Life with an 18-Month Old

Where did the last year and a half go? The fact that Arielle is now 18-months old just blows my mind. I’ve been sharing updates on her new skills every few months (check out “Life with a One-Year-Old” and “Life with a 16-Month-Old”) and I keep thinking it can’t get any better – but it does!  Here are just a few awesome developments that we’re enjoying as we learn to navigate life with an 18-month old.

Her Vocabulary is Growing …

… And growing! With the last update I shared that she can say and understand “Mama”, “Dada”, “Ta-Da”, “No” and “Bye.” She has since added “Uh-oh” (a real favorite judging by how often she says it), “Book” (pronounced “Boo”), “More” (“A-Maaa”), and most recently “Go” to her expanding vocabulary. She also makes a ton of other sounds that I am sure mean something significant to her, but I’m not quite sure what that is yet. I enjoy figuring it out though!

She is so Strong …

… Like, scary strong. I really cannot believe how strong she is. First, the good stuff. She is already trying to walk up the stairs, which scares me to death but I know she has to learn this skill eventually. She is climbing too and she can gently get down from couches and laps. But then again, because she is so strong if she doesn’t want to do something, she is not going to do it. This includes keeping her clothes on! Which leads me to our latest development … 

We’ve already hit the Terrible Twos …

… and boy, do I understand why it’s called that! Obviously, as a first-time mom I am new at raising children so I have nothing to compare this experience to. I’ve been told that even though she has definitely entered that difficult stage known as the Terrible Twos, she is relatively easy. Sometimes it’s hard to get her to lay still on the changing table, she’ll fight me when I try to wrangle her into her high chair from time and time, and there are instances when she will just wail when she doesn’t get her way – which I rarely let happen. 

She wants to touch everything, and I mean everything. And though she loves to say “No,” she does not like hearing it. That last fact reminds me of when I was a teenager, which is the only thing I can really compare the Terrible Twos to! On the other hand, I can tell she’s more intuitive about her surroundings and whenever I am having a bad day, I know she understands – and she gives me the kisses to prove it!

It has been an amazing 18 months. But I am beginning to understand how it can get harder going forward. All I can do is try hard to be a good parent. I know I’m going to be an overprotective parent, a helicopter mom. We probably won’t be the world’s strictest parents, but we’ll definitely be setting some boundaries with our baby girl. After all, we are raising a very spirited and strong-willed child! But I really wouldn’t have it any other way. 

I am a proud girl mama and I enjoy seeing all of these exciting steps. Now I cannot wait to see what happens in the next few months!