sadie is 18 months old!

How did this happen?  How did she get to be a year and a half so quickly?  She's my baby!  She's still my smart, amazing child but she is definitely starting to test limits.  She's started whining when she wants something - not fun!  She will also look at me as she is about to do something she KNOWS she is not supposed to do, shake her head no, then do it anyway.  I know this is totally normal and developmentally appropriate, but I swear I must have said no to her about 100 times last night.  It can start to wear you down after a while.

But let's focus on the positive.  She still only says a few words: hi, mama and yeah, but she can now tell you what sound a cow, frog and duck make.  She can sign more, all done, milk, drink, mama, dog, diaper, please and thank you, but she rarely does them on her own.  If I ask her to show me, though, she will.  She gives kisses, both blown and on the face, when asked and spontaneously.  She blows her teachers a kiss when we leave every day!  She has totally mastered eating with a fork and is getting so much better with a spoon.  She still spills down the front of her, but not nearly as much and so much more food is actually making it into her mouth.  She is completely attached to a silky blanket that I bought for her at the swap meet last year.  She always has it with her, except when she is at school.  She sleeps with it, holds it during breakfast, carries it to school, drags it on the ground, drools on it, wipes her face and nose on it, etc.  The thing is so dirty after a few days I had to do something.  So, I found the vendor online and ordered 3 more.  The new ones are slightly different, but thank goodness she hasn't noticed!

The most amazing thing about her has got to be her comprehension.  I swear she understands pretty much everything I say to her.  The other night we were sitting on the couch and I asked her if she could go and turn the kitchen light off and she did just that.  I didn't have to point to the kitchen or anything.  AMAZING! 

I have no idea how much she weighs now, but she is definitely putting on weight.  I feel it when I pick her up!  She has 4 molars.  She still has a very good appetite and will try anything and likes most things.  Some current favorites: mandarin oranges, green beans, tomatoes, bananas, hot dogs, chicken and apple sausage, waffles, potstickers, Pinkberry, cherries, cheese and Gerber's fruit snacks (they're like gummy bears for kids!). 

Sleep is still a bit of a struggle, but it's getting better.  I promise to post about this soon.  I'm hoping for some feedback and suggestions!

Tonight we were making a little project for her teachers for Thanksgiving and she totally got into it.  I had her color some little notes for them and she had a blast.  She has used crayons just a couple of times at restaurants, but she's usually distracted by food, people and music.  Tonight, she just colored and loved pushing the crayons all over the tray.  Here are some cute pics from tonight. 

Tomorrow her teachers are making a Thanksgiving dinner for the kids for lunch.  They won't let anyone bring anything...they want to do it for the kids.  I think Sadie is going to love it!  I'm going to go over and take pictures so stay tuned. 

And before I go, here are a couple of cute pics from this weekend.  I LOVE this girl!!!