18 Months of Amazing: State of the Bean

 18 months old!  I can't quite believe it.

Today we are celebrating Cora's half-birthday by having a typical Friday: a little bit of work, some playing outside, and some time spent reveling over all the fun she brings to our lives.

My last post was a little whiny, which I am a little embarrassed about.  But I guess we all have those days where we feel less than optimistic and just need a space to vent frustrations. 

Instead of focusing on my impatience, I've been focusing on the growth that I am seeing, day by day.  Just today she said "book" (although without pronouncing the "k"), and yesterday she signed "pig" for the first time (without my prompting), while we played with her little piggy bank.  And she was doing great getting those coins into the slot too.  She's getting up on one knee more and more, and is doing better getting around, with her little scoot-hop.

Although she stopped speaking most of the words she had been saying a while ago, she's starting to pick up again, repeating what we say and sometimes speaking appropriately without prompting. Go Cora!

She's having a blast as the tickle-monster, excited to "Get you! get you! get you!" at all hours of the day and night, putting her little hands up to our necks (although not with wiggling fingers, quite yet.)

She loves to dance, whether she's lying on her back or standing up.  She still needs quite a bit of support to bend her knees, but she's doing it more and more.  In fact, today she voluntarily put her own legs into a squat position and tried to pull up.  Not quite there, but on her way.

I even think she may be learning to read.  Perhaps this is wishful thinking on my part, but while reading her favorite book Goodnight Moon the other night,  she pointed to the words "mouse" and "bear", rather than the pictures.  Perhaps she's just learning this book really well, which would be a wonderful step in her development of early literacy.  But maybe, just maybe the reading program we've been working on for months is starting to show some results.

I think one of my favorite things she does right now is during Goodnight Moon.  Before we get to the "old lady whispering hush", she turns around and puts our fingers to our lips.  We started this, of course, but now Cora anticipates it even before we turn the page.  She moves her hands or our hands through signs, points out all the pictures, and oohs and ahhs the whole time.  I really have to get it on video, since it's so darn sweet.  I think she's signing a lot more than I really know, because she is always practicing and moving her hands around, but I admit I'm just not sure what she's trying to say. 

She hovers between being very social and smiley to ridiculously shy.  Just yesterday she melted down at a playdate with the sweetest, most mellow 9 month old for no explicable reason.  Apparently beautiful Lily was just terrifying.

 She is exactly 19 pounds, a little smaller than last month.  That puts her at almost 50% on the Ds growth chart, but still not quite on the typical chart.   Her pigtails are growing longer and the little bald sides of her head are starting to fill in.  The strawberry colored glints are returning to her hair. 

She is loving the swimming and the sunshine (mostly from the shade), the swinging and the dinners on the deck.   She loves Baby Signing Time and Potty Time and Elmo's World.  Pulling the books off her shelf and reading is one of her favorite things to do.

She is 18 months of amazing, ridiculous, loveable delight.