Madelyn: 18 months old...

Sweet Madelyn is officially a year and a half old and I just can't believe it.  She is at such a FUN (yet exhausting) stage!  I love this age for so many reasons, but I'm not sure I have ever felt so tired in my life (except maybe when I had a newborn and 1.5 year old).  Maddy is constantly making us laugh.  She hates to miss out on anything and she is constantly showing off and doing things to make us all laugh.  She is definitely the class clown of the family!   

Maddy is talking more each day and seems to pick up new words out of nowhere.  It's fun to hear her repeat words when we ask her to say them, but even better to hear her use them on her own.  She can identify lots of body parts by name, people by name and follows directions really well (well when she wants to, that is).  She has also reached the screaming/screeching stage.  She will screech when she doesn't like or doesn't want to do something, when she's being funny or for no reason at all.  She isn't shy about letting her opinions be known.

 

She continues to adore her big sisters.  She loves playing with them and being included.  She loves to give them hugs and sit on or near them.  Most mornings she will lay down on Avery while Avery tickles her back.  It's really sweet to see them all together.

Maddy loves being out and about with me running errands.  She loves to be outside, go swimming, dancing and singing.  She also loves to color and requests to do it often.  She continues to be obsessed with babies (real and fake).  Her favorite toys tend to be whatever her sisters treasure the most (Avery's purse and lipsticks, Kensley's dolls and stuffed animals). 

Maddy continues to be our best (and fastest) eater.  She could snack all day long and still eat great meals.  At meals, she usually clears her plate in minutes and quickly asks for more.  You've never seen a kid eat faster or shove so much food in her mouth at one time.  There are very few things she turns down these days.  The main thing she continues to refuse is milk from a sippy cup.  She will request it because her sisters have it, but then quickly refuses it.  We're slowly taking away her bottles, but it's hard because that is the only way she gets any milk.  As with Avery, we've tried it hot/cold, chocolate/plain, straw cup, etc.  I'm hoping we can eliminate all bottles before Maddy's well check visit in a few weeks.

It's hard to believe our "little" baby is 6 months away from 2 years old!  Happy 18 month birthday, Sweet Maddycakes!