18 Months

Well, if you can believe it (we can't!), our baby is 18 months old.  Alexis is such a happy little girl, we are so glad that she is a part of our family.  It's fun to see her personality come through and watch her learn something new every day.  She is very silly/goofy; we are constantly laughing at all of the funny things she does.  Alexis is also very affectionate, which we love.  She is always willing to give us hugs and kisses.  It is the best when she wants to give us a hug or kiss that we didn't ask her for.  And every time she sees us being affectionate, she doesn't want to be left out.  She will come over and start hugging our legs until we pick her up for a big family hug.  It is so cute.

Alexis is also very sweet and is quite good at sharing for an 18 month old.  She loves to play with other kids and she almost never fusses when someone takes a toy she was playing with, she just picks something else.  She will also willingly give up her toy when someone else asks for it.  She is still a great sleeper.  Up until last week, she was still taking two naps.  Now, she just takes one nap in the afternoon, but it lasts anywhere between three and four hours.  Then, she's usually in bed between 7:00-7:30pm and will sleep until 5:30-7:00am.  We can't complain!

Funny things that Alexis does:

• Alexis loves to pretend to talk on the phone.  When she is pretending, she babbles a little conversation to herself.  When she is talking on the phone for real, she is dead silent.
• Alexis loves to play "mommy" to her baby dolls.  She often tries to share her food with them, or dress them up in her bathing suits.  She also likes to brush their hair and teeth.  Recently she started trying to change their diapers (well, really she uses her wipes on them, since they're not wearing diapers).  It is adorable.
• It seems that Alexis equates the word "mommy" with "want."  When she wants me to do something, she says "mommy, mommy, mommy" over and over again until she gets what she wants.  She does this with John too.  Even though she can say "daddy," she says "mommy" to John when she wants something from him.
• Alexis mimics almost everything she sees us do or say.  She is really good at trying to say new words she hears us use.  It's so funny to see her rubbing her arms after I put lotion on in the morning or digging in my make-up drawer for my hairbrush, using it to brush her own hair and then watching her pull off invisible hairs from the brush and putting them in the rubbish.  She also loves to relax on the couch (lay back on the pillows) and sit up at the dinner table on a regular chair (we don't let her do this while she's eating).
• Alexis almost never says a plain "no."  She usually draws it out and turns it into two syllables like "noo-ooo."  Somewhat annoying, but also really cute.
• If Alexis gets her hands on some toilet paper (which isn't very often), she rubs it between her legs and then drops it in the toilet.  It's hilarious to watch.
• Alexis loves to clean up and help keep things tidy; unfortunately, just not where her toys and books are concerned.  If she sees a drawer or door open, she closes it.  We used to leave a drink out for her on the coffee table, but now, after we give her a drink, she wants to put it back in the fridge.  She is also really good about putting her dirty clothes in the clothes basket and putting her diapers in the diaper genie.
• Every time she hears "Rock-a-bye Baby" playing on one of her music CDs, she wants me to pick her up and rock her (but only for as long as the song lasts).  I love it!

Alexis loves to:

• play outside - specifically go in the swing at the park, look at the birds, and push her babies around in her stroller
  
• climb on anything and everything
• use the kitchen stool to reach things
• play dress-up with her swimming suits, hats and shoes
• read - Alexis absolutely loves books

This is a video of Alexis doing the actions to From Head to Toe by Eric Carle, one of her current favourite books:

• walk up and down the stairs like a big girl
• run - Alexis rarely walks anywhere, she is always running
• sing

This is Alexis and John singing "I Am A Child of God."  Please excuse John's big yawn, it was pretty early in the morning when I took this video:

• go to sleep (Seriously!  All we have to do is tell her it's "night-night time" and she starts going upstairs all by herself with no fussing.)
• say prayers - she sits on her knees and folds her arms
• play with her ball

• brush her teeth - but she doesn't like Mommy or Daddy to help
• jump and spin in her Johnny Jump-Up (It's a lifesaver when I need to shower!) 

• anything that involves water - she still loves baths and particularly loves to swim, she's even starting to like showers

Words that Alexis can say:

• tha oo (thank you)
• dah dun (all done)
• more
• cracker
• bye
• bur (bird)
• mmaa (amen)
• up
• down
• baby
• boy
• gir (girl)
• truck
• car
• dog
• cat
• apple
• bubble
• nanana (banana)
• grape
• Mommy
• Daddy
• Nana
• no
• book
• nose
• cheek
• eye
• bum
• poop
• teeth
• ball
• blocks
• dis (this)
• dat (that)
• night-night
• nope
• hat
• hot
• boom
• shoes
• bug
• dee-daw (ding-dong) (says this when she touches her bellybutton)
• corn
• beep beep (we've always said this to her when we wanted her to move out of the way and now she says it to us)
  
• boo
• one
• two
• wee wee wee (from "This Little Piggy")
• pop (popcorn) 
• tick tock (from "Hickory Dickory Dock")
• whoops
• cookie
• cheese
• peas (please)
• why (even though she can say it, she doesn't know what it means)

We are totally biased, but we think Alexis is ridiculously smart!

We love our little Missy!