18 months old

Our wonderful and amazing Allie is 18 months old today. She is my last baby so it frightens me to see how quickly she has progressed from baby to toddler. Her vocabulary is amazing. I know the constant chatter of her sisters has helped her pick up on words quickly, but you can also tell she's going to be brilliant. She knows how to communicate with us so well now. She has developed favorite books and favorite outfits. She would stay outside in the backyard all day if we let her. Allie enjoys mischief and climbed up onto the dining room table today. She loves baby dolls and caring for them. I peeked in on her during naptime this week and just before she drifted off, she was holding her baby and rocking it side to side.

She has also learned the word, "No!" accompanied with a strong finger point. Gerber Fruit Snacks are her favorite thing in the world. She's obsessed (putting it mildly) with Mickey Mouse. She likes to take off her pants and diaper during naptime. She can climb into her highchair on her own, but prefers to sit at the big table with everyone else. Allie could spend hours pulling all of the items out of the bathroom drawers. You'll often see her wandering around the house with a box of floss if one of us forgets to keep the door closed. She can identify the following body parts on herself and on others: hair, head, mouth, teeth, ears, eyes, nose, fingers, hands, toes, feet. She can roar like a lion and mew like a kitty.

She is funny and frustrating. She is a live wire and a sweetheart. She is our Allie.

For my purposes (because I keep forgetting to update her journal and one day I will need this list) here is a list of her words. The majority of those below can be understood by people not around her all the time. There are some things she says (like her word for necklace) that only our family knows what it means. It's Allie's word for it and we all know that, but a casual observer would have no clue what the word means. I know I will forget some, but this is the best I can do off the top of my head. Here they are in no particular order:
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book
kitty
mommy
daddy
snack
milk
cup
Mickey
shirt
shoes
diaper
Ainsley (Ains-EE)
Anastasia (Stay-Sha)
eat
please
outside (she says "side")
mail (totally obsessed with the mailbox right now!)
tree
bird
car
potty
baby
dance
poo-poo
cookie (yeah, this one is my fault....)
cake (for pancake)
banana (nana)
nose
eyes
swing
bath
ball
bye-bye
purple
dog
fish
color (as in to color in a coloring book)
seat
duck