18 months

Weight: 27 pounds (85%)
Height: 34 1/2 inches (99%)
My little pumpkin is in mostly 2T clothes and moving up to size 5 diapers.

The stats above are debatable.  Laney wouldn't stand still on the scale, and the nurse didn't "stretch" her on the measuring chart quite as much as the times before.  But, whatever.  Laney is growing and growing big.  I LOVE it!  I think I say this a lot, but I'm going to say it again.  I love that she's so big and healthy.  You have to try and imagine me holding her as a 4 pounder and just dreaming of the day she would be big, and strong, and healthy, and not so fragile.  Well, now she IS big and strong and healthy and I couldn't be happier.  I went ahead and put a newborn picture down there - it's always a good reminder to me that God is SO good!

As a little toddler, Laney is learning a lot.  Here are some highlights:

She finally got the green light for tubes.  Chad took her for her surgery and it went so smooth (maybe it's because she was dressed so cute with beads and a bow).  She never even acted like she had surgery.  Chad said that she was such a trooper the whole time.  

She's already trying to talk more and try out more sounds.  She doesn't say a lot of words, but she's working on it.  In her own language (recognizable to mom and dad) she says:

mama, dada, Bubba, Kansas, I love you, baby, milk, please, thank you, bow, wall, shoe, brush, ball, baby, shhhh, no, yes, more, water, all done, naked, okay, bye-bye, hi, where are you, bike, I do, me, bath, dog, book, night-night, and blankie (I'm sure I'm missing some).  We're currently working on animals and sounds.  She'll copy me but she doesn't really remember them without my help.  My favorite is her imitation of a kitty cat.  

We recently took her paci away.  By recently, I mean two days ago.  She only has it in her mouth at nap and bedtime (and long car trips), but she would walk around with it all day if I let her.  The first night she cried for 30 minutes before falling asleep.  The first nap without it was not a good nap.  Last night and today during nap she was totally fine.  Looks like we might be in the clear.  I think I need to go ahead and throw all the pacis away so she doesn't find one and stick it in her mouth.  It kind of makes me sad - like she's officially growing out of her baby phase.

Daddy holding Laney for the first time - she loved her paci even then.

Daddy and Laney post surgery...just a few weeks before we took the paci away.

She still loves her brother to pieces.  She follows him everywhere and totally copies everything he does.  She gets so excited when she sees him.  And when she can't find him she starts calling out, "Bubba!!  Are you?!"  It's adorable.

Playing before Church.

I love this picture!

(Side note: Brooks is really into dressing himself these days.)

She also LOVES her daddy.  She is 100% Daddy's Little Girl.


Our little Laneybug is spunky and fun and totally adorable, even when she's being a stinker.  I just can't get enough of her!  I think she's going to keep things interesting for us, and make sure that we're always on our toes.