Dear Leila,
You are 18 months old and quite the grown up toddler now. No more our little baby girl.
Since you began walking you seem to have been running developmentally. It’s like a whole lot of things were just waiting for you to walk on your feet and since then they’ve been rushing to happen. Except for teeth. They still take a very long time to happen.
One of the nicest things has been the way you talk. You’re picking up new words all the time: Too many for me to list. You’ve always been quite good at making yourself understood, but now you can use words to do it too. And I can ask you questions and get very definite yes or no answers (your brother could learn a thing or two from you on this one). “Would you like a biscuit?” “Yeah!” “Do you have poo?” “No, no, no” - that last response is not to be trusted, though. I usually go by what my nose tells me when it comes to poo.
You might tell me sometimes when you’ve got a pooey nappy (and occasionally before it happens) but that doesn’t mean that you’ll let me change it without a fight. In fact about the only thing clothing-related that you’ll go along with happily is putting on shoes and socks. You love to have shoes on. I’ve had to put them out of reach to stop you bringing them out of your room all the time and insisting upon wearing them. You try to put them on yourself too, but you can’t do it yet and that leads to tantrums. Once you have shoes on you’re all ready to head to the ’sho’, which could be kinder, the park, or the actual shops. And when we do go out you insist on walking out to the car under your own steam.
You feed yourself most of the time now and you’re even beginning to master the use of a fork. When my help is required you hold the spoon or fork out to me and say ‘do’. Sometimes you just want me to load them up for you (usually so with the fork) and will do the rest yourself. Sometimes you’re happy for me to do the work while you play with a puzzle.
In spite of having access to cars and blocks (and even playing Lego with Finn) you’re very, very interested in dolls. Your favourite is ‘Baby’, a little doll I bought you a couple of months ago. Every time we go through the toy department at T@rget you point and yell ‘doll!’ in the girlie aisle.
The loveliest thing about you being 18 months old is your relationship with Finn. You adore him and he mostly adores you back. I love to hear the two of you giggling as you play some terribly silly game together. It makes me so, so glad that you’re here with us that my heart could burst.
Its lovely having the 18 months old you with us.
Love,
Mum
15:54
