Abigail is 18 months old!! Well, now she is almost 19 months... December really ran away from me. We had her 18 month check-up a couple of weeks ago. I don't have all the numbers in front of me, but her percentiles all stayed the same, and I know that she weighs 21 lbs. She is a petite little girl - her cousin asked the other day why Abby's head was so small, which made me laugh. But as petite as she is, she is definitely growing, a fact that was sure brought home to me when I recently opened up the box of 18-24 month clothes we've had sitting in our closet since before Abby was born. When we were going through them I remember thinking how big they were and wondering would we ever really have a kid that would fit into those clothes? Well, here she is. Side note - thanks to all the amazing family and friends who generously shared baby girl clothes with us. We have yet to do any clothes shopping for Abby - so amazing!
Abby's personality is sure growing as well. She is a little girl that sure knows what she wants (and doesn't want), is sweet and shy, loves to give kisses and hugs, and has the most heart-melting smile.
Some things about her:
Abby still loves books. They are her favorite toys. The first thing she does when she wakes up usually is to walk over to the bookshelf and start pulling books off, asking to be read to. I love how she hands a book to me then will turn around and back herself into my lap. We then go through stacks of books together. She has her favorite books which include Go, Dog, Go by PD Eastman , All My Myself by Mercer Meyer, The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper, and Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Al Perkins. She also has a farm themed book with dozens of little flaps to open that she reads multiple times a day. She recently has started reading aloud to herself. She sits there, flipping through pages, talking away. Adorable.
Reading to her animals
As for talking, she is sure doing a lot of it. I have lost track of all the words she can say, though I do want to try to write some down. The other day, we were decorating Christmas cookies with her cousins and one of us asked her if she wanted a yellow one. As clear as day, she said, 'yellow.' That is the most difficult word she has said, and really surprised me. Her signing has decreased as she learns to say the actual words, but she still frequently signs bread, please, and help.
She has become a little monkey - climbing on everything. She goes on couches, chairs, whatever she can reach. She is pretty good, so although I have to watch her more carefully, she hasn't really had too many problems. She climbs stairs remarkably well - holding on to the rails as she walks up and down by herself. She also is so fast, running and exploring everywhere. She loves to be down on her feet, hardly tolerating the stroller besides during runs. She enjoys going on walks and finding treasures. 
Finding treasures with her friend, Sebastian
Some of her favorite things include keys, cars, trains (especially trains), her monkey. She sleeps with her monkey, carries him around like a baby. We often will change monkey's diaper when we change hers.
Keys are so fun!
Some things she does not like include diaper changes (this has been made worse by a diaper rash that has lasted 4+ months and multiple doctor visits), moving toys (as in animated stuffed animals or puppets), Santa Clause, and anyone playing with her toys.
With her 18 month birthday came her first day in the nursery at church. We had been going in together for a few Sundays to get her used to it and I think that helped. She has done really well and it's great having that two hour break. Her 18 month birthday also brought some very unwelcome sleep regression. She suddenly become very difficult to put down to sleep and would wake up screaming at the top of her lungs in the middle of the night. Some quick research showed me that this is very common at 18 months and could last weeks to months. Fortunately she is back to going down easily, but still has screaming fits in the middle of the night.
She is still such a great little eater. She eats whatever we eat, and it has been a fun challenge to plan ahead so that each day we get in plenty of veggies at meals and snacks, and have a good variety of foods. She doesn't like meat too much, but loves tofu, beans, and lentils. Her favorite veggies are any squashes, sweet potato, carrots, green beans. She loves all fruits, but especially bananas and berries. Mealtimes are usually very pleasant, since we are trying very hard to just let her decide how much and what she chooses to eat from her plate. She is still nursing too, but usually only in the morning and after her nap, sometimes before bed. Some days we go the whole day without her asking to nurse.
I love my little girl. I just hope I can be a good mother to her. I try really hard, and I hope it is enough.
