I'm One and a Half!

Lauren was officially 18 months old as of Tuesday, the 22nd. Here are some fun facts about her at this age:

*We had our 18 month checkup with the pediatrician this morning, and Lauren did a great job. We brought Elmo with us, and the doctor was great about examining Elmo first, so that Lauren could see that it wouldn't hurt. :) She is very healthy, in the 80th percentile for weight, the 95th percentile for height, and the 94th percentile for head size. (Lots of brains in there!) Her asthma is doing really well and she is developing just right. Lauren was so good about being at the doctor's office that the only time she got upset was when we had to leave!

*As for her current favorites, Lauren is fascinated by numbers, letters, and colors. Obviously, she is not able to fully grasp the concepts yet, but it seems like she knows there is a concept to grasp. She loves the color purple, the number two, and the letters E and T. :) At 18 months, I'm already confident she will love preschool.

*Definitely a girl, Lauren loves to play with purses, make-up, jewelry, and hair brushes. She likes to comb her hair and put on make-up with mommy in the mornings. And she always makes sure she has her purse when driving her car.

*She loves to play outside, to run, and to practice jumping. Her favorite games are hide and seek, chase, peek-a-boo, and ring around the rosy (or "ashes" as she calls it). She enjoys singing, and especially likes "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider" and "Head, Shoulders, Knees, & Toes." She likes playing at the park, browsing at the library, and shopping! She already loves getting new clothes.

*Lauren still enjoys books, especially with things she can point to and name. She also loves looking through all the catalogs of baby stuff and parenting magazines that come in the mail.

*Still a talker, Lauren likes to tell us stories and talk on the phone. She is saying many words, some more accurate than others, of course.

*Lauren loves to serve tea to us and her stuffed animals with her tea set. She plays in her kitchen and makes lots of tasty treats for us to try. :) She also likes to take care of Elmo, including feeding him in the highchair.

*She likes to practice praying before we eat. She folds her hands and says, "Jesus. Amen." So sweet!

Of course, there are not-so-fun facts about Lauren at this age, too: tantrums are frequent, her favorite word is NO, and she is becoming increasingly picky about food. But we're doing our best to be good parents and work on these areas while enjoying the rest. It certainly helps when she gives us her sweet smiles, warm hugs, and cute kisses. We love our Lauren!