Height: 32 1/2" 75%
Weight: 23lbs 25%
Head: 47 1/2 cm 75%
Ellery had her check up this morning and I thought it would be a good time to give an update on our 18 month old baby girl - or toddler girl.
Ellery still prefers to be outdoors over anything and when she hears the chime of a door open she'll run towards it. She will almost always look for something with wheels to push around the yard, usually her baby stroller (best $10 I've ever spent) and Nola always follows close behind. They really are best buds. She waves at everyone and everything - especially at bedtime. We wave and say goodnight to EVERY animal, blanket, book.. until I just have to say "goodnight sweet girl, mommy loves you" and I walk out. About bedtime, we have always been consistent with our routine and Ellery has really benefited from it. Ever since she was 4 months old (when the pediatrician basically told me that I needed to be a hard ass) she has gone down without a peep and doesn't wake up until the morning. We did have a rough patch (after traveling for 10 days) where Ellery would cry once we left the room AND wake up in the middle of the night calling me. I can handle the crying but when she threw in the "mama mama" it pulled at my heart strings and I caved, which is probably why it lasted 2 weeks! I'm happy to say we're back on track! We certainly don't need 2 kids crying in the middle of the night come spring! She loves swim class and is more fearless than I thought she'd be. Jumping off the edge and going under water are her new tricks and she practices her bubbles and kicks in the bathtub at home. We jut started a gymnastics class at the Y and it's hard to get her off the trampoline and balance beam. Her favorite song is "head shoulders knees and toes" which we have on repeat in the car. She wakes up between 5:30 and 6 and Zach brings her into bed with us to snuggle. I cherish this time.
Her favorite foods are pasta, strawberries, oranges, broccoli, M&M's and water. This girl hates milk and soy milk so I have to sneak in the calcium and Vitamin D elsewhere. She's up to about 10 words. My favorite, "hot". Pronounced (now you have to say this in a whisper) "tata". Her animal noises outnumber actual words but her babble is varying more and more and I'm sure an explosion of words will come out in the near future. She is still signing and uses "please" and "thank you" on a regular basis but with a reminder of course. We are having a bit of a hair pulling problem. Not anyone else's, her own. Then she puts it in her mouth and threads it through her lips. It makes me want to gag. The pediatrician said it's fairly common and that they usually do it out of boredom or when they're stressed. She mainly does it in the car so the doctor thinks she either dislikes the car or she's bored. I try to cycle toys through the car to keep her interested but it lasts for 5 minutes then she pulls out a few strands. Also recommended: kid songs, especially when a parent will get into it and sing... anyone who's rode in the car with me knows we are not lacking kid music or my knowledge of ALL of the words. Now that I think about it, maybe my singing is what's stressing her out! Ahhh! Nooooo! I'm sure (hoping!) this is just a phase and she will outgrow this quirk.
As for her sibling, we find out tomorrow how littles is doing and whether Ellery will get a brother or sister! We'll be sure to let you know. Until then, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
