Kiwi is 18 months: 10 memories of my big little toddler

Kiwi is 18 months old—a whopping year and a half. She runs, she throws a ball, she does her darnedest to jump, she understands so much. I can hardly believe how big my littlest has become: a big little toddler.

I recently read a few past milestone pasts about Peeper. The posts reminded me of some things I’d forgotten (that she used to call oatmeal “wee-mo,” for example). I also realized that I’ve slacked lately on keeping Kiwi’s milestone posts up to date.

This month, as Kiwi turns 18 months, I captured ten things about my big little toddler that make her uniquely her.

1. She mostly communicates by pointing and grunting. I never knew a “mmmmnnn!” could express so much, but I can generally understand what she wants!
   
2. She loves stuffed animals and dolls. Wherever Kiwi goes, so does her lovey du jour. Lately, she’s obsessed with a baby her Aunt Amy gave her; before that, it was a grey striped kitty named Yo-Yo. She’s gentle with them, giving them pets and hugs, and lately she’s been giving her baby high-fives!
3. My big little toddler is never happier than when she’s bouncing on a giant yoga ball. (Yes, the same one I vowed to set on fire.) I hold her hands while she catches major air, and I watch her face transform with the pure joy of jumping. Not coincidentally, “jump” is one of the signs she knows.
   
4. She’s in a major Mommy phase. Her cling factor puts those old fabric softener commercials to shame. If I leave a two-foot radius of Kiwi, she panics. She holds my legs and cries until I pick her up. I’ve resorted to wearing my 20-something-pound toddler in the carrier around the house just so I can use both my hands.
5. She’s still not super into food, but she loves her some interesting combinations, like smoked salmon dipped in yogurt. The other day she was eating a popsicle (best teething relief!), walked to the cupboard, pointed at the peanut butter then pointed at her popsicle. She was very clear she wanted a peanut butter popsicle!
6. Outside is her happy place. Rain doesn’t stop her—after all, wet weather brings puddles and mini-waterfalls around the neighborhood—but she’s less sure about snow.
   
7. The bath is her other happy place. Multiple times a day she’ll sign “bath.” Woe to us if we read a book that has anything to do with taking a bath, bubbles or getting clean; she’ll insist it’s time for her to rub a dub, too, even if her hair’s still wet from the last one.
   
8. She’s a hugger. Every night when it’s time to go to bed, she makes the rounds saying “night-night.” She hugs everyone by laying her head on them. Even Finn gets a hug, and she waves good-night to her favorite toys.
9. She’s strong. Kiwi isn’t one to let her sister do all the cool sh*t while she watches from the sidelines. So my big little toddler climbs the handles of my elliptical machine (while I try not to have a heart attack). She also tries to copy Big Sister’s home gymnastics routines, and she does chin-ups on the dishwasher handle. It’s only a matter of time before we enter her in a Baby Bodybuilding competition. (Totally kidding!)
10. She still loves to breastfeed, but she keeps busy while nursing. Her favorite thing to do while having “mommy milk” is to point at my nose, eyebrows, cheeks and all the other parts of my face while I name them. If she points to one ear, say, she’ll quickly turn my head to point at the other one.

I know that even the things you swear you’ll never forget slip through your mind’s cracks. Sometimes the girls do something hilarious or sweet that I’ll make a mental note about, but when Eric gets home and I want to tell him, I can’t remember what it was.

It’s mommy brain. It’s still not sleeping enough. It’s a packed-full (and wonderful) life. It’s being human.

Fickle memory is just one more reason why I’m happy to record these details about my strong, curious, beautiful 18-month-old. Here’s to many more months of getting to know you, sweet pea.