* Physically, she's doing great. At her 18-month physical, she clocked in holding steady at the 97th percentile for height, and the 50th percentile for weight. She's had some ear infections, and a bit of teething pain here and there, but overall no concerns. Her hair is finally coming in. So far, she's blond like her big brother. She has one big curl in the back.
* Her language skills are developing. She uses lots of words now, and is starting to do some simple combinations. She knows all of her animal sounds, and enjoys performing them (complete with hand motions, such as making an elephant's trunk). She's interested now in learning about her body parts, and loves to show her belly to family, friends, and random strangers.
* She's still a moody toddler, well on her way to terrible twos. She swings wildly and quickly from laughing to wailing. She throws herself to the ground in fits of rage for minor disappointments. She used to go get a pillow first, for more comfortable tantruming. She hasn't done that for a while. She's starting to develop other coping strategies though, such as coming to mommy or daddy for a hug.
* She's fiercely independent. She wants to do everything by herself, and gets frustrated if she feels as though she is treated differently than Devon.
Here are some things that she loves....
- adventures: She loves going to the zoo, and recognizing the animals that she knows about. She's also had a lot of fun on recent trips to the Children's Museum and the county fair. She gets very excited about "going bye-bye" and runs around excitedly taking in all the sights.
- water: Bathtime is always fun. She also just started swim lessons, and loves them so far. She has no fear and likes to stick her head into the water. During her first lesson, she got a little bit frustrated because Mommy wouldn't let go of her...in water that was well over her head.
- books: Like her big brother, she has a nearly insatiable appetite for books. She loves sitting in a grown-ups lap and looking at dozen of books. She also does it frequently on her own - going into her room, getting a blanket, and clambering up into her rocking chair with a good book. For a long time, she was only interested in touch-and-feel or lift-the-flap books. From there, she moved to picture books. Recently, she's gotten more interested in story books.
- music: Rylee really enjoys music. She likes to sing some of the traditional toddler songs, such as "If you're happy and you know it," or "Itsy bitsy spider," or "Wheels on the bus." However, she seems really drawn to songs with a heavy beat. She jumps up and dances...or bounces around in her car seat. At a recent wedding we attended, she amused the crowd by doing a vigorous dance to "I gotta feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas.
- soft things/blankets: Rylee has always been more tactile than her brother was. She loves the feel of soft things, like stuffed animals. She has a stuffed Pooh bear that she uses as a pillow in her crib. She adores blankets. She carries them around with her...usually 2 or 3 at a time...and likes to drape them over her lap or lay down with her face in them.
- shoes: Rylee is obsessed with shoes. She is always eager to put hers on (and take them off and put them on and take them off). She especially enjoys wearing other people's shoes around the house. Excited squeals of "shoes!" is something we hear every day.
- toys and dolls: It's been very interested to see how Rylee plays with toys...and the differences between her play and Devon's. On the one hand, she loves to play with whatever Devon is playing with...she likes to play with his blocks, matchbox cars, etc. She also gravitates towards baby dolls in a way that Devon didn't. She's taken one of his dolls and plays with it almost every day...giving it stroller rides around the house, giving her hugs, and tucking her in.
- art: Rylee also enjoys art more than Devon did at her age. She loves to color and paint.
Here are some recent photos...
Having her first pony ride at the county fair
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Tucking in her baby doll...using the clean laundry as the blanket
Playing "peekaboo" at the Duluth Children's Museum
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Reading books in her room after a bath
And from today...Showing off her 4th of July outfit, and having fun saying "cheese"....
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