The DeLorme Family: Graceyn 18 Months

Last Monday, Graceyn turned 18 months old! Its so hard to believe that she is already half way to two. She acts more and more like a toddler and less and less like a baby each day. Even though she is the youngest, she is fiercely independent and has to do things her way. She also wants to do things like the big kids.
On Monday, I took her in for her 18 month well check up. She now weighs 22.4 pounds (48%) and is 31.6 in tall (46%). She is growing just beautifully and her pediatrician said she looked just perfect.
I recently decided that this is definitely one of my favorite ages. They are still sort of a baby, yet they start doing so many fun things. Gracie is proving to be quite a talker and very verbal like her sister was. She picks up a lot of words from her siblings. She makes me laugh because she often calls me "Mom" instead of "mommy" or "mama". I know she gets this from Ashlyn and Dawson. She is really starting to put words together and starting to say sentences. Today when we dropped Ashlyn off at school, she said, "bye bye sissy". Just now, Joey asked, "Who wants to go downstairs?" and she said, "I do!" She can pretty much repeat back any word you ask her to say. I know she is going to be talking up a storm very, very soon. It is so wonderful when they can finally communicate exactly what they want. She can now say, "outside" to let me know she wants to go play out back.
It's also really neat to see how much Gracie is like Ashlyn was at this age. I don't think they look a lot alike, but wow are they a lot alike. She is so much like Ashlyn was. She loves to draw and color. She will grab any pen, pencil, or marker she can get her hands on and start scribbling away. She also loves music. She loves to go sit at our piano and play. She is actually pretty good at playing the keys. She also loves, loves, loves to dance. It's her favorite. Any time she hears any kind of music, she immediately stops whatever she is doing and starts dancing. It's so darn cute! I plan on getting her in dance classes as soon as I can. She has pretty good rhythm and I see dancing in her future!
Gracie continues to love books. I read to her as much as I can every day. She usually gravitates to the same books. She loves looking at the pictures and turning the pages. She often times will take a book to her crib with her and fall asleep looking at it. She truly is her mother's child!
Gracie is also really getting into pretend play. She has started to enjoy baby dolls and loves feeding for them and caring for them. She has also discovered our big play kitchen/food area in the basement and loves to play with it. She is really starting to interact and is able to play with her siblings and cousins now.
Gracie is also proving to follow in her brother and sister's footsteps with her love for her blanket. It is so amusing to me that she is so attached to her Little Giraffe blanket just like her brother and sister still are. She asks for it all day and she must have it to sleep.
Gracie now goes to daycare one day a week. It has been a little bit of a difficult transition for both of us. She has never really been away from me aside from short times at the gym daycare. The first two days she was very clingy to the daycare provider, but she had a much better time this week. I know it will be a matter of time before she loves it there just like her brother. It helps he is there with her all day.
Gracie by far has been our best eater. She continues to eat whatever we put in front of her. She loves meat and can put away a lot of it! She also continues to love her fruits and vegetables. Today, she was begging me for some red bell pepper. She is such a grown up girl at dinner and sits in a big chair and uses her spoon and fork like a pro!
Well, that was a short glimpse as to what Graceyn is doing at 18 months. She is just such a bright and beautiful light in all of our lives. She makes me smile and laugh each and every day. I am so incredibly blessed to have her as a daughter.