Annabel is 18 months old and a little sponge! Even though I’ve always heard that children absorb everything at this age, it is an entirely different thing to watch it happen.

She is becoming her own little person, developing likes and dislikes, and starting to figure out how she fits into our world. She can point to her nose, mouth, ears, eyes, belly, head and hair. She loves music, and she loves to move. She even grabs my phone, shimmies her shoulders and says “dance” when she wants a dance party. If I say, “Let’s let the dogs in,” she goes straight to the back door and tries to open it. She still needs a little help, but the understanding is there.

A friend of ours gave her a toy that includes a plastic family and various pieces that go with them: a slide, a car, a picnic table, a fishing boat and a suitcase. She actually plays with all of the pieces, not just turning and tasting them like she did a few months back. She really plays. She piles the family into the car with the suitcase and drives them into the other room. She has the daddy doll help the baby doll go down the slide. For Christmas, Annabel received a Lego Duplo set that includes a cat and a dog. The cat and dog now live with the family and often carry on conversations that consist of meowing and barking. I did consciously teach Annabel that dogs bark and cats meow. But, we never explained that we pack suitcases for trips or that daddies help babies at the playground. She is making sense of the world through her play and enjoying it as much as I am.

Of course, she is figuring out things I wish she would not. She can unlatch the gate to the kitchen and climb onto the kitchen table by pushing a chair to it. She knows pressing the home button on my phone will bring up a fun, colorful screen with many more buttons to press. I have to stay a step ahead at all times and try not to laugh at her cleverness when she gets into something she shouldn’t.

We had our 18-month check-up at Premier Pediatrics this past week, and she is doing all the things on the milestone checklist and more. I remember writing a few blogs about the pressure of meeting milestones: is she using her pincer grip, is she ready to walk, how many words should she be saying? As time has gone on, I feel less concerned, and I find myself constantly watching her in awe, seeing what new thing she has discovered each day. This little developing person is unfolding in her own perfect timing, and it is an amazing journey!

I’d love to hear from you about the kinds of new discoveries your kiddos are making. Feel free to share in the comment section.

Happy Parenting,

Kate

Visit our Health Library for information on how to keep your children healthy and thriving from birth to young adulthood.

About Kate Hayes

Kate Hayes lives in Virginia Beach, VA and is a first time parent to Annabel – born on July 22, 2015. Kate is a yoga and aerial fitness instructor. She especially enjoys teaching on the beach, and is certified in laughing yoga, and prenatal yoga. Kate and her husband, Robert, enjoy spending time with their daughter and their two dogs.