18 Months

I don't ever think its possible to imagine your children getting more beautiful with age. Its hard to imagine their future self. What they look like, what they'll be doing, what their personality will be like.

Looking at Jocelyn as a toddler sometimes takes my breath away. Her smile, her chin dimple, the way her hair curls at the base of her neck. 

She is so full of personality. She loves to play pretend. She cooks plastic food in bowls and then feeds you a bite. She likes to put lotion on her body and hair bows in her hair and then say, "Pretty!" She will answer a real phone, play phone, or remote control by saying, "Hey!" and then letting loose with a string of toddler babble.

Jocelyn definitely shows preferences to things. She wants to drink out of a certain cup. She wants to wear shoes when she finds them on the floor. She will shake her head "no" when I ask her if she wants yogurt for breakfast. "Eggs?" I'll ask instead. "Okay! EGGS!" she will yell. 

Things she dislikes:
- diaper changes
- nap time
- when the big kids take over the TV with their shows
- Coming back indoors from being outside

Oh... and if you are another toddler that is around for a playdate? Don't take her Monkey away. Bad idea.

I really thought she'd be walking by now. 12 months is typical. 15 months is on the later end of "normal". 18 months has a "delayed" label slapped all over it.

I'm actually less concerned now about her late walking than I was earlier. She is moving through the developmental stages of pre-walking. She is just doing it months later than anyone thought she would.

She stands up with one-handed support just fine now. She can even stand independently for a second or two before she looses confidence. She cruises furniture like a toddler on a mission.

She has even started to pull up on unstable items (like her push toy and the activity table) and take a few steps while pushing them. This is a huge accomplishment that we have been waiting for :)

Despite me having a more relaxed attitude about her late walking, I will still be calling Babynet again for another evaluation. It would really be great if they would pay for some Physical Therapy for her to go along with her orthotics. She qualifies for services according to the PT. She just doesn't qualify for the state to pay for them until she is 18 months and not walking. And at $400 a sesson, we'll take the financial help, please.

Jocelyn's diet has become much more well balanced. She now enjoys many vegetables, fruits, and meals. Spaghetti and mashed potatoes (not together) are her favorites.

She made the transition down to one nap a day with a little fuss, but not too much. She's down to one bottle (at night) that we will be getting rid of sometime this month. 

This is my favorite age/stage in all of childhood. It is filled with fun, discover, wonder, and a little bit of magic. Jocelyn is not disappointing. 

And many thanks to my darling eldest daughter Jaina for being my photography assistant.