2.27.12: a year and a half (in words)

A year and a half. This is a big deal (hence the massive post below). She is growing and changing so fast and i feel like this 18 month mark is a big one. So far it's been a challenging one too. She's just her own little person and definitely has her own ideas and attitude.

-She is talking a lot. Not always in real words but she definitely wants to communicate. Sometimes she will look at me and have a whole conversation and i know she is really trying to tell me something but i just wish i could understand! She is doing really well though with trying out new words and sounds and i'm sure it will be no time before I start learning her little language better and she starts learning mine. She still does some baby signs too. 
-She's got major 'tude. She is so stubborn sometimes and she is not afraid to yell at you if she doesn't like what you are saying. If she doesn't want to get in her car seat, she will kick and scream and straighten out her body. If she doesn't want to get out of the cart at the grocery store (by the way she only wants to ride in the big part now.. already lost that battle) she will yell and grip the sides and make you yank her out. Little temper tantrums.  It has been quite the lesson in patience and keeping calm for me. When we are at home i put her in time out sometimes where she has to sit in the corner while i hold her down and tell her what she did wrong then i make her say sorry (she does the sign for it). It works pretty well except for i think she thinks is a game sometimes because i tried to threaten her with time out the other day and she grabbed my finger and brought me over to the corner and sat down with a big smile on her face. Not exactly how i saw that going.
-This has been going on for a little while but, she has a major phobia of the bath tub. Anytime we put her in she stands up and holds onto the side and screams. Don't get me wrong.. we bathe her but i just bring her in the shower with me because she loves it. She likes to stand and go under the water and play with her toys. I think she doesn't like the bathtub because she had a bad fall in there last time and she remembers it. I know that i will probably need to conquer this fear for her and get her back into the bath but for now at least she's getting clean somehow.
-Bedtime/naptime has been interesting the last little while. We've always had a little routine but decided we needed to be better at sticking with everything. She still drinks a "baba" (sippy cup) before bed and naptime and i'm trying to get to the point where i can take that away so right now what we do for bedtime is: say family prayer, she goes over and picks out one or two books, we sit in her rocker and read her the books while she drinks her baba and holds her blankies and then she takes her binky and we sing one or two songs and then put her in her crib and she goes to sleep. As of a couple weeks ago i was doing the same for naptime too and then she started freaking out and screaming crying whenever i left the room and would work herself up and never take a nap. no bueno. So, now what we do for naps is start out laying down in her crib and she drinks her baba in there while i read her a story then i sit by the crib and sing her songs until she is relaxed enough to sleep. I have given myself a 5 song limit because it was getting ridiculous. But usually that is enough. When she does fall asleep, she still naps for about 2.5-3 hours and then sleep at night for about 12-13. She is and always has been a great sleeper, which totally makes up for her busy-body self during the rest of the day.
-At night when we say prayers she knows to sit down and bow her head. Sometimes she will kind of fold her arms and always at them end when we say "amen" she does a big head nod. (she does this everytime we pray)Also in church when she hears people saying "Amen" after the talks she thinks they are praying and she will do the same thing. It's really cute.
-This one has been going on for a while but i'm not sure if i've ever mentioned it: Caitlin hates it when people wear baseball hats. Specifically, Paul. If he comes up to her in a hat she won't go to him and doesn't want anything to do with him, but as soon as he takes it off she's all about him. I have no idea why. All part of her secret plans to get him to do his hair everyday.
-Lately she really likes to blow her nose. She doesn't really know how but she'll take a napkin and hold it up to her face and breath in and out of her nose.
-She loves to dip things. Usually she likes to just lick off whatever she dipped into and go back for more but it's a good way to get her to eat sometimes.
-She's not the most adventurous eater. I always try to get her to eat new things but she likes what she likes. Thus, she's not the healthiest eater but she does like some healthy things. She doesn't have a huge appetite either, but she looks like she's big enough and growing fine to me so I'm not worried. Also she is so stubborn that if she doesn't want to eat she really won't (or if she doesn't want to do anything else for that matter).
-She loves brushing her teeth. She has a little toothbrush and she likes to do it herself. She wants to brush her teeth every time we are in my bathroom and usually wants the toothbrush dipped under the water at least 3 times before she's done.
-She is always making me laugh at the stuff she does. Sometimes in a "that's really funny" type way and sometimes in a "i can't believe you really just did that" kind of way.
-She is a super climber. She WILL get to whatever she wants and isn't afraid to stack up or step on anything to get there. Currently she thinks our kitchen table and chairs are a jungle gym and she climbs in between the seats and up on top and tries to get on the table multiple times daily. I just let it happen because we haven't had any disasters yet and it's way to exhausting to keep saying no. Although I don't let her crawl on top of the actual table, just the chairs.
-She hates to sit in her booster seat to eat now. Sometimes i can still get her to do it for lunch and dinner but usually she prefers to just sit up on the counter while i feed her, or she feeds herself. Obviously this doesn't work that well for every meal, but she totally eats better when she has the freedom so i usually always let her do it for breakfast.
-She is OBSESSED right now with the "Spot the Dog" books by Eric Hill. She thinks its so funny every time we lift the flap and she loves all the pictures and animals. She wants to read them anytime she sees one out, or if you tell her to she will go to her book drawer and get it out. The other morning she brought one of them into our bed and she basically read the whole thing herself. She knew what animals would be under the flaps and started making the noise before we even opened it and then she was totally repeating the words of the book. It was amazing. We only have 4 currently so I pretty much have all of them memorized. I had to order more from Amazon the other night to save my sanity.    
-Here's our typical schedule:
9-9:30 AM: wake up, have breakfast (oatmeal always) then brink her milk while we watch Mickey Mouse clubhouse and I get my own breakfast (always oatmeal for me too)
10:30-11 AM: Get ready for the day. While I get ready she likes to play with all my lotions and empty out by cupboards and drawers and try on my headbands. And do whatever else she can get into. But she always wants to be in the bathroom with me while i'm in there.
11-2 PM: Do whatever. Play at home or go to friend's or run errands. This is my time to get things done outside the house. Then she eats lunch.
2-5 PM: Nap time. Also my time to get things done, but inside the house.
5-6:30 ish: Play and do whatever again.
6:30ish: Eat dinner and wait for daddy to come home! Once he is home we play more and hang out as a family.
8-8:30: Bedtime routine and "nigh nigh" time.
Obviously our schedule changes from day to day depending on what we have going on and we are not always that lazy in the morning but i love my time with her to play and watch Mickey and have our day together.
-her stats for 18 months (taken on March 6th) were:
weight: 24.5 lbs (73%)
length: 31.5 inches (36%) although i don't think this is accurate, i think she is taller because she was lying really crooked when she was measured
head circumference: 19.25 inches (97%)