18 Months

Wow, can you believe June is here already? We're already half way through the year, unbelievable!

It feels like just a few weeks ago I was complaining about being cooped up in the house because it was too cold outside. Now I'm bitching pretty much every single day about how stupid hot it is out.

Natalie has been busy taking bike rides with Pap-pap (Matt's dad) and occasionally they ride past my job while I'm at work and say hello. One of my co-workers told me Natalie looks like such a little girl now, not a baby anymore.

I know she's been a toddler for a long time now, but I'm finally at the point where I call her one. She's growing up fast, and before I know it's she'll be turning two! I know that's six months away, but if these next six months fly by as fast as the last then I am in trouble.

Here's what's new:

She's so independent. She hates asking for help for anything and sometimes gets mad at me if I don't let her do something on her own.

Back to being a picky eater. I'm lucky if I get one full meal in her a day.

Still wakes up several times a night for her bottle, doesn't have a consistent bedtime or wake up time either. Her naps are a little longer now though, and usually last an hour and a half to two hours a day.

Her favorite word is "nope". She likes saying it so much she'll sometimes say it when she really means yes.

She calls me "Mommy" most the time. She likes stretching it to "Mommmeeeee" and sometimes plays with it and says "Mommy-ameee-amee".

Still a Daddy's girl though. It gets a little embarrassing for me in front of large groups of people. I'll hold her and she just starts freaking out and screaming for Matt. I always wonder if people think I'm a bad mom who abuses her child or something. It just seems natural for a child to want the mother more than the dad.

She's getting more social and loves sharing toys. I'm hoping we can avoid the annoying "mine" phase that most kids go through.

For the most part she's a great listener and follows direction well. She is pretty patient when I tell her I need to do something before we can leave the house, or that she has to wait.

She can count pretty clearly to ten, though it's only after repeating after me.

She loves trying on other people's shoes and trying to walk around in them.

She can say two worded sentences/sentence fragments, such as: "Hi, Mom," "Bye, swings," "New shoes," and a few other things.

All around she is such a good girl. She's calm and sweet and affectionate and I'm so proud to be her mom.

We bought her a little red wagon at a yard sale and she just loves it.