18 Month Check-up

18 months. 18 months!! Seriously? I think I've been saying this since they were about 9 months old, but this is my favorite age. They seem to acquire new skills so quickly. It's amazing to watch. I feel silly calling them babies and it makes me sad. In fact, Zoe said something similar recently. We tend to call them, "the babies" when talking about both in conversation and last week Zoe said, "Mom, they aren't babies anymore. They talk and have lots of teeth and they're big. Why'd you make them grow up?" I definitely didn't make them grow up and I certainly didn't want it to happen this fast.

Here's our toddlers having a snack before bed. Mitchell is showing off the pretzel in his mouth. I'm going to back track to the teeth comment Zoe made. Both kids have teeth coming in like crazy. All four molars came in at once for both, so now Alyse has 12 teeth and Mitchell has 10.

Mitchell has been fighting a cold for the past couple weeks. At their check-up, we found out he has a double ear-infection. I was shocked (and I felt horrible). He had none of the typical signs. Sure, he'd been lethargic and sensitive, but no fever and while he was up some at night, he'd always go back to sleep after some cuddling. I just figured the cold was wiping him out.

Our boy is 33 inches (74th percentile) and 21 lbs. 10.5 oz. (17th percentile). On the personality front, he's just a chill kind of kid, most of the time. He wants lots of cuddles and seeks out laps (especially to read books). When he's not chomping on his sisters (unfortunately, still a biter) or bonking Alyse over the head with some random toy (more as an experiment than out of malice), he's actually very considerate. Often when Alyse cries (even if he's the one that made her cry), he finds her pacifier and bunny and gives it to her. When he asks for a drink or snack, he will often ask for some for Alyse too. It's sweet.

For the past week, both kids have been playing with Zoe's baby dolls a lot. That's nothing new for Alyse. She has been fascinated with babies for quite a while, but recently Mitchell has followed suit. At lunch, he wanted the doll to sit next to him in the high chair. He gave it a pacifier and then asked for his lunch. Later, he tried to feed it peas - probably so he wouldn't have to eat them.

Alyse, or as Rich calls her lately, "the favorite." He's kidding, of course, but with Zoe going on 13 (seriously, sometimes it feels like it) and Mitchell under-the-weather, Alyse has been comic relief in this house. She's just thrilled with everything - babies, coloring, dancing, books, food, life! Busia calls her the giggler. She's constantly moving, laughing and making us laugh. Her communication has taken off. She's always been more verbal than Mitchell, but now she's like an echo, trying to say everything she hears and when it comes out right, she smiles so wide it just melts you. She's also a total love, but with a big independent streak.

Our little waif is 31.5 inches (50th percentile) and 20 lbs. 5 oz (5th percentile).

Take care,
ZMA's mama