Love.Baby.Life.: 18 Months!

Weight: 25 pounds (37th percentile)

Height: 34.75 inches (97th percentile)
Head: 18.75 inches (44th percentile)

I'm still having a hard time wrapping my mind around the idea that you aren't a little baby anymore. How is it possible that you're a year and a half?! A walking, sort-of talking, independent little person that can lift boulders.

People usually guess that you're over two- probably because you're so tall. I think you've grown 2 inches in the past month!! You also have a mouth full of teeth. This month all four of your canines popped through, which brings the grand total to 16 teeth. It's a good thing you have all those teeth because your palate has expanded beyond mushy fruits. Your food faves this month included cucumbers, chicken, ribs, and peanut butter toast.

You continue to slowly add words (albeit not fully pronounced) to your vocabulary. You can name lots of animals, as well as the sounds they make. You can also name all of your favorite foods. You're Mr. Social and love saying 'hi' and waving at strangers. Another odd habit you have is calling out 'dada' at the top of your lungs when you and I are out and about without dada. I'm not sure if you think you see him, or just hope that he's within earshot... This always results in several confused men looking our way and sometimes making inappropriate comments like, "I wish I was your dad," while winking at me. Eeew.

You excel in the motor skills arena. You are more coordinated and aware of your surroundings now. A perfect example of this is at the park. It has been amazing to watch you master slides, tunnels, and climbing walls over the course of the summer.

It's crazy to think that just a few months ago you would blindly walk off curbs and edges and crash into things because you weren't watching where you were going. Now, I even let you explore a little on your own!

This month we squeezed every last bit out of summer. We had a picnic in the park.

You tried out your new golf clubs...

...followed by dinner on the patio overlooking Lake Minnetonka.

We had a playdate at the Edina Aquatic Center with our neighbors. We got one picture of you in the water, but most of my time was spent chasing you around the pool. You had much more fun climbing on the lounge chairs than swimming. Plus, I got stung by a bee. This was not the best afternoon, but how cute are you beach babies?!

We also had a playdate at the Splash Pad. You had a great time...

...until you were blasted in the face with a hose by a big kid. Bridget and Caroline came shortly after that and we went to the nearby park instead. You quickly forgot about the incident with the hose!

You and Caroline had another "date" at the Children's Museum that weekend. You went grocery shopping together (and fought over who got to push the cart)...

... and met Curious George!!

The month was rounded out by two (yes TWO) trips to the State Fair! This was all your dad's doing. I could take or leave the fair, but not daddy. He's obsessed! He said we had to make up for the fact that we didn't go last year. Our first trip was quick, but pretty successful. We decided to go at the last minute, on a Thursday night, because one of our favorite bands was playing. You tasted some fried pickles, apple cider, and mini donuts and were in complete awe of your surroundings. You and I went on the merry-go-round (which was the highest speed merry-go-round I've ever been on).

You lasted on the horse about a minute, then dove off into my arms. For the rest of the ride, I had one arm gripped tightly around you while the other held onto a rail for dear life. Like I said, it was an unusually FAST merry-go-round. I think there should have been a warning...

Thankfully, we both made it through without getting sick or falling off. Then, we headed to the stage where Dawes was playing. You had a great time dancing and clapping to the music for the first couple of songs before you hit the wall.

It was more than an hour past your bedtime by then, so we headed home. Our second trip was even shorter and much less successful. Since you had been there and done that, you thought you could explore on your own this time. (Yes, that's Charlie Sheen-on-a-stick).

You refused to sit in your stroller or be held and wouldn't even let us hold your hand. Plus, it was really hot and crowed (not a formula for a pleasant afternoon)! This time we had some fries and ice cream...