Zoe at 18 Months

Well, Zoe is 18 months old, as of last Sunday. So why is the nursery countdown still, well, counting down? Because Sunday happened to be Stake Conference as well. Grrr. This whole nursery debacle has been so frustrating. I found out a couple weeks ago that a boy only 3 days older than Zoe has been going to nursery for about a month with no complaints from the leaders. I refer you to this rant, I mean post, to see why that is maddening to me.

I waited to post until today because Zoe had her 18-month check up and I wanted to let all the grandmas know how she is faring. She is awesome! Small, but awesome. Her head is now in the 13th percentile, which is higher than ever. She is 31.5 inches tall and weighs in just under 21 pounds. I'm guessing that last number would be better if we could EVER get her to eat dinner. She flat out refuses even her favorite foods at dinner time and freaks out when we put her in the high chair. And if by some miracle she does eat a particular food for dinner she won't eat it twice in a row (i.e. leftovers). We are pretty much at our wit's end with her. So much wasted time and food. But she seems happy (other than when we are trying to feed her) and she has tons of energy and sleeps through the night, so we are more annoyed than worried.

As far as physical and verbal skills go, Zoe is right up to par. Here is a sampling of her "every day" vocabulary (words she says without being prompted):

• Mommy, It's Mommy
• Dada, Dada's here
• Hi
• Tigger
• Ball
• Baby
• Bear
• Doggy Woof Woof
• Moo
• Eat
• Nose, Eyes, Ears, Mouth, Tummy (and identify all)
• Cereal, Crackers, Fish, Cheese, Milk, Water, Toast, Chicken (the only foods she eats are foods she can say)
• Snow, Snowing
• Outside
• Shoes
• More, Please, All Done (and their signs)
• Up
• Toys, Book
• Soft (as in , Zoe, be SOFT)
• Jump (she yells "DUHM DUHM" while she jumps)
  

She also repeats a lot of what we say (everything from "bath time" to "shiny" to"fluoride") so I will refrain from listing all that. She loves to dance, twirl, twist, and especially jump. A couple weeks ago she finally figured out how to get both feet off of the ground at the same time! Before that she just stomped around in a circle. She loves to watch her Baby Einsteins so I can get ready for the day. She loves to go outside, as long as we don't make her walk in the snow. She is so independent and strong willed (that becomes a problem sometimes) but generally mild-tempered and well-behaved. It usually takes us by surprise if she is in a bad mood (apart from the whole dinner time issue). Everyday seems to be more fun than the previous and she learns so much it just amazes me. I just can't believe she is the same little "bean" we brought home a year and a half ago. I know she misses you all and we can't wait to visit as much family as we can this year!