18 months ago...

I never would have imagined how fast she would have gotten from this (the day she was born):

to this (6 months old):

to this (today - 18 months old):

My baby girl is 18 months old today and I still don't know where the time has gone. I can remember her being a newborn like it was just a few months ago, her being an infant like it was just a few weeks ago, and now she's 1 1/2!!!

I think it really hit me today. Our library has storytime that is for birth-18 months and another one that is for 18-36 months. I had planned to take her to the younger one today, since it was the last time before Christmas and several of our other friends attend that time. However, we were rushing to get some other things done so I decided we'd just try the later time (and older storytime) for the first time today. It was fun seeing her interact with the older children and to watch her watch them as they sang along with the songs, chanted with the nursery rhymes, and did hand motions to go along with different activities. She imitated their actions and I could tell from her eyes that she wanted to do what they were doing, wanted to be a "big kid" like they were. After storytime was over the children's librarian told the kids they could come up for a sticker. I encouraged Handley to walk up and get in line for her sticker, but wasn't sure if she'd go without me. However, she followed the other children up, stood in line to get her sticker, and came running back to me with the biggest grin ever. Just watching her do that, all by herself, made me realize that she really is a toddler now, even though I still think of her as my baby. It just seemed like such a big girl thing to do.

These last 18 months have been the most amazing time of my entire life. Being a mom is something that I always dreamed about and couldn't wait for, but I don't think I could have ever imagined it would really be like. Handley has brought such joy to our lives and I can't imagine what we ever did without her. She is definitely getting to the point where she likes to push the limit and test my nerves and I'm sure it is only going to get worse the closer we get to age two. However, she is the most loving little girl and all she has to do is flash me her sweet smile and give me a big hug and I'm all mush again.

Some interesting facts about her right now:

• She is always happy to share with her friends...not an easy lesson to teach, but somehow her sweet personality finds sharing to be the right thing to do.
• She loves to "help" me around the house - cooking, cleaning the floors, putting away laundry, etc. all seem like fun tasks to her.
• She enjoys taking care of her baby dolls, feeding them a bottle, pushing them in the stroller and putting them to bed.
• She is a very good listener and follows directions exceptionally well. In most cases, if I ask her to do something, she'll do it...clean up her toys, put her dirty clothes in the hamper, shut the door behind me, stop touching something she shouldn't have, etc.
• Playing dress-up is one of her favorite things to do.
• Her vocabulary seems to have quadrupled in the last month and she's starting to put together 2 and 3 words. All day long she points and names everything in her sight.
• She loves playing outside, even if it is cold and rainy.
• She loves looking at pictures on the computer (of herself, family members or friends) and enjoys watching videos even more.
• She is picky about when and what she eats (something I think all toddlers go through).
• She is very good at pretend play and can imagine some pretty impressive things. She'll get all dressed up, grab her purse and keys and say, "bye-bye...store" like she's going shopping!
• She will sit and listen to what feels like an endless amount of books before her nap and bedtime.
• She's a creature of habit, likes things in their place, and can't stand a mess (hmm...wonder who she got that from ).
• She has a cute sense of humor and makes me laugh all day long!

I can only imagine how our lives will change when we add another sweet baby girl to our family. I'm expecting that the fun we have now will only continue to get better, and I can't wait!