Ashley's Report- she had a growth spurt?

This mornings visit to the doctor for an 18month well check had me chuckling. Of course this is the morning the girls decide to sleep in and like every other dr apt Ashley started crying just having to be weighed and measured. I'm thinking it's the crinkly paper she dislikes so much.

The dr. said she was glad to see that Ashley's weight was up and that she moved up a percentile. She was also glad to see that her head was almost back on the growth charts! I knew her head was small but when you say less than 5% I don't think negative, but she showed me and for the past 6 months and continuing fwd for a while I'm sure she will be off the chart.

Stats:
Height: 30inches 10% (grew 1")
Weight: 21lbs 15 oz 10-25% (she gained 1lb 13oz)
Head Circum. 44cm below 5% (grew .5cm)

Her language skills have clicked and she makes tons of animal sounds like mooing loudly for all to hear during church and growling while I try to read Rachel a book about Tigger at the library. She's finally saying mama and tries to say imitate the sounds of whatever you say todays was "rude". She's also jumping with both feet off the ground, every third try since her timing of it is all off, she climbs and is tip toeing now, and sliding down slides head first trying to keep up with big sis. So no matter how small her head or short and thin she is I know and the doctors not concerned with her learning and progressing.

Sunday she started nursery! She was very good they said, and she really connected with one of the leaders so as long as she could see that one leader then she was reassured that all was okay.

Finger painting

After finding the girls painting on my floor in the craft room (thankfully they kept it on the paper), I decided it was time to let Ashley use real paint. Normally, I give her water and paintbrush, but not anymore we've moved up to washable finger paint! I was very glad to see that she resisted the urge to eat it. She eats everything else, so I was pleasantly surprised she did taste it. I think you'll agree that she's a fan of the stuff.

What a surprise! I have paint on my finger.

Watch me put it on the paper

I like the way it feels on my hands

But squishing it through my fingers is AWESOME!

little one

The term of endearment that got pinned on Ashley from birth was "little one". That's how we distinguished between the two girls. Never did we realize that it would fit her so well.

I took her to her 15 month well check today (a little over a month late) and here are her little stats:

Height: 29 inches 5-10%
Weight: 20 lbs 2 oz 10%
Head: 43.5 cm below 5%

Some of Ashley's new found passions are girls dress-up shoes (heels and all), pretending to cough which she instinctually covers her mouth, coloring on my carpets, doing puzzles, and learning fun songs that I should have been doing with her for a while now but forgot about like itsy bitsy spider, wheels on the bus and head shoulder knees and toes.

She's such a girly girl. From painted toes to wanting to have bows in her hair and her love of shoes I think I'm more on the side of nature rather than nurture because if you know me you know I'm a pony tail and flip flop kinda girl. ... but with that said she's already got a love of football which makes Daddy happy. She'll actually throw and try to catch a ball unlike Rachel who will throw a ball and then run if you want her to catch it.

Me, Me, Me

Ashley wanted her picture after Rachel's got taken. Ashley wants to do everything that her big sis does and she's too cute to not to take her picture. So here she is.

New accomplishments

Yeah for Ashley who is finally starting to talk. She's been roaring like a lion and trumpeting like an elephant for ever and just today she "baaa"ed . She was saying "nana" for banana for a while and would very seldom say dog, but dog has made it to the top of her tiny list of words. But the surprising one is "zusas" for Jesus. I look forward to the morning when I hear "mama" coming from the crib instead of the usual yell of "Aaaahh" or to hear her first version of Rachel. Hopefully more will be coming quickly.

The past couple months we've had to set a complete table setting for Ashley and if we forgot her fork or napkin and everyone else had one she'd remind us. No more dry cereal for Ashley she wants to sit in her seat, with milk in her bowl and eat it with a spoon. This week she has decided to add real cups to her meal time need. Surprisingly she does pretty well with a cup.

She likes to color and doesn't want to be left out of anything so when Rachel sat down to paint, guess who else wanted to give it a try. I was smart enough to give her colored construction paper and water. It did the trick.

Monkey See Monkey Do

Ashely has to do everything her big sister does. From painting to

jumping off of tables into the love sac.

Hello? Hello?

Ashley loves phones. After yelling at Daddy because he didn't answer the text message beep. She finally just went and got his phone and brought it to him. Then we found her at her table talking. This morning she had an old cell phone and would point at mine, I'd pick it up and start to talk to her and she'd smile and talk back to me as though we were having a conversation on the phone.