Elsa is Eighteen Months

Elsa's half-birthday was yesterday. I thought too late (as in the night before) about actually doing something fun to celebrate, such as bake a little cake or something. Jarrett and I both have memories of having teachers celebrate our half-birthdays during the school year since we both have summer birthdays that would not have otherwise been recognized. My third-grade teacher, in particular, stands out with her hand-drawn birthday cards, each with a special message inside. We did celebrate Elsa's birthday somewhat, though, by enjoying the fabulous weather and going for a walk into Downtown Decatur yesterday afternoon. We made a stop at a favorite intown toddler park and let Elsa run around and swing for a bit before heading on to dinner at Ted's Montana Grill. As I somewhat expected might happen, we ran into some friends (Shelly, David, and their son, Christian) and they ended up joining us at Ted's, which was a lot of fun. Christian and Elsa sat in highchairs next to one another and had a fun time shaking their heads wildly and giggling at each other's antics. A big advancement in Elsa's development was proven yesterday when she kept her sunglasses on for the entire walk. She's been interested in Jarrett's glasses and my sunglasses lately, so apparently it must be cool for her to wear her own now.

 

 

We went to see Dr. Owen today for a well visit, and Elsa checked out just fine. Dr. Owen thought she looked healthy (besides the slightly runny nose she is still trying to get over) and that her development seemed to be right on schedule. Her head circumference is 18.5 inches (70th percentile), her height is 33 inches (90th percentile), and she weighs 21.75 pounds (12th percentile). So she is a tall, slender child just like her daddy and all of his siblings were. Elsa received one shot today -- another dose of the Polio vaccine -- and she did pretty well with it. We had her on my lap with my hands across her arms. Dr. Owen was quick, which helped tremendously, and Elsa cried very little. I think the fact that she got stickers this time aided in alleviating some of the tears.

Elsa's vocabulary continues to grow. I think my favorite thing she says lately is "Hi, g'bye... g'bye, g'bye, g'bye." And also when we go get the mail she says something that sounds like "woodelwoodelwoodel." I'm not sure if she thinks "mail" is a funny-sounding word and is just trying to imitate it or what, but it is cute regardless.

She still would prefer to walk everywhere and would like to stay outside for days on end. However, she doesn't seem to protest the stroller quite as much as she used to, and has been tolerating much longer walks without complaint, which I think is wonderful. Of course, it is always helpful if she has a snack in her tray and airplanes are flying overhead for entertainment.

Elsa loves to stack blocks and has really figured out her shape-sorter blender in the past few weeks, matching up the different-colored shapes to the correct holes. She continues to love her books, and her favorites as of late are a few I found in the dollar bins at Target. Can't beat that! She also continues to love her little Elmo toy that was in her Christmas stocking (we thought we had lost it, so I bought another as a replacement only to find the original under our bed the next day -- now we have two just in case!), and seems to be a little more attached to both the blanket doll and small blanket she has in the crib with her, though is still not crazy attached to any one particular item.

I'll end this post with some more photos. Our favorite Decatur toy store announced late last week that they are sadly closing their doors, so Kate and I walked down there on Friday to see what was available, as they are selling everything at 30% off. I purchased a couple of Melissa & Doug toys that had been on our wishlist for awhile, but they were also selling some cute tutus for three dollars, so I couldn't pass up getting one for Elsa. Just look at our little woodland nymph in her first article of dress-up clothing!