18 months old

Today Claire Grace is 18 months old! So hard to believe how fast she is growing. I just told Justin that Claire is 18 months old today and he said, "She does that 12 more times and she'll be 18 years old." Now THAT is a scary thought!!

At 18 months, Claire continues to amaze us with all of the new things she learns each day. Here's a glimpse at what her little life is like these days...

*She sleeps for about 12 hours each night, usually going to bed around 7 and waking up around 7 in the morning.

*She's been down to one nap since about 14 months old. Her naps are usually between 2 and 3 hours long.

*She is very verbal and loves to talk! She loves to name her friends and family members and she prays for them every night before bed. She even asks to pray at random times through out the day. :) She comes up to me, with her hands folded, and says, "Pray." We thank Jesus for all kinds of things, but her favorite is listing everyone she knows. It's precious.

*On a long car trip recently, Justin and I passed the time by making a list of all the words Claire knows. We came up with 85! She's learned some new ones since then, so she may be closer to 100 words now.

*She loves her baby dolls! They are her favorite toy. She loves to rock them and say 'Shhh' so we don't wake them up. She also likes putting them to bed, sharing her paci with them, and giving them drinks of her milk or water.

*This girl loves her paci! She would have it all day long if I let her! We only let her have it at nap time, bed time, and in the car. (Every once in awhile I give in to her uber crabbiness and let her have it during the day.. oops!)

*Thankfully, she continues to be a pretty good eater. Her favorites as of late are string cheese, hot dogs, blueberries, waffles, bagels, tomatoes, grilled cheese, strawberries, yogurt, and anything that is a snack. She asks for snacks multiple times a day.. sometimes right after we finish a meal! Don't worry - just because she asks doesn't mean she's getting it, although she definitely tries! :)

*She is still sleeping in her crib as of today, but after this weekend (when we will have family in town), she will be moving into her big girl bed. I have very low expectations about how this will go. Knowing Claire, I am not very optimistic about her actually staying in the bed, but we'll see!

*Claire has really started to perfect the tantrum and show us her independent side! This is when the REAL job of parenting begins! My mom recently said, "It's one thing to have and care for a baby, but it's another thing to raise kids." I think she's right! :) We would love your prayers! :)

*She has her first favorite TV show -- Elmo's World! She sits in her Claire-sized rocking chair and just watches the whole thing. Grammy recently gave her a stuffed Elmo and Claire was very happy about that!

I think that pretty well sums up Claire's life at 18 months old. Tantrums and all, she's an absolute joy and makes this mama's heart full. :)