19 months

Before Delaney is reciting soliloquies and applying for college, I wanted to give an update on her recent developments.  She has changed so much and is changing every day. 

 

At 18 months, Delaney as 21 lbs and 29 inches.  She is petite and still small on weight and height, but staying on her growth curve. 

 

At 19 months, Delaney is:

-          TALKING!  We do not understand everything that she says, but she is definitely communicating with us.  She is even stringing together 3 word sentences (we get into Brice’s car to go out and she says, “Daddy car!  Mommy car no.”  She answers all yes or no questions and will answer most questions with some sort of answer.  She talks pretty much all day long and expresses her opinions strongly (surprise surprise).  My mom is the most fluent in “Delaney” because of her mixture of Japanese and English words. 

-          Going by “DD.”  When thinking of baby names, we never considered the level of difficulty for a toddler.  We DID consider calling her Laney as a nickname, however Delaney refers to herself as “DD” and it stuck.  If asked her name, she says “DD.”  Whenever she wants something, she points or says the word and then says, "DD!!!!"

-          Is becoming more possessive, right on the devopment schedule.  She has a pink bike that she takes to the park sometimes.  Other kids take an interest and she screams out from the top of the slide “DD Bike!!! DD Bike!”  She is learning more about sharing and taking turns, and is patient and understanding when wanting to play with other kid’s toys.  She is also unbelievably great about waiting her turn when going up the ladder or going down the slide.  Ilma  is constantly teaching her social protocol at the park. 

-          Has OCD tendencies.  DD turns into Lady MacBeth if there is a spot of dirt/paint/food, etc on her hand.  We are trying to teach her how to cope better, since part of being a kid is getting dirty and we want her to be comfortable with this. 

-          Loves to play Hide-and-Go-Seek.  She asks to play in English and Japanese. 

-          Is selecting her own outfits.  And even selected my outfit and Brice’s outfit earlier this week!  She mostly demands to wear a specific color or her Elmo shirt.  Her shoe fetish continues to be strong, especially now that she has learned how to put some of them on and off on her own. 

 

-          Knows all of her colors.  She learned her colors in about a week and can say all colors.  Her favorites are Purple and Green.

-          Remembers events from earlier in the day, week or even month. 

-          Continues to have a gourmet pallete.  Her recent favorite is braised beef short ribs.  She also loves Indian food, peas, apple bars from Trader Joes, Pirates Booty, rotisserie chicken, salmon, rice and ketchup.  She looooooves ketchup.   

-          Has clear preferences for certain people.  Her heart belongs to Dash (our next door neighbor), and the mere mention of his name will send her into a grinning, giggling, blushing frenzy.  It is unbelievable.   We are grateful that he is so sweet with her and sees her almost every day. 

 

-          Is sleeping 11-12 hours a night (down at 7pm, up at 6/7am) and a 1-2 hour nap in the early afternoon (1pm-2/3pm).   Fortunately no signs of her trying to climb out of her crib, but we are bracing ourselves as she has the strength to do so if she ever figures out that it is a possibility. 

-          Holds my hand at all times.  I didn’t know what a gem this was, but when we went trick or treating, all of her friends were running around, but she really just wanted to walk with me and hold my hand.  I love it and hope this is a phase that never ends!  It definitely makes going for walks and going places SO much easier, not to mention making me the happiest and proudest mom in the world!   

-          Continues to be very attached to me, although there is an ebb and flow.  I cannot complain about getting to hold and cuddle her as much as I do.  Yes, as much as I travel, out of sight, out of mind, and she doesn’t miss me at all when she is with Brice, Ilma, Poppie, my mom or whoever else is watching her. 

-          Is interested in doing more fine motor skill activities such as drawing with Crayons, playing with Playdoh, building a tower of blocks, etc.

-          Went to the zoo for the first time!  Unfortunately Brice and I could not go as we were working, but my parents took her and she had the time of her life.  She saw many animals and asked for “MORE!” of each one.  We are excited to take her back soon. 

-          Has shown a lot of interest in the potty.  We got her a little potty which she immediately understood and pees in usually once a day when she is getting ready for her bath.  She has done other business in the potty too which is pretty miraculous!  She is still so young so we are not pushing potty training AT ALL, especially because we know that we will be running to find a bathroom every 10 minutes once she starts.  For now, we are just teaching her about it and she enjoys it as one of her activities. 

 

We are really excited for the holidays, as Delaney will have a completely different experience this year.  We are enjoying every second with her!