18 Months

Dear Miss Olivia Marie Copeland,

                Boy oh boy has this been the most exciting and fun 18 months ever imaginable.  You have been such a light in our lives and are constantly making me want to be a better person, mother, wife, stranger, etc.     What a fun little person you have developed into.  I’m having such a good time watching you grow and learn. 

                For months we have been saying how much you have lost your baby look, and you are a full blown toddler.  You are almost at the point where I am beginning to consider you more of a kid, than a toddler.  You are talking and communicating with us in so many different ways.  You and I still have our own sort of language as I usually understand what it is that you want before most other people, but your communication is getting better by the day.  Daddy usually knows what you want, too.  And Grandma and Gammie understand you as well.   Your teachers tell me on the days that you are “talking up a storm.”  You are starting to sign less, and speak more.  You have been crying less, but whining more.   We have to keep reminding you to try and use your words.  You are also starting to use your please and your thank yous more without being coaxed into it. You will repeat "sorry" and "I love you" but I'm not entirely sure you know exactly what either of those quite mean yet.  You will repeat "I love you" and then left your head up for a kiss from Mommy or Daddy, so we are getting there.  I’m sure we have a long ways to go, but I love where you are right now.    Your favorite word right now is still “outside,” and for that reason we are all getting very brown already this summer.

               You are still a little bitty petite thing.  We will go to your 18 month check-up next week, but on our home scale you are just barely over 20lbs right now.  You are probably about 27-28 inches tall as well.   Sometimes you look so big in someone’s arms or when we lay down and cuddle in bed, but other times, especially when we nurse you seem so small.  You have the cutest little round belly and your legs are still absolutely divine in their chubby little way.  I heard a quote the other day on the Prometheus trailer (a movie your Daddy is dying to see) and thought of you, “big things have small beginnings.” 

                Right now you love the water.   I took you to the splash pad for the first time this summer at the beginning of May and you just ran right in the sprinklers.  None of the water spouts fazed you.  You are also very brave in the big pool and I’m looking forward to the day that you can swim a little bit on your own.  We worry about you because you are so brave, but we do not take our eyes off you for one second around the water.   We need to get you a good life-vest or float that you will keep on. The traditional arm floaties were not going to work; you hated them. 

                You also love coloring and drawing right now.  You will sit at your little table or in the bathtub and just draw away.  You are very right handed when it comes to eating and coloring, but you tend to throw with your left hand.  I’m very interested to see how all of that evolves. 

                Some of your favorite toys are anything that you can make into a “bebe.”  Your Fisher Price little people become babies that you tuck in using whatever cloth or towel you find.  You also have a couple of favorite baby dolls that travel around with us.  What a sweet little momma you are already.  I love seeing you in a nurturing light, because there are other times that you have a bit of tomboy streak that your Daddy loves to see.  You are not afraid of getting dirty, that’s for sure. 

              We are still nursing.  Right now you are nursing some days more than others, and weekends more than most days because we get to be together the full day.  For a few months, shortly after your first birthday I wondered whether we would be done anytime soon.   I didn’t really have to make a decision either way, you sort of showed me that you still needed and wanted it.   I love our special moments when it’s just you, me, and nursies.  These are the moments when you are still very much my baby.  These are also some of the few moments of each day that you will sit still and even then sometimes you won’t.   I do not know when we will stop, but I’m sure you will let me know when you no longer want to nurse.   

                Your tastes are staying pretty broad and you aren’t a super picky eater these days.    This makes us oh so happy!  I love eating a good stir fry and I love to see you eating the spicy ones with us, and enjoying the water chestnuts, mushrooms, curry sauce, chicken or pork.  You also love Mexican food and ate two whole breakfast tacos the other morning!  That was a very rare thing for you to eat that much, but I wasn’t about to stop you.   We were eating out a couple of weeks ago and you were dipping your tortilla chip into the salsa.  A lady at the table next to us was so amazed at your taste for spicy that she told the person she was on the phone with what you were doing.    It gave us a good chuckle. 

              Just this past weekend we gave you a milk box that you hadn’t tried before, and you surprised us and loved it!!! It’s Horizon low fat milk, vanilla flavored, and it comes in a little box with a straw.  I ran out and bought a 6 pack right away and you have been drinking one a day!  This is huge for you.  You have not drunk this much milk ever, aside from Mommy’s milk, which has been your favorite.  I’m going to look for other milk boxes and try those as well to see if it’s the actual milk that you like, or if it’s the cool box and straw it comes in.

                Your hair is long enough to put into very pretty pigtails that will stay up all day!  We haven’t cut your hair once, and it’s really starting to fill out and look beautiful.  Your hair is a much lighter brown today than it was the day you were born.  It’s mostly straight and slightly curly on the bottom.  I love it very, very much and need to get your Aunt Sarah to teach me how to do some cool French braids and the like.    

                I love seeing a lot of your strong and stubborn personality coming out.  Although it can be trying at times I know you are blossoming into who you are meant to be.  Six months away and you will be 2 years old, and likely a completely different person from whom I am writing about today.   We love you so much.

HAPPY 1/2 BIRTHDAY, OLIVIA!