18 months!

Ok, so I have been putting off this post. It first started out with procrastination due to unwillingness to admit Bea was a year and half old. THEN, I wrote the ENTIRE post and went to publish it and it vanished. I swore. A lot. And then Nate gave me a foot run. Another full week has passed, and I decided I better get to writing this or it will never happen and it might just be the post that kills this blog.

So, here we go!

Beatrice is 18 months (okay, you can call me on it, she is actually 19 months at this point, but that is what procrastination will get you). She is a wiggly, giggly and quite silly little girl (23 pounds 5 ounces at her 18 month appt, 32.5 inches). She climbs on everything and will not be stopped if she is on a mission.

Bea loves her sister, so long as Matilda isn't taking anything that Bea is playing with, may want to play with, or at some point in her past life played with. "MINE" was quickly one of her first words that is overused and abused. I feel like I can almost hear her singing "anything you can do I can do better" as she follows Matilda around and tries to keep up with her (which she actually does a good job of).

She is already attempting to ride the bike we got for Tillie for her 3rd birthday (of which she has no interest in) and prefers to grab hold of Tillie's scooter and go for a ride.

But in the last few months she has also figured out how to slow down, sit still for longer than 1 minute and enjoy a good book. In fact, she had a brief love affair with one book in particular that came everywhere with us for about 3 weeks. I was getting worried it would replace her lovey and that I would have to order about 12 copies of it on Amazon.

Bea's vocabulary has exploded! She has her "b" words down (which I guess is appropriate): book, ball, bread, etc. And she is not for lack of comprehension. Good lord, this child understands everything we say. I feel like we are already in the 'spelling' zone with her. She has "mama" down, has a sound for Tillie, and well--still calls Nate mama. :)

Nate likes to say that Bea is an inch wide and a mile deep. She is pretty easy going with most situations, but watch out if you misstep on something that she has deemed important. She will meltdown on you like an ice-cream cone on a 90 degree day. I am talking full-out laying on the floor, inconsolable tantrum. Something we haven't had to deal with to date with the eldest (although I realize there is still time).

So that is fun. And we are learning how to walk away and ignore.

But then she gets over it and pops back to her mostly-sunny self.

Bea has had a significant Daddy phase over the last month. I blame work travel. I traveled two weeks in a row and I think she is still punishing me for it. But it is sweet to see how much she loves Nate. And of course to see it reciprocated.

One of my favorite things about Bea right now is her mischievous side. And her facial expressions. Together they give her away. 

She has a great little eyebrow lift that seems to say: "watch what i am going to do....you are going to love it as much as me, but just in case you don't i am going to move really fast and then run away"

Bea is a happy explorer--happy to be by herself and doing her own thing. Happy to play with you or by you. It's been so fun to see her grow and become a 'little person'--helping unload the dishwasher, understanding what 'throw your diaper away' means and where to throw it. 

She has actually started to use the potty in the last 3 weeks. Telling us, at times, when she has to go and then actually going. It is blowing our minds, but we are fairly certain this will be short-lived as is anything that seems to good to be true.

Sweet Bea

Looking forward to the next 6 months, and watching this one become a 'little big' sister. It's good to know she has the personality that will ensure she doesn't get lost as the middle child. :)