You have got to be kidding me. Mary Grace is eighteen months?! What in the world? Rather than remaining in denial, I suppose I will carry on with a little eighteen month old post.

Personality: Fiercely independent. Very social. Thinks she is much older than she is (as expected with a big brother she follows constantly). Fearless. Scares the mess out of me with what she is willing to try on the playground. She’s also very loud. While she’s not saying a ton of words at this point (which I’m totally okay with. Carson was exactly the same way at this age and now will. not. stop. talking), she gets her point across in sheer volume.

Loves: Currently only wants to read the Eloise Wilkinson treasury and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See. If she had it her way, we would read the Eloise Wilkinson treasury from front to back all day long as she points to the baby on every page. Yes, she still loves her baby dolls. I am forced to avoid view of the doll section in any store, lest we want to expose hundreds of unsuspecting shoppers to Mary Grace’s screams. She also loves her brother in such a sweet way, though her tendency to imitate his every move frightens me a bit. The child also loves Dora. Is it too embarrassing to admit that my child asks for Dora but still, at 18 months, refuses to call me “mama”?

Hates: Being buckled in her car seat. Sitting in shopping carts. Staying in her stroller. Having her diaper changed. You get the picture… little miss go-getter hates to be contained. If I ever decide to chance it and let her “walk next to me”, she immediately runs off. Doesn’t even look back for me. Lovely. Brushing her teeth is also quite a task.

Food: Mary Grace is still a super eater. Her current food obsessions are yogurt, goldfish, raisins, and ranch dressing.

Sleep: She’s also still a super sleeper. She sleeps from 7:30pm till at least 7:30am and will take a 2-3 hour nap each afternoon.

Size: Like a little teapot (oh common’ guys, you know the tune… “I’m a little teapot, short and stout…” No seriously, she hasn’t been in for her 18 month visit, but I’m thinking she’s still in the 75th% for weight and 25th-ish for height. She’s wearing size 18-24 month clothes but is leaning more towards the 24 months/2T stuff. She does fit in a 3T swimsuit, though… ha.

Etc…

  • My favorite time of day with Mary Grace is when I get her from her crib each morning. The way she greets me with a huge hug and her wild bed head each morning melts my heart.
  • Mary Grace plays very well. She will sit and play with her Little People dollhouse or stacking blocks for a good 15 minutes at a time which is a remarkable feat for this age group.
  • The girl loves to “help” me do laundry. Truthfully, she often creates more work than she provides help, but it’s still ultra cute.
  • MG loves her paci still but it is almost entirely limited to her crib. I say “almost” because we still resort to the paci in the car/stores/church/etc. when we need to, uh, pacify her.

And alas, behold Mary Grace in all of her 18 month old cuteness… because eating crayons and calling her mother “dada” (in what I am convinced is her passive-aggressive way of driving me nuts) is what’s up.