18 months old

Eleri is 18 months old today!!! I attempted a photo shoot at what I thought was a great location yesterday, but it didn't turn out as amazing as I would have liked. Eleri is doing great at 18 months old. She does very little that is reminiscent of her baby-ness. Eleri has finally become a good sleeper and napper. Her naps have moved to about 2.5-3 hours a day which is a nice chunk of time for me to get things done (or nap myself and get things done). Eleri still loves to eat, preferring beef over chicken. Eleri is becoming Miss Independent and gets VERY upset when she isn't allowed to express her independence. She wants to do what she wants to do and the way she wants to do it. Eric thinks she will be more independent that even Mali. We have had many many temper tantrums from this girl. And these include flailing on the floor and screaming. Eleri still loves shoes and wants to be wearing her shoes all day. Eleri loves playing with Mali and really just goes along with the pretend play Mali tells her to do. I think she must be confused because Mali loves to play that Eleri is the mommy and she is the baby and I'm the Sunday School teacher. But Eleri goes right along with it as much as an 18 month old can. Eleri loves being outside and playing with balls. She also enjoys swinging when we play in the backyard. Making messes and being mischievous are really Eleri's favorite thing. We currently have a clogged toilet that has a bar of soap stuck in it thanks to Miss Eleri. She is always pushing the limits a little (not another one, or maybe its just being a toddler). If we play out front in the water the next thing I know she is dunking her head in the run off water! Eleri is a climber!!! We had moved Mali's chair up on her desk so that Eleri couldn't climb it, but she has now discovered how to climb up into her highchair and our bar height table chairs. She also likes to climb on top of the toilets and Mali's bed. She is really good at climbing but it requires much more supervision from this busy mom. Along with her mischievousness, the other night I was sick and shut her out of the bathroom. She was crying and knocking on the door...but then it got quiet. When I was done, I came out to find her outside and naked!!! This sounds nothing like another little girl that ran away naked to the park in Dumas when she was three. Eleri is so goofy too. She loves to just laugh at everybody and everything and has the cutest smile with her scrunched up eyes and nose! She loves just being goofy and trying to make herself, us and Mali laugh and she gets the greatest belly laugh out of it. The other day we were sitting on the couch and she accidentally burped. It made us laugh, and so she kept trying to burp again which was an even funnier sound and we just laughed and laughed. Eleri is also beginning the potty training stage. We take her diaper off and set her on the toilet at her request or when she has a poopy diaper. She "wipes" and flushes the toilet. I'm excited she is getting ready but I'm not sure I'm ready. But I do strongly believe in going with my children's interest when they are interested, so I guess I'll just have to suck it up and do it. The previously mentioned clogged toilet and previously mentioned me getting sick have begun to send a mixed message I'm afraid but hopefully they will all be corrected soon. Eleri is talking quite a bit now too and says many many words. I looked at her with such thankfulness for how she has turned out despite my lacking as a parent of two. Eleri loves to read right now too. I think she would sit in my lap and be read to all day if she could be. Another cute Eleri thing, is she counts 1, 2, 3 and holds up her little finger right next to her mouth. She also "prays". When I pray at meals times, she curls her hands up underneath her chin and will say amen after I say it. It is very cute! As always, I know that there is so much more to this sweet little girl, but this is what I can think of right now.