Okay, I’ll admit it.  I don’t have a baby anymore.  I have a full-blown, bonafide toddler on my hands. 18-months seems to be the benchmark for this title, and I can certainly say that saying “Olive is 18-months old” really catches me off-guard.  I feel like I’ve been asked about her age everyday since Friday (the day she turned 18-months old), reminding me of my fast-maturing little one.  When Olive was first born, I would imagine what she’d be like at 18-months old.  Many of my mommy friends told me that this would be the age at which I’d really start to see her personality develop, and her “will” would be more apparent.  It’s true: this month was the month of sass, the month of giggles, the month of passionate expressions of “Olive-ness.”  We are loving every second of it.

Love her little expression in this pic!

We had lots of visitors this month (all of the grandparents, aunt Meggie and uncle-to-be Anthony, and the Martins), so Olive was showered with lots of love and snuggles the entire month through.  Here is a summary of our 18th month with this darling girl:

• We did lots of apple tasting at Gopher Glen, and Olive had her first “cider pop” (frozen unpasteurized fresh-pressed cider on a stick).  Needless to say, she’s a fan.
• We had dinner at Belvedere at the Peninsula in Beverly Hills and Olive (mostly) behaved like a little lady.  In general we try to take her along everywhere we go, teaching her how to behave in public and formal circumstances.  We are blessed with a pretty well-mannered girl.
• The Martins (Ian, Julie, Cade, Reese, and little baby #3 on the way!) came to visit while they were staying in Cayucos.  We had a blast with them and Olive loved running around with her kiddo friends.  Cade drew Olive a picture of the two of them, holding hands, looking up at fireworks.  Young love??  hehe
• The Swanson grandparents came to visit and we enjoyed lots of local fun with them.  Auntie Meggie and Uncle-to-be Anthony also came up so we could play German board games.  😉
• We got a membership at the local children’s museum and it has been a fantastic investment already!  I think we went 3x this month.  Olive loves running around and exploring, and I love having a clean and enclosed place to take her to play!  Her favorite exhibits are the pretend city (with a mini doctor’s office, restaurant, fire station, grocery store, etc.) and the outdoor water tables.
• We continue the same bedtime routine every evening (we change Olive into her PJs, turn off the lights, turn on her ladybug constellation projector, turn on her Sleep Sheep and pray together), but lately Olive likes to turn on the ladybug and the Sleep Sheep on her own.  It’s so wonderful to see how the routines have really become comforting for her; she has no problems going down to sleep every night (we put her in the crib awake, but she never puts up a fuss) and staying asleep for 11-12 hours.  Thank you Lord!!!
• Olive continues her love affair with dirt and sand.  If she can dig in it, she loves it. From the front yard to the park sandbox and beyond, Olive has spent the last month getting sand in her hair and everywhere else…  And I’ve been learning to roll with it.  😉
• Thanks to some catchy phonics songs, Olive can tell me a word associated with every letter of the alphabet when prompted.  She averages 20/26 when I drill her.  So A is for… “app-uhl!!”  B is for… “bahhl” and so on.  😉  It was shocking to me when I realized this (while singing her the phonics song) — I never made any attempt to teach these to her; she learned from sheer repetition.
• Grandpa (my dad) came to visit as well, and bought Olive her first tricycle!  It’s beyond cute… I’ll be sharing photos of it soon!

sweet moments at the park with Dada

Here’s our 18-month photomosaic…

My dearest Olive…  Oh how I love your friendly, social spirit!  You don’t have a shy bone in your body! Your Daddy and I are always amused by your desire to greet strangers and catch the attention of anyone within sight.  I love that you can make anyone smile with your cheerful waves.  You have been quite attached to me this month, likely because of the four new teeth (your eye teeth!  The last of the baby teeth!) you cut this month.  I have been soaking up the extra snuggle time, as I know you won’t always want to be held on my hip all day long.  You have about three favorite songs that you ask me to sing constantly (ABCs, the phonics song, and the “monkey” song) and I try not to tire of them.  You’re also increasingly verbal and vocal, making your desires known by telling us “No,” “Mo (more),” “Dis (This),” and identifying various items like “shuus,” and “hat” (anything that goes on your head, including hair pins and bands).  As we gain more insight into what’s going on inside that cute little head of yours, we are simultaneously amazed and humbled.  We can’t wait to get to know you better as the months roll by.  While we want your personality to shine, we also see the important task set before us to raise you up in the way you ought to go.  We are striving to raise you with wisdom and grace.  We thank God for you daily, and are praying every night that you would come to know the Lord at a young age.  When you say “Amen” with us at the end of bedtime prayers, it seems like you agree.  hehe  You are a treasure, sweet girl.  Happy 18-months, and here is to many, many more. love, Mama

See you all again soon; thanks for stopping by!