Wednesday, February 02, 2011

18 months and counting...


18 months.  Yesterday.  So hard to believe our baby is now...well, not a baby anymore!  She is a full-blown toddler at a year and a half old.  She tries hard to prove that each and every day, too.  I say, good for her (although, sometimes it is not so good for mommy).

So, how goes things at Finnley's ripe old age?  She is now clocking in at 31.5 inches (same as last appointment, which means they measured her wrong last time.  whatever).  That puts her in the 50th percentile for height.  She gained a bit of weight and is now a whopping 22 lbs 2 oz.  That puts her in the 18th percentile for weight (still tiny, but mighty!).  Lastly, I do not even remember what her noggin measured, but I do know that the measurement puts her 93rd percentile for head circumference.  According to all of this?  Well, Finnley is fairly tall, thin, and has gigantic brains housed in her gigantic head which should truly cause her to walk around with her nose scraping the floor.  It doesn't, though.  She is a wonder.  A true wonder.

Finnley is meeting or exceeding all milestone expectations put upon her at this stage.  A mom loves to hear that.  The doctor even commented that she LOVED hearing about Finnley throwing tantrums already.  Apparently she thinks this makes Finnley "smart".  I think it makes Finnley obnoxious, although I am not denying the smart aspect.  The two seemingly go hand in hand at this point.

There are only 4 more teeth for our little girl to cut, and those are her two year molars.  That is it.  Where did the time go?  Before we know it, she will start losing those same teeth.  At least there is a few year break in between all of the nonsense with oral growth, expulsion, and more growth.

Supposedly in the next 6 months, we should expect Finn to experience a verbal explosion.  "Most" kids do during this time period.  There is always a big curve for what children do and when, though, so I won't hold onto this 6 month period as "ephiphany" time in the word-world.  It would be fun to witness, though...so I do look forward to it when it does happen.  At least at this point Finnley has a great grip on the words "ma-ma" and "da-da" and uses them with accuracy quite regularly.  When she comes up to me, puts her hand on my chest to pat me, and then says "ma-ma"...I melt.  No sweeter words have fallen upon my ears.  I am sure that "da-da" feels the same when she calls out for him.  Simple, yet so amazing.

And, as Finnley continues to learn and grow...I continue to move in fast-forward motion all the time.  I am always zipping here and there, hurrying to change a diaper, scurrying to get a meal on the table fast enough for a hungry girl.  I have discovered this past week, though, that sometimes slowing down is best.  And safest.  This week I have been sick while zipping, hurrying, and scurrying.  A dangerous combination, exemplified by my taking a swig of cough syrup to soothe my throat, only to find out that it was NIGHT TIME cough syrup...and it was only mid-afternoon.  Such is the life of a mom of an eighteen month old.  And, for the record?  I stayed awake the whole rest of the day.  I even cooked dinner, bathed my child, and accomplished other expected normal daily tasks.  Toddlers are curious, explorative, adventurous, and stubborn...and they have met their match in their moms.  So, go me...and go us!

Looking forward to the next six months of delightful craziness...