So Much to Say

The past few months have been such a whirlwind of activity around our household. I'll try to catch up on my blog but it will take several posts to cover everything I want to share.
First and foremost, our little HotDog. I can't believe she is already 18-months-old! She has turned into such an independent little girl. Gone are the days of our content, laid-back baby. HD has turned into a very feisty little girl - she knows exactly what she wants and will do whatever it takes to get it. I can't count the number of times a day that she throws herself on the floor, kicking and screaming, because she was denied something. We try so hard not to laugh at her when she is throwing one of her fits, but it is beyond adorable when she is pouting with her bottom lip sticking out; of course, I know it won't be that cute when she is a teenager and still pulling these shenanigans. Don't get me wrong, she is still a happy toddler most of the time - but when she's unhappy, she is pure drama!

I can't believe how much she is growing. We haven't had her 18-month checkup yet but as of 6 weeks ago she was holding steady at 32 pounds. Not sure about her height either but she is a tall girl. She's wearing mostly 2T shirts and 18-24 pants. I'm having quite a time finding shoes to fit her; she seems to have Fred Flintstone feet - wide and flat. She should wear a size 7 but I'm having to go up to an 8 in some styles just to get it to fit. It's so funny to see such a big girl with only 6 teeth! However much she lacks in teeth she more than makes up for in the hair department. Her hair has gotten so long and so thick and still has lots of curl. It is so much fun to fix into pigtails/ponytails with cute little bows. Even Stu has learned how to do it (because it drives him crazy to see it hanging in her face if it's not up). Look at the difference 6 months can make:
HD on her birthday, 6 months ago:

And now just 6 months later:

Despite the drama, she is such a funny girl with quite a sense of humor. She loves to play with her brothers and I truly think she believes she is the same age as them. She tries to do anything they are doing, and most of the time succeeds. You should see the fits she throws when we are watching their soccer games and she isn't allowed to run out on the field with them. They are such good sports about her always tagging along and make sure to include her in most games they play. She's even started playing hide-and-seek with them; they go and hide in a conspicuous location and let her come and find them. She squeals with delight as they let her catch them running to home base. She's also turned into such a mimic. One of her favorite activities is to sit on the couch with Stu and try to make the same silly faces he is making at her, like this one:

HD is still pretty bashful when we are anywhere away from home. We get asked all of the time if she's talking yet The answer is yes. She babbles all of the time at home and can repeat almost anything we say. The boys can get her to say anything. Chipmunk even has her saying "diaper change" when she's dirty! However, the second we step out of the house she goes mute. She might say "hi" and "bye" but that's about it. My grandmother, whom we visit several times each week, hasn't even heard her say any words.
Eating has become such a struggle for us. She used to be a fantastic eater, eating anything and everything you put in front of her. She has turned very picky lately and it's driving me crazy. The only things I can consistently count on her eating are: meat, cheese, bread/crackers. That's it. Fruit is usually a hit-or-miss. Veggies are impossible lately. She doesn't even want junk food most of the time. I gave her some sugar-filled cereal (something we never have at our house) and you would have thought I was poisoning her! I'm not too concerned about it, just frustrated. I'm pretty sure it's a control thing for her and she'll come around sooner or later.

Okay, I think that's enough of a catch-up on HD. We celebrated her first Family Day (the day I picked her up from the orphanage) last week. I still can't believe it's been a year since she was placed in my arms forever - I still have such vivid memories of that trip. Such an amazing year with such an amazing girl!

Next post: Our Disney/Florida vacation and a new house!