Miss Ryan: 18 Months

Oh my goodness.

18 months have flown by! I am so amazed by how quickly Ryan has changed from a "baby" to a "toddler".  She is such a big girl and has a personality all her own!! She keeps us busy busy busy- and then busy some more.

Ryan is always on the go. She is the queen of making a mess. Our house will never be the same :-) She can go from gentle to rough in the blink of an eye. One minute she's playing quietly in her room, the next she's laughing so loud she's screaming! Usually, when she's laughing it's at Beckett. Ryan LOVES her brother. They get along so well- most of the time- and can entertain each other with anything from a book to "acting out" Ultraman. Ryan is starting to take an interest in stuffed animals and baby dolls- adorable. And she loves to read but wants to be in control of page turning so she rarely gets the whole story.

Her vocabulary is expanding. She babbles all the time but we can only understand a few words. She has recently started trying to say "basketball" it comes out "baba-ba". Close enough. She is also very proud of her ability to say "ball", "meow" and "dog". A few other words she knows: milk, car, home, bye bye, hi, dada, mama, Beckett is still "buh".

Ryan eats so well! She really isn't that picky (knock on wood). Her favorite thing to eat is cheese. And she loves milk- oh, how she loves milk! Pretty much anything I give her she will eat- thank goodness.

She is in 18-24 month clothes with a few 12-18 months pieces that still fit.  Her hair is still beautifully curly and I am so glad! I hope it continues to stay that way. She can now wear a ponytail that will stay up for longer than 5 minutes (big accomplishment).

Ryan is so loving! She will put her head on your shoulder and say "awww" as she gives you a hug. She will smile and laugh so easily. She is so happy! We are also seeing her stubborn side. No surprise, but she likes things the way she likes them.  When she's done, she's done. I just have to laugh because Beckett was the same way and our kids come by it honestly. ;-)

The other thing that Ryan has developed in the past 6 months is a sense of adventure. The girl has no fear. So I'm compensating. She comes so close so often... falling off the bed or couch; climbing on random chairs, toys, etc; running and not looking back... oy. She laughs at the word "no". Seriously, laughs. And she is so quiet sometimes that she can sneak off and before we know it she's splashing in the toilet (happened at Thanksgiving...) so we have to be on our toes to stay one step ahead of her!

Ryan continues to be such a fun and happy addition to our family. As always, we love her more everyday!