Sophia's 18 Month Update
Sophia,
Just like that, another three months have gone by and it feels like we did so much. You’ve barely topped 20 pounds, but you’re definitely getting taller.
We skipped your 15 month check up as you were in the clinic twice for a high fever and rash (April 13). You developed a 102 degree fever on a Sunday and you were so lethargic through Tuesday. It was so sad not seeing you be your energetic self, but we did love the extra snuggles. We took you to the clinic where you got covid tested (barf). Your fever went away but then you developed a rash so we took you back to the clinic. They think you had Roseola and said it would clear up on its own. You were spoiled with popsicles and non-water drinks and eventually you recovered fully.
I love seeing you flip through your books on your own. Sometimes you're so enthralled with them. You say lots of animal noises, including the sound a seal makes, which is our favorite. New words you’re saying include: “neow” for meow, “baba” for grandpa, “no,” “bye,” and “yeah". You definitely say “no” the most, ha! To make saying “no” a bit more polite, we’ve taught you to sign thank you after saying “no,” Around 17 months, you were able to say “mommy” and “daddy.,” and you’ve progressed to saying “Der Doh” for Jericho. My favorite is when you say “Bible” and point to my Bible (my heart!). You attempt to say everything we ask you to and come pretty close most of the time.
You fell down outside and scraped your knee. We taught you to call it a boo-boo so now you point to anything that slightly resembles an owie and call it a boo-boo (my freckles and daddy’s moles).
We gave you a blanket for the first time in May and you love it!
You light up like a dog does when we say, “go,” “walk,” “stroller,” “jacket” or “shoes.” You've learned how to really turn up and down the radio volume. We now keep the stereo remote near us so we can quickly turn it down if we need to. I’ve been working on showing you the sign for potty when I go use the bathroom. You picked it up pretty quickly. We can say let's go potty and you'll do the sign and walk to the bathroom. To our surprise, you also learned how to blow your nose and wipe your bum. Hehe. I can’t wait to show you that video when you’re older. Maybe you’ll potty train early? We bought you a potty so you’re learning how to sit on that. Mid-May you figured out how to sign for drink. It isn’t exactly how we do it, but we know what you mean.
You are getting better at coloring, but still try to use the wrong end and put all the pencils in your mouth. This activity is short-lived, but you're getting better and better the more we practice. You now really try to dress yourself and are becoming particular about things. Specifically, when food falls in your lap or gets on your legs or feet, you get upset. One day we were making monster balls and you accidentally spilt the oatmeal flakes and were so distraught. Good thing you’re learning how to sweep because you helped me clean it all up. Whenever we give an exaggerated reaction to spilling or dropping something, you pick up on those emotions and get upset too. We now have to be careful how we react to things.
Other random skills you have developed include: You recognize motions to certain songs like pat-a-cake and if you’re happy and you know it. Moving things from one pile to the next is a favorite activity of yours. You completed your last developmental leap (leap 10) and we are definitely noticing your progress. You're getting better at putting puzzles together and are able to attempt saying two syllable words. We love hearing your little voice. Whenever you hear a siren you put your hands together so we can pray and at the end, you’ll attempt to say “amen.” We also will say “praise him” and you’ll raise both your hands towards Jesus. So cute!
Your favorite game to play is hide-and-seek with a toy. You’ll hide it behind your back or under your legs and then ask us “go?" After a few seconds you’ll pull it back out to show us. We also play hide-and-seek by hiding ourselves and telling you to come and find us. You get so excited when you succeed. You're practicing balancing, learning about jumping and bouncing, and when I'm doing laundry you know exactly what clothes belong to your daddy.
Grandma (“Ma”) Karen came for a visit during her spring break and it was so fun! We got to enjoy some sunny weather, show her the house we are buying, and eat at one of our favorite restaurants (Char Latin Grill).
We completed two dog-sitting gigs in March: our friend’s dog, Scout, and our favorite Rover client, Penny. It was a long two weeks filled with lots of driving and coordinating our schedules (we only have one car), but we did it and managed to have lots of fun. You thoroughly enjoyed all the walks, doggie snuggles, and playing with their toys. It was during this time that you learned to recognize the sound of a train and helicopter, what trees look like, and lights.
Grandpa Jim came to visit and we had the best time. Daddy and Grandma Jim enjoyed lots of different beers from John’s Market and various restaurants around Portland, including trying Nitrogen Ice Cream. You also tasted your first bite of raw fish when we had sushi. It is getting hard to go out somewhere to eat/drink and expect you to sit still. You want to explore everything.
