-check at the pediatrician’s office. She measured 33 inches tall (90%), which is a jump from the 70% she was in at her last well-check. She weighed 22 pounds and 14 ounces (25-50%). Her head circumference was 48 cm, which has steadily been in the 90th percentile. She received two shots, the last shots until she turns four. She didn’t really cry out after the first, but she didn’t like the second one.

 

What Jessica is Up To

Being rather tall, she can reach anything on edge of the kitchen counter. She also opens kitchen drawers and will take out spatulas, turkey basters, etc.

 

Jessica has boycotted pretty much anything that straps her in: high chairs, strollers, etc. Although, she is still okay in the car seat, most of the time. However, she does like to play with the straps and can wile away the time strapping her kitty in the summer seat or climbing in and out of the stroller. She is quite adept at connecting the straps, but she gets frustrated that she can’t undo them once she connects them.

 

 

Jessica now loves her stuffed animals. Kitty seems to be her favorite, but she plays with almost all of them.

 

 

She enjoys playing with blocks now. She is still best at taking built things apart, but her interlocking skills are improving and she will even intermingle her different types of blocks.

 

 

Jessica is a big fan of George, Curious George that is. She will point at the TV and say “George.” Unfortunately, she watched a lot more George in the 18th month than I would have liked, but it was hard to pack with her “helping.”

 

Jessica’s entire 18th month was spent house-hunting. We looked at over 50 houses, I think. She really likes our realtor, Madeline Mansen. Madeline let Jessica hold onto the little gadget that opens the realtor boxes. Jessica liked pretending it was a phone.

 

At the playground, she especially loves the steering wheels.

 

Jessica is starting to get puzzles. I guess all the practice of putting things in and taking them out is paying off.

 

Books and her Animal Baby magazines are still one of her favorite pastimes.

 

Her bangs are now past her eyes, but I am trying to grow them out as they just grow too fast. I know hair in her face bothers her as she keeps trying to pull it out of her face, so I always put her hair up during the daytime. I either put the front half up in one ponytail or two pigtails (only the front half of her hair so I can include the long bangs). After naptime, it is often messy and part of her bangs are out of the ponytails. Jessica has a tendency of holding the ponytail in the hand that has the thumb in her mouth, which makes it loose.

The last thing I baked in our old house was some chocolate chip banana mini muffins. Jessica helped out. Really, she didn’t do much more than watch, but she sure enjoyed it. I can’t wait to bake with her more.

 

What Jessica is Saying

Jessica is quite the talker. Often we don’t know what she is saying. The clear words she can say: cheese, juice, up, out, mama, da, poopy (while getting her diaper changed), ball, wow, whoa, whee (going down slides), uh-oh, hello, hi, bye, bye-bye, book, more, fish, George, birds, mouse, and I’m sure there’s a few more I’m forgetting.

Her comprehension is also amazing. She will often do what I ask of her, such as bringing me an item or wiping the table. She knows a number of her body parts: belly, belly button, hands, feet, tongue, nose, ears, hair. Often if you ask Jessica where her belly is, she will lift up her shirt and point to it. She also will lift up mine or James’ shirts and point to our bellies.

 

What Jessica is Eating

Jessica has her front eight teeth (four on top and four on bottom), plus her first four molars, so is quite capable of eating a variety of food. However, she is still picky. Fruits are usually a go, although she is not the biggest fan of cantaloupe or pineapple. She loves peanut butter, plain or on crackers, but she hasn’t quite figured it out on sandwiches. Jessica stills loves yogurt and cheese. She still hasn’t gained a taste for pasta or rice yet. She often requests juice, but I keep that on the top shelf of the refrigerator so she can’t reach it when I open the door for her to grab her milk or water cups, which are kept in the door at just her level.