Growing Girl

Ella had her 18 month check-up yesterday. As soon as we began walking down the hallway to the rooms, she started screaming hysterically…and basically stayed that way almost the entire visit…..And she didn’t even get any shots! She's at the 25th percentile for her weight (up from the 10% at our last visit), and at 50th percentile for her height.

During our last visit, when we had to fill out the developmental questionnaire (where you stop after 3 “no” answers), we didn’t get very far for the mere fact that she wasn’t walking. All of the questions seemed to revolve around standing, stooping, walking, etc. This time, we could answer YES to almost all the questions…even the speech ones.

Ella is saying A LOT of words. Besides “All Done”…which is a welcomed alternative to tossing her food and plate, she also uses the phrases “Uh-Oh”, and “Up Please.” She’ll say Max, fish, duck, animals, Shrek, Dora, eat, bath etc. And she’ll repeat almost anything you say. She also says and means “Dada.” But as for Mama, I don’t the she completely grasps the concept. She says “Mom” whenever she wants something, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be from me.

Along with her verbal communication, she communicates in other ways as well. If she’s hungry, she goes into the pantry, finds the paper plates and hands them to me. If she hears the blender, she thinks I’m making smoothies and she hands me a cup. After breakfast, she pulls me into the family room to read her some books…not just any books, but some particular ones that she wants me to read over, and over, and over again.

She also is very clear when she doesn’t like something. Yesterday she had “escaped” out the back in only a tank top and diaper. When I brought her back in to put some shorts and shoes on her, she threw the biggest fit I had ever seen. She was literally STOMPING in circles, screaming, coming over to me where I had her shorts in my hands and she would kick the shorts and stomp away, still screaming, then return to me and bite the shorts and continue stomping away and screaming. She did this around 4 times before I finally was able to stop giggling at her behavior and just force the shorts and sandals on her. That little girl was NOT at all happy.

And now I FEAR the hellion she may become as a teenager.