Adventurous. Curious. Smart. Determined. Bad ass (Chris and I whole heartedly agree on that one!)
Audrey came out to watch me torture her sister :)
I know I've said it before, but Abigail is so different than Audrey was. I'm learning to not compare them so much though- Abigail is her own person- she was born that way, baby! She keeps us on our toes.
Abby's middle name should be "Danger." She climbs on to everything (our bed, chairs, the dining room table, the couch, the coffee table, the table next to her crib...) If she can't climb on to something directly, she pulls over a smaller object to boost herself up. I swear that child is going to be the first to break an arm :(. She even stands up on her riding pony!! Incredible balance skills, but seriously?! She's just into
everything. She likes to open and turn things. If a drawer or a door is open, she'll close it (it is very cute to watch her try to close the bedroom doors behind her!) She reaches up for the door knobs and tries to turn them. She loves playing with light switches. Yesterday morning she kept turning on the bath faucets as I was about to get in the shower. When I swatted her hand and told her, "No!" she pointed right back at me and said, "No!" After a few rounds, she got it. Chris says that his "Dad Voice" works well on her. She's learning!
Words (some new, some old, some I know I'm forgetting...): mine, me, bite, hi, bye, go, down, please, no, A (for Audrey), Buh (for Bella), Riley, dog, book, banana, drink, Minnie, Mom, Dad, milk, skunk, gator, shoe, makes animal sounds (moo, woof, meow, quack, tweet), that, counts (one, two, threeeee!)
She makes the CUTEST face when she says, "Please." I mean, it's probably the most adorable thing she's done to-date. Her face scrunches up and she stretches the word out...Oh Lord, she can have anything she wants :)
"Pleeeeeeeease!"
She is so intelligent. Just the other day she figured out that if she doesn't clap loud enough to activate the motion spider that hangs in Grandma's dining room, she just has to scream REALLY loud. So she did it all day long (poor Grandma!) She follows directions really well, especially putting things away or getting things. When I pour their drinks, she brings Audrey her cup first. She understands commands like open/close. When I tell her it's time to brush her teeth she goes right into the bathroom and says, "Ahhhhh!" She goes into her room and lays down when we tell her it's time for a diaper/pajamas.
I find this to be super interesting- at home and Grandma's she'll smile and laugh all day long. But in public, she is stone faced! When strangers come up to her, she just stares them down...so different than Audrey, who would light right up (still does- my little social butterfly!)
There's a Meme that reminds me of her:
And our version...
She's great at the grocery store (stays buckled in, is pretty quiet & content) but not so much at restaurants. I guess when there's food involved, she wants it and she wants it YESTERDAY, damn it! Actually, I don't think she's that bad, but Chris gets all stressed out because she throws stuff on the floor and since Audrey doesn't eat, she likes to go stand by Abby and play with her- so that's when it starts to get loud. I'd say the last 10 minutes of our meal is a combination of me picking stuff up off the floor while telling the girls to quiet down as Chris looks around frantically for the server so we can pay the bill, lol. There's definitely a time limit, lol. I'm thankful that we've not yet had a temper tantrum situation where we've had to eat in shifts (it's coming, I'm sure.) I would die. And probably never dine out again. I've taken them both out by myself to eat- sometimes just the 3 of us and sometimes with my family (Chris has to work on weekends) and both girls are always good. Mealtime is never boring :)
Abigail has been playing on her own more and more, definitely better at keeping herself occupied. She likes puzzles and her little picnic basket with pretend food. She also likes the dress-up Minnie Mouse. She LOVES to play/interact with Audrey. Audrey lets Abby run around the kitchen/dining room/living room and will "scare" her when she rounds the corner. She'll even let Abby stand behind her and push her- Audrey plays along by shuffling forward a few inches and Abby just CRACKS UP. I love when Audrey is in her playful mood...they have so much fun and I laugh right along with them :)
She copies everything Audrey does!
She kept poking at Violet and Audrey would laugh and tear it away.
She seems to be a morning person like her big sister...wakes up happy and all smiles. She goes down for her nap at 12 and goes right to sleep. She's wonderful at bed time. She goes right into her crib and just lays quietly until she drifts off. I always go in to see her at least twice before I go to bed. Usually she's still awake the first time, and if I touch her, she'll giggle and squirm. The second time I go in she's usually asleep, I just like to see how she ended up...on her back, on her side, on her belly- she's unpredictable :) I never have to go in during the night- she doesn't make a sound! Unlike Audrey. Audrey wakes at least once for a refill of ice water.
She's definitely Little Miss Attitude. If something doesn't go her way, she cries or yells. She's very good at voicing her displeasure. I will say that she's starting to get over these fits pretty quickly, though. Either she's maturing (is that even the right word? More like learning that screaming doesn't get her her way...) or my coping skills are getting better. Even when she blows you a kiss, she kisses her hand, then smacks you on the mouth with it (See? Total bad ass!) She's tough...if she falls she rarely cries (Audrey is definitely the more sensitive one all around!) She's persistent and doesn't give up until she gets what she wants (or until you come up a good enough distraction.)
She has a great sense of humor. When I change her diaper she likes to take the nearest onject (usually clothing) and cover her privates. Or she'll take the first chance she gets and rotate herself on the mat (as she laughs at me, lol.) She'll make raspeberries at Audrey, laughing like crazy when Audrey does it back. It's so cute how she instigates things!
Audrey wanted her own photo shoot. She was the perfect model...unfortunately this is the only photo that uploaded. Love that sweet face!
I am so in love with our strong-willed girl. Watching her grow and learn new things has been incredible the second time around. She seriously amazes me everyday. Next week she starts dance class. I'm very curious to see if it's going to be a good fit. She LOVES to dance! She shuffles her feet so fast when she dances, it's the cutest thing ever :) And she already knows how to take a bow, lol. I wonder if she'll take to the more structured aspect, or if she'll prefer a sport where she can run around.
Happy 18 months, darling girl!
