Hazel Belle. 18 months.

18 months! Holy moly. I remember this time last year so clearly when she was turning 6 months old - it's hard to believe now we're already halfway to TWO. Everything they say is true, it really does go so fast! We really do try to make the most of each day with her, but the years seem to be going by in a blink just like everyone warned us they would. We've had a lot of fun with Hazel the past few months, and find her so enjoyable and funny at this age. I would be remiss not to mention she's entered full-fledge toddlerhood which can be challenging at times. Of course I'm so happy to have a strong-willed little girl, but the impatient, selfish part of me finds it difficult at times. Thankfully, she's really so sweet most of the time and the challenging parts of being a toddler will only last so long.

Development/Milestones: The best part of this stage is all her words! She's been chatting up a storm and can repeat almost every word we ask her to say. She's even started to string a few words together. The other day we heard her "counting" to three - she wasn't saying the words "one, two, three" but she definitely had the sing-songy cadence we use while counting. 

Eating: She's definitely gotten a little pickier, but we try to offer her all sorts of different things to keep it interesting.

Sleeping: She's down to one, two-hour nap and still sleeping around 11 hours a night. We're grateful for our good little sleeper :)

Likes and Demeanor: She's definitely forming more of an opinion, but it still a very go with the flow personality. She's also very expressive and makes the funniest little faces. A recent highlight was when she said "I luh you" unprompted to me the other day. Melt my heart! Other things she likes right now is playing catch (and carrying her ball everywhere), Elmo, taking baths, pointing out facial features, dogs ("goggy"), and all things mama and papa. We're having the best time with her!