By the end of his trip, I think you were saying “Ba” for Grandpa.
We closed on our house purchase May 21, and are forever grateful to God for giving us this opportunity. We are anxiously awaiting our move in date (July) and in the meantime, we are planning what renovations we want to do first. Our apartment is all packed up aside from the things we use every day. We learned that you’re going to be a much better unpacker than packer as you love to take everything out of the box I just packed up.
Over Mother’s Day weekend we spent one morning exploring the zoo with your friend Nyla. You especially loved the seals and orangutans/monkeys and you do a very good representation of them as well. Despite having to wear our masks the whole time, it was nice to go when there is limited capacity. I think next year we will get a zoo membership so we can go all the time. You loved it!
The following day, we woke up extra early to go to church with your friend Willa in Vancouver. It was a momentous day as you went to nursery for the first time and did so well! What a perfect Mother’s Day treat. Afterwards, we went back to our friend’s house for brunch and playtime. We love seeing you and Willa interact together and hope you’ll grow up being best friends. You and daddy did all the chores on Mother’s Day and let me read/sleep for a few hours alone. You are so special to me. Thank you for choosing me to be your mama!
With the weather turning warmer, we’ve been trying to get outside more. Some of our favorites included walking along Terwiliger and across Tilikum Bridge; Sitting outside Rogue Brewing; Walking around the Milwaukie Farmer’s Market; BBQing; Playing in the water on our porch; And purchasing a bike trailer.
We've started what we call "Sophia walks," which is where we go outside and let you set the pace and direction of where we go and how far. We want to take a few minutes to slow down, smell the roses (literally), and see the world through your eyes. You love these walks.
We’ve been so lucky to see a lot of our friends these past few months. I didn’t get pictures of everyone, but you had the best time. You love getting outside and being with someone your own size.
It is getting increasingly harder to work and be mama, especially now that I am working 30 hours. Almost every time I sit in my work chair, you get upset. I get it baby girl, I wish I didn't have to split my time between playing with you and working. We are hoping to have your friend Rafa's mama watch you one day a week so we can have some uninterrupted work time.
Grandpa Danny visited us for a whole week and it was wonderful. His one request on this trip was going out for Chinese food and boy was it a struggle to find a place open for in-person dining. We’ve done take-out multiple times the past year, but it is never as good. Looks like we found a new place to frequent! Bapa, as you call him, helped us out by watching you while we worked. You guys read lots of stories together and went on lots of Sophia walks. He is the best!
He also gave us a few baby-free moments to attend our small groups and even go on a date. We found a new chocolate/coffee place (Roste) and rode electric scooters for the first time. It was so fun to be able to do something we would have done pre-baby. Also, while Grandpa was in town, we officially closed on our home and are now figuring out all the logistics for the renovations/updates we want to do.
June 7th we took a trip to Utah with toddler and cat in tow. All things considered, the flight went very smoothly. Jericho didn't pee in his carrier and you didn't fuss too much. You loved watching the plane take off and peeking at the passenger in the seat behind us. Lately, you have hated when I wear my mask (me too!), yanking it off, and throwing a fit. I was worried this would happen on the airplane, but I think you were so distracted with everything else that you didn’t care too much.
The first full day in Utah we went to Thanksgiving Point to find all 15 lego sculptures around the gardens. They were so neat. Each installation described how many legos were used and how many hours it took to complete. Fun Fact: Your dad and I got married at Thanksgiving Point!
Our trip consisted of many meals shared with family and friends. One day we went to lunch with Shelby in Park City, another day we celebrated Danny’s birthday at P.F. Chang’s, and another day we had Taylor and Nancy over for dinner and s’mores. You tried your first roasted marshmallow and loved it (once we convinced you to try it).
You also saw Linda Sue and Grandma Karen’s friend Mimi. We had a family sleepover at Mat and Franzi’s new house where you were able to swim in their new pool and play with their kids, Justus and Kate. You loved playing with some people closer to your age. We are so lucky to have all these amazing friends to visit!
From there, we drove down to Ephraim, where Grammy and Grandpa Kittelsrud live. The main reason we scheduled our trip in June was to (hopefully) see mommy’s best friend, Tristen’s, new baby. We were on baby watch the first 4 days in Ephraim, but finally got to meet their new baby GIRL, Emmersyn Marie. She is such an angel and I couldn’t get enough snuggles. I forget how little newborns are and can’t believe that you were ever that small.
In Ephraim