18 Months

Her stats:

20.9 pounds (2nd %tile - she'll appreciate this later in life)
30.3 inches (12th %tile)
head circumference - 46.0 (32nd %tile - that's where all her food is going, to her brain!)

She is talking more and more each day and is becoming more and more independent and toddler-esque each day. She has discovered that walking around outside and being free is the coolest, as she explores the grass, gravel, concrete (and there is a LOT of concrete in Japan), and of course dirt, which she is not the fondest of when she occasionally falls into it and gets her hands dirty.

I have forgetten to take a monthly picture with a sign, so we'll have to do that in Thailand, where we're headed tomorrow. Look for those pictures in a week!

And yes, that is my swim cap on her head - her newest obsession, as she carries it and my goggles around everywhere, so I finally put it on her head and now she wants to wear it all the time and not just carry it around. Ah, the simple joys of being a little one.

Practicing Carrying the Monkey

We are planning on using this monkey "leash" while in Thailand, so I figured it would be better to start getting used to it now. At first, she is happy to wear it, but those smiles only last a few minutes before she wants it off. At least it's a start.

This is How I Roll

The Little Dipper

I taught her how to "dip" her food in sauces and now it's the only way she'll eat her veggies.

Daddy's Home Again!

2 weeks in Guam, but now he's gome with us again!

Jack Came Over

Like an old married couple, hanging out on the couch

Sporting the JMU Gear

What Size Are You?

Pants: 6-12 months (on the verge of being too small)

Pink Long-sleeve onesie: 12-18 months (on the verge of being too small)

Pink&Gray outer shirt: 18-24 months (a little too big)

{All from Old Navy}

Shoes: size 2/3 (a little big)

What this means: short legs, long torso, tiny feet

And here's a video of her experimenting with those new and first "real" pair of shoes:

Kampai!

"Cheers!"

Happy Valentine's Day!

Blowing you kisses to wish you a happy V-Day!

1st Co-Ed Bath

Fantasy Kid's Resort

What a cool place! This is only 10 minutes from our house and is a pay-by-the hour playland for kids! We went with Jack and Missy and the kids had a blast. We are now members so we plan on going a lot! Maybe next time we can relax in the massage chairs while they play :)

NOT a fan of sand!

Starbucks!

She got to taste the last few drops of my hot chocolate.

Napping

If the last 2 days is any indication, I think we have finally made the transition to one nap a day. It's been a long and frustrating process, but today, she slept for one long, 3-hour nap! Hooray for Ashlyn!!

p.s. - did I mention how her love for books has carried over into sleep times? She likes to go to bed with a book and if that one doesn't satisfy her, she reaches down and pulls books, plural, into her crib to enjoy before sleeping. The record stands at 8 books.

Broccoli Eater

She eats broccoli willingly (most of the time); she really is a good eater for the most part and will at least try anything you put in front of her.

Snazzy Shoes

Her Auntie Shannon gave her these shoes for her birthday and they finally fit. Quite the fashion statement.

Quilt Please

Ms. Stacy made this beautiful quilt for Ashlyn and she has grown quite fond of it. I spread it out on the floor for her the other day to sit and read her books on, and then to dance on while watching and listening to Elmo music. Now she will point to it and grunt (more like whine) to ask me to lay it down for her she can sit on it. Thank you Stacy - it's getting some good use!

Whatcha Eating?

Rice balls, known as "onigiri" (rice and slamon wrapped in nori) -

a squadron wife made these last night, and Ashlyn found them quite delicious

POPCORN!

Dancing

Purple Vest

We bought this coat for Ashlyn to grow in to, but I put it on the other day in hopes that she could get some use of it now. Well, she can wear it (and she did for that day's outing), but it's still pretty big. Something about these pictures (maybe it's the ponytail?), to me, makes her look older and so not like a baby anymore.

A Walk in the Snow

Not the happiest girl to be bundled up so much ("Can't put my arms down!" to quote
Randy from "A Christmas Story"), but we did have a nice walk out in the cold despite the frowns in the picture.

Videos

Sorry about the videos - I don't know why, but it is saying they are unavailable if you just open the main blog page and try to play them. In playing around with it, I have discovered that if you open each post individually, using the titles on the bottom right-hand side of the page, or just open one and then click on "newer post" or "older post," it will allow you to play the videos. Hunter has the computer with all the videos on it with him, or I'd try to re-post them. Maybe this is just a temporary thing?

Snow

We only got an inch or 2 of snow, but it was enough to make Ashlyn pause at the window this morning and look back at me in wonder. I told her it was 'snow' and she has been repeating the word all day.

Bunny Slippers

I found these slippers in her sock drawer today, so we tried them on and they fit perfectly! The only drawback is that they are fuzzy on the bottom too, which doesn't work well with a new walker and slippery floors, but that didn't keep her from wearing them. During the day, she would stop, look down in excitement and exclaim "bunny!"

The Purse

She discovered this "purse" today and I showed her how to put it on her shoulder/arm, so she now carries it with her everywhere, picking up treasures along the way to stash in it.