Rooney, 19 Months
Rooney, 19 Months
- Smiles for photos
- Makes kissing noises and kissy lips
- LOVES to read books
- Enjoys vacuuming
- Occasionally would rather play than eat when she wakes up in the morning
- Still sleeps in her crib (we haven't seen her try to climb out yet)
- Has started to show fear around some people (mostly men)
Growth
- Height: 33 inches (75%)
- Weight: 26 lbs. 11 oz. (89%)
- Head circumference: 18¾" (81%)
- Clothing size: 24 months - 3T
- Diaper size: 4
Eating
I would say she has a big appetite. She likes meat (especially chicken), pasta, and dipping chips in guac or queso.
New foods this month:
- Sweet and sour chicken
- Sesame chicken
- Bourbon chicken
- Orange chicken
- General chicken
- Macaroni and cheese (she used to not like it, but now she loves it)
- Orange juice (at day care)
You wouldn't know it by this video, but she's gotten pretty good at using a spoon! (I swear right before I pulled out the camera she got it in her mouth three times in a row. Also, that's my niece Mylie who keeps asking me what I'm doing. :) )
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Development
- Imaginative: She pretends to eat foods from pictures in books/magazines, she pretends to bottle-feed her babies and stuffed animals
- Tries to jump, but doesn't leave the ground
- Likes to march and run
- Attempts to walk on a straight line
- Holds our hands when we walk in parking lots (sometimes)
- Remembers things from previous days
- Tantrums: This is something I haven't written about much, because I'm not sure how much I want to share. For some reason this is the first topic I've been somewhat hesitant to write about. Rooney hasn't had any tantrums where she melts to the floor, but maybe those are still to come. I'd say all the tantrums I can think of right now are a result of her getting frustrated at times when she has ideas that we can't accommodate (going outside when it's time for a bath, for example). It is tough as a parent but they are usually short-lived and I know they are completely normal.
Video: She also loves going up and down stairs (and is getting quick!):
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Words
At 18 months, most children can say 15-20 words. I'd say Rooney has above average speech and language skills. I'm glad she's interested in verbalizing things to us. I'm not a big talker so I always feared that would hold her back, but it clearly hasn't. This isn't a complete list of the words she can say (and she certainly doesn't say the words perfectly, but we can understand most of what she says), but I wanted to see if there were at least 20.
Here are 45 words/phrases I've heard her say:
- Awesome
- Hi
- Bye bye
- Nigh-nigh
- No
- Yes
- Yeah
- K
- Go
- This
- Hey hey hey
- Paci
- Horsie
- Moo
- Cow
- Duck
- Fishy
- Thank you
- Please
- Welcome
- Love you
- Mama
- Dada
- Baby
- Me-ma (grandma)
- Nana
- Papa
- Help
- Up
- Brush
- Book
- Glasses
- Eyes
- Toes
- Tickle
- Shoes
- Bless you
- Amen
- Happy
- Puppy
- Are you?
- 'sat? (What's that?)
- Chair
- Stair
- Seat
She can also say the names of many friends at her day care (Adah, Caleb ("Ub"), Emma, Ivory ("I"), Shannon, Sara, Jade).
Health
- We had her 18-month check up last week and everything looks great! The doctor (we had a new one since ours recently had a baby--we missed you soooo much Tricia!) said she was "awesome." She totally is! It's funny, too, because "awesome" is one of the words she says the most.
- At her checkup this month there was an autism screening and lead screening, so we had to fill out quite a bit of paperwork on what she's doing (or not yet doing). Things like drawing a straight line with crayons, stacking three blocks, responding to her name, throwing and kicking balls, pointing to things, saying multiple words, and problem solving. Rooney's not doing all the things quite yet, but she passed the test.
- She has had a runny nose/cough for the past week. I think there are more teeth coming in!
- She had the Hepatitis A vaccine (no flu shot)
- She still sees the chiropractor every week
- Teeth: Still 12 (and she's starting to like to brush them!)
Sleep
Bedtime: 6:30-7:00 pm
Night sleep: 12-13 hours
Waketime: 7:15-8:15 am
Bedtime was a little bit of an issue this month. We usually put her to bed between 6:45 and 7:00 pm. With all her new words she's learning and fun we have before bed, she has had a little trouble settling down for bed. Sometimes 15 minutes or so after we put her down she'll wake up, stand up and start crying. After 5-10 minutes we go and get her, watch another episode of George or watch a little bit of whatever we're watching (The Voice or Wheel of Fortune, for example) and then put her back down. So far, that's been working.
Our bedtime routine consists of changing her diaper, putting on pajamas and watching Curious George. After a 12-minute episode, we say goodnight to George, walk with her to her room, turn on her fan, put her in her sleep sack, pray and give her a pacifier. But that point she is sometimes diving into her crib. We have room-darkening shades so it is usually quite dark in her room.
Naptime: as early as 11:00 am, but usually after noon
Nap: 1.5-2.5 hours
Social
We met a new friend this month! Corinne was born just nine days after Rooney and it was so fun to play with her at the park!
Speaking of the park, it is one of Rooney's favorite places. We live a few blocks from a park and SHE KNOWS HOW TO WALK THERE BY HERSELF. She loves to be outside and once she is out there, she often walks her way to the park (we are close behind, of course!). I just can't believe at 18 months that she could know how to get somewhere by herself! Yikes.
Parenting
Parenting has been a chance for me to view the world through new eyes. Many times I feel like I am learning new things right with her -- stuff I have either forgotten or don't think about much (what a turtle says, how things work, etc.).
I've also just recently started to understand what other parents feel when they fear that having another child will take attention away from their firstborn. We do not plan to have another baby in the next year, but it's still been on my mind lately for some reason. I KNOW she would love to have a sibling though!
Video: I didn't know my mom was filming this, and I am NOT a great singer, but thought it was cute to share anyway:
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Rooney: If I had to choose a few words to describe you, they would be: tough, determined, curious, happy, smart, kind, gentle, beautiful and funny. Your daddy says you are repetitious, a doer, cautious, funny and sweet. You love babies and shoes and being chased. You have really great hair. You don't like getting water dumped on your head in the bathtub. You love your pacifier. You always want to do the monkey bars at the park. We lift you up and you hang on for dear life and are so, so happy and proud of yourself. I can tell we have a lot of fun ahead of us with your adventurous spirit.
