Wow, this got here fast. 18 months. And boy girl, were there some changes! Thankfully, I can talk about talking in this update. My little burst of craziness has finally decided to form words instead of reaching/pointing and "uh, uh"-ing at everything she wants. I have not necessarily been worried these past months. I know comparing her (or any child) to Ella for milestones is not wise as Ella was most likely talking IN the womb! But, when the pediatrician asked at 15 months if she was saying any words and all I could say was "nothing other than 'ma', 'da' and what I thought was "ball", I was really hoping to be able to say a few more words at her 18 month check-up. It was encouraging at that time that she was definitely understanding things that we said, so we chalked it up to the "second child" syndrome.
Well, I am happy to announce that Annie is talking!!! Like most girls (except her mother), she loves talking on the phone. She babbles away at anyone who will listen (or whoever she pretends is listening) and scarily, she knows how to dial her father's cell. For now, he thinks it's cute (granted, at the beginning, he thought I was putting her up to it). Although, every time someone calls my cell she automatically thinks it's Stephen and she proceeds to yell "dada, dada!" until I can finally make her understand it is not him I'm speaking to. For actual words (and some phrases) she is saying, the list includes:
- ball
- dog
- good girl
- please
- lala (for Elmo)
- ickey (for Mickey)
- Sisssss (for sissy a.k.a Ella)
- Ice
- brush
- bird
- night, night
- nose
- eye
- tickle
- ta-da
As for the rest of the 18 month check-up, Annie was all over Dr. Cooke. She is a lover of anyone giving her attention. She is very easy to examine and Annie even told the doctor to look in her ears (my continuously pointing at them and sticking her finger in them). She had to get one shot (Hep A), but Annie actually cried for maybe 5 seconds, as she was instantly distracted by the Tweety Bird band-aid that was placed on her thigh.
Finally, what we've all been waiting for....her 18 month stats!!! Coming in at 24 pounds and 1 ounce, Annie is in the 46th percentile for weight. Holding strong in the 92nd percentile, Annie is 33.5 inches tall (or long, however you like to say it)! And she continues to have an above average head circumference at 18.75 inches, which puts her in the 80th percentile. I'm convinced that her late-ish walking at 13-14 months has to do with her height/weight/head ratios compared to her tiny "Kelly feet" that she and Ella have been graced with.
As for other things going on in Annie's life, she is falling more and more in love with the water. This makes me very happy as I was worried with her being born in MI and spending the first few years of her life here would stunt her ability to fall in the love with the water, but clearly it's just in our genes! I'm looking forward to starting her in swim lessons late-Spring and I'm sure she'll be just like Ella and cry and get upset when the lessons are over. I look forward to having two fish in the family who can enjoy the water together. Annie does love her sister and wants to do everything she is doing. I would say that is the biggest difference in having a second child who has an older sibling to watch and learn from. Annie insists on being outside and hanging with Ella's friends (thank God most of them love Annie, too) and of course, she wants to play with all of Ella's things. It is fun to see Annie's personality continue to bloom and to see how different from Ella she is, even though they look so much alike.
Until next time...
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