~Bella's 18 month Update~

This is so true! I started blogging about my pregnancy with Bella and have literally documented her entire life so far. This is such a great way to remember all of the little things that are often forgotten over the years and also for our friends and family that may not get to see the girls often. I only wish there was such a thing as blogging when my first was born! But no worries, they have all certaintly been blogged about since I started this!:)
So on to the 18 month update!.....

It is finally time for another Bella update. She turned 1 year old last July, which makes her 18 months this month!! After Bella turned one, I decided to update every 6 months because there are not as many monthly changes as there are in the first year. So her next update will be this summer when she turns 2 years old!! Wow, time is flying and with every day that passes we see more and more of that sweet little personality shine through. I think it is safe to say that Bella has established herself as a sweet natured yet very determined child. She knows what she wants and there are no moments of indecision for her! Once she decides what she wants she goes for it wholeheartedly. This reminds me very much of Hailey as a baby. But Bella differs in that she is much more outgoing and LOVES to be the center of attention. If the attention in the room is elsewhere she goes about dancing, singing, trying to "show" you something (which is pretty much anything she can find at that moment). She is a lot like Mary Kathryn in that she is very empathetic. If she sees someone upset she is going to go love on them, give them her toy, or entertain them until they smile. Bella is definitely the baby of the family and her sisters dote on her all of the time. And Bella loves that of course!:)

Weight~ Bella is 21 pounds and 7 ounces! Though she is only in the 6th percentile for weight, her growth chart shows that she is growing "just perfectly". Both Hailey and Mary Kathryn were in the 6-9th percentile range at this age. I just have petite little girls I guess!:)

Feedings~ Bella is a good eater and can eat just about anything we eat. Some of her favorites are scrambled or poached eggs, chicken and rice, pancakes, and chicken. She is still not able to drink cow's milk or many other dairy products but she loves her vanilla soy milk!! She will also drink apple juice or water but LOVES soy milk. Whenever I have tried any cow's milk she breaks into a rash and gets severe diarrhea, so no milk right now. I am actually considering taking her to an allergist to check it out. Below is a picture of the rash she first got when I weaned her from breastmilk to organic whole milk at 1 year.

Sleep~ Bella goes to sleep for the night between 7 and 7:30pm. I give her a sippy cup of soymilk and then lie her down awake and she goes right to sleep. I am so thankful for this because the sleepless nights from last year are still vivid in my mind! On Tuesday nights we are late getting home from cheer practice in greenville, so I put her pjs and nighttime diaper on right before we leave to come home from cheer around 8:00pm. She sleeps the hour drive home and then I just transfer her right from the car to her crib when we get home. Bella also takes 1-2 naps for a couple of hours each day. It depends on what our schedule for the day is like whether she gets one or two naps. With two older sisters in school and with extracurricular activites, Bella has to go with the flow:)

Play~ Bella loves to play with her friends Audrey and Ellie when she is at the babysitters. She has become quite proficient at calling out their names when we drive up to Ms.Ann's house. She knows it is time to play with her bestie:) She also loves to play anything that Hailey and Mary Kathryn are playing whether its barbies, dolls or coloring pictures, she is right there with them. Her play kitchen is also a favorite as well as her babydoll and carriage.

Development~ Bella can run, jump, climb stairs while standing and holding the rail, hold a pencil or crayon correctly, talk in short sentences, identify familiar people and objects by name, sing songs in their entirety and all kinds of big girl things. She is also aware when she goes potty in her diaper because she will come up to us while holding her diaper to let us know. We may start introducing the potty chair sometime around her 2nd birthday:) No hurries though!:)

Favorite things right now~ Her wubbanub pacifiers (I have decided to start that weaning process around 2 years), her sissies, her pink blanket and she loves going to watch cheerleading competitions! It's a good thing because she goes to lots of them! In fact, she makes multiple attempts during the competitions to run out onto the mat/stage. It is only my quick mommy reflexes that have stopped this from happening! I also can't wait to take her to Mary Kathryn's recital in June. I know she will just love it!!

Just look at how much Bella has grown since this picture was taken at a few weeks old!!

And now look how big she is!!

18 months already!! It never ceases to amaze me at how fast children grow. Motherhood is such a blessing and a tremendous responsibilty. It is so easy to love them and make them happy, but we mothers also carry the responsibility of nuturing their realationship with God, directing the growth of their charachter, helping them to develop their individual gifts and talents, setting clear expectations of right and wrong, and the list goes on....
What an important and hard job we have! My prayer is that God will lead me in this and guide their little hearts in their journey.

Happy 18 months Bella!!!:)