Mia is 18 months old!

Mia also saw Dr. Dugoni this week for her 18 month well visit ... in fact, the kids had their first "sibling appointment," which was really convenient and worked out great. Dr. Dugoni spent a ton of time with us and the kids, and Luke went first so that Mia knew what to expect.

Mia's stats at 18 months (+ 3 weeks)
21 lbs, 10 oz (10th %)
31.5 inches (25th %)

Overall Mia is also doing very well. Since she sees the Dr. more frequently right now, we had fewer questions about her development. Our (my) main concerns were her language acquisition and behavior. After we went through the list of words and signs that Mia knows and uses, Dr. Dugoni told us that she has more than enough language for her age. We were easily able to count more than 25 words/signs. In terms of behavior, we talked a bit about how we should be reacting to her outbursts and tantrums (ignoring, time out). Sleeping and eating really aren't issues for Mia - she does both well. In fact, the Dr. was surprised to hear how long and how much Mia sleeps. I guess we are lucky now and she's making up for lost time! At 18 months Mia's schedule includes: 12 hours of sleep at night (typically in bed by 7:30pm, up around 7:30am), and a 2.5-3 hour nap in the afternoon (around 1pm-ish).

Mia also received two immunizations, which she took like a champ (much more reasonable about them than her older brother!). :)

What is Mia like right now? Well ... she's a handful! She is a very passionate little girl who has mood swings like a teenager :). She is often happy - squealing, laughing, running, and playing. Then, when something doesn't go her way, all hell breaks loose. She quickly can turn into a screaming (crazy-loud), crying, kicking and rolling on the floor mess. This happens regularly and is triggered by very normal activities such as changing her diaper, putting her in the car, or removing her from a dangerous situation. HOWEVER, it is MUCH more likely to happen if Mommy is doing any such activities ... when Daddy does these things she generally is much more amicable (hmmmm?). That being said, she is definitely still a cuddly girl who loves to be rocked at bedtime and happily snuggles in with her head on your shoulder. As I've said before - a little sweet, a little sassy....

Mia's list of favorite things include: bananas, ravioli with marinara, Daddy, Paw, her baby dolls, Woody from Toy Story (a little obsessed with him, actually), Buzz Lightyear, Jack's Big Music Show on Nick Jr., dancing and singing, playing outside, and anything and everything her big brother likes.

Mia still wears 12-18 month or just plain 18 month clothes. She does have some 18-24 stuff, but generally it is still very big for her. She also still wears size 3 diapers (when not in cloth), but I just bought a new box in size 4 so I will soon see if those will fit her. Her feet seem to be growing the most right now. Her feet are somewhere between size 4 and 4.5, which means that she'll be needing some new shoes soon (fun for Mommy!).

It's hard to imagine life without our sweet Mia. 18 months has come and gone in the blink of an eye. We love you more each and every day, baby girl. So glad you are ours...