Happy Belated 18 Month Birthday....

I so meant to do this on the 13th, but we were in Las Vegas visiting Grandpa and I promised myself not to go near the computer. Can you believe I actually did it? I'm so proud of myself!! Well, actually I did cheat a little. I sent a Facebook update via my cellphone, but at least I didn't "use" the computer...LOL

I can't believe my little girl is already 18 months. Where does the time go? Now I know what my mom means when she always says, "Where'd my baby go?" Of course refering to me. She always follows that statement up by saying that I will always be her baby. When I look at Dakota I know she will always be my baby!

Dakota impresses me more and more everyday. I know I have the mommy bias, and I know that most of the things she does are average or to be expected for her age, but I'm just so proud of her. I know I've gotta smart cookie on my hands....

Dakota's new things...

*She can run, jump and attempt a somersault (she tried this a few times after watching the National Gymnastics Championship)

*Can hang from a bar or basketball rim and not let go.

*Can walk up and downstairs without assistance. She crawls up the stairs, and utilizes the sitdown technique to scooch her booty back down.

*Loves eating lemons.

*If we tell her to "freeze" she puts her hands on her head (Gymboree favorite)

*Knows where her nose, mouth, eyes, ears, head, belly, booty, knees, hands and toes are.

*Loves her shadow and gives it high-fives.

*Chats up a storm on her toy cellphone. Talks on the phone with daddy when he's at work, which is filled with "why, what, hiiiiii, da-deeeee" and kisses.

*Rarely cries when she takes a hard fall. Her knees always have scrapes and bruises on them.

*Understands about 75% of what we tell her. Dakota, bring me that toy, lets go outside, go upstairs, clean up your toys, chew your food, etc.

*And, since she understands most of what we say, we have to spell certain words out so she doesn't freak out (i.e shower, bath, blankie, milk, juice).

*Can walk on a balance beam without falling off.

*Holds her breath underwater for at least 5 seconds. We built up her endurance through swim lessons.

*Can jump into the water from a diving board.

*Can put her head in the water and only bring it up for air when in the swimming position. She can also kick her legs really well, so she'll be doing the free-style as soon as she figures out how to propel those windmills! haha

*Can put on some of her own shoes with miminal assistance.

*Can screw a cap on and off of a water bottle.

*Has shown an interest in the potty by patting her diaper and sitting on her potty.

*Stays in time-out when put there. Gives us a hug and kiss when time-out is over.

*Insists on holding our hands when she's at an unfamiliar place, including parking lots or stores.

*For a list of words that she can say pretty consistently, see the side of this blog.

A few of Dakota's Faves:
Swimming
Gymboree
Matchbox Cars
Grandpa
Dress up
Elmo
Dancing
Blankie (obsessed)
Blackberries, bananas, plums, lemons, salmon, rice, pasta, yogurt and cheese!
Slides and Swings
Kisses, hugs and cuddles
Holding hands
Reading
Her Kitty
Her Fish
Sharing (surprisingly!)
Coloring
Tickles
Twirling
Her friends Brayden & Kylan
Tantrums...haha

Some of Dakota's Dislikes:
Chicken
Pancakes (WHY?!?!?!?!)
Sand, Mud, and anything stuck to her hands
Time-out (lol)
Most men
Us telling her "NO!"
When someone leaves the house without her
Having her teeth brushed

And how did we celebrate Dakota's 18-month birthday you ask? Swimming our little heart's out at Grandpa's house. I wish I could post few pictures of our wonderful 4 day vacation in Vegas, but blogger is being difficult once again. Oh well, stay tuned for lots of pictures in my next post!