A year and a half.

Lillie celebrated her 18 month birthday at the end of December.  She is a year and a half- saying it like that seems so old to me!

For the past year and a half our life has been anything but routine.  Brad's school/work balancing act shows itself differently almost every day.  We must be some of the wackiest parents at school.  One day Brad is in sweatpants and dropping Lillie off mid-morning, the next day Brad drops her off first thing in a suit.  And then there are the weeks at a time were Lillie just doesn't go to school at all- because she is home with me. 

Brad swears that when Lillie began going back to school last week she was mad at us.  She woke up in the morning in a terrible mood.  She would cry and refuse to eat breakfast and just cling.  One morning I came around the corner to Brad sitting on the kitchen floor, Lillie crying in his lap and both not knowing what to do next.  This week we found our groove to our chaos and the tears have been fewer.

I wouldn't trade it, the last year and a half, for anything.  Although the time has passed too quickly and I constantly feel like I'm missing things, Lillie's laughter sticks with me above the noise.  It is infectious and it brings such joy.

At one and a half, Lillie is spirited, strong-willed and beautiful.  She looks just like her daddy.  Rumor has it, Lillie is the class cut-up at school.  She craves attention and snuggles.  She gives mouth-to-mouth and Eskimo kisses freely.  Lillie refuses to hold our hands, unless we are praying.  And this Christmas she had a strong affinity for baby Jesus in the nativity set.

During our time at home over Christmas Lillie started talking more frequently- it was like one day her words just seemed to click.  She still calls the phone a "shone" and dinner is a "nack" but she can communicate with words.  She has begun to recognize and name frequent faces in her life- and enjoys throwing her hands in the air and yelling Mimi when my mom arrives.

According to the doctor she is doing great- growing right along at her own pace- steady.
Height:  31.5 inches (50 percentile)
Weight:  23 pounds 0 ounces (25 percentile)
Head Circumference: 47.5cm (75 percentile)


How blessed we are to have this little Bear as part of our family.