I can’t believe my baby girl is 18 months old! It seems like it was just yesterday that I wrote her a letter to express all the emotions I was feeling as we prepared to celebrate her first birthday. Yet, here we are half-way through year two with our little lady. She’s grown and changed so much over the last 6 months.
Here are a few photos from her one year celebration!
Skylar’s Stats
| 12 Months | 18 Months | |
| Height | 30.5 inches | 34 inches |
| Weight | 21 lbs 3 oz | 24 lbs 12 oz |
Eating
Skylar stopped nursing on her own at 11 months old. Around this time, my supply started to decline and I was struggling to pump enough breastmilk. To make up the difference, we started supplementing with formula. When were together, I continued to nurse her, but she was losing interest. One night, I tried to nurse her before bed and she looked me right in the eye and shook her head no! I couldn’t believe it!
Was this really happening? In that moment, my heart sank. I knew our breastfeeding journey was over. She never nursed again.
Luckily, Skylar has continued to eat well. Over the past couple of months, she has developed some favorite foods including applesauce, yogurt (or “yo-go” according to her), mac and cheese, strawberries, bananas, and oatmeal.
Sleeping
Skylar is a great sleeper (*knocks on wood*). Her bedtime typically falls between 6:45 and 8:00 pm, depending on our evening activities. Some nights she even tells us when she’s ready for bed with a simple, “Night night.” She sleeps through the night and if it wasn’t for her brother being noisy in the morning, she would wake up much later than the rest of us. We typically let her sleep-in on weekends since we are early risers during the week.
One thing that always makes us laugh is Skylar’s resistance to sleeping in the car. I could probably count on both hands the number of times she’s actually fallen asleep in the car in her entire life! She rarely succumbs to a evening drive. She will stay awake and make the most noise until you get her back home and to her bed. It’s hilarious because her brother will almost always fall asleep if we hop in the car anytime after 2:00 pm.
Best Moments
Skylar turned one right before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States. When our state shutdown, we spent 2.5 months working from home with our kids. Even though that time came with many challenges, we experienced some of the best moments with our baby girl!
We watched her go from standing and toddling to full blown walking and running in the span of a few months! She started using a spoon and feeding herself without any assistance (and now gets upset if you try to help her), and added more words to her vocabulary than I can count.
It’s also been so fun watching her personality develop. This little lady is FEISTY! Yet, she’s so compassionate, loving, and empathetic. When anyone is in distress (mostly her brother) she’s right there, ready to defend or offer a consoling hug. I can’t wait to see how there characteristics develop as she continues to grow.
Pretend play is so fun to watch too. I especially love when Skylar grabs whatever vehicle is in site and walks around the house yelling, “veee, veee, veeee!” It’s the cutest! She loves playing with balls, riding her balance bike, playing outside, coloring, reading books and dancing!
Check out her dance moves!
The last thing I’ll mention here is the bond between Skylar and her brother. They are two peas in a pod. Most evenings are filled laughter, squeals, and occasionally screaming and tears as they continue to learn to play together. Sometimes they spur each other on in mischief, but most of the time they entertain each other well.
Challenges
As I mentioned earlier, Skylar can be pretty feisty. She likes things her way and on her terms, which can be frustrating at times. We’re learning to give her more freedom to do more age appropriate things on her own. We’ve found that offering her a few choices often helps. For instance, choosing between two options during snack time, letting her pick out part of her outfit for the day or deciding hair accessories she will wear. At bedtime, she has free reign over which bedtime stories we read.
Each day, I see her learning more and more and I’m reminded how fast the days, months, and years go by. The last 18 months have been nothing short of amazing with our baby girl.
Skylar is such a joy! There is never a dull moment with my little sunshine!
A Labor For Love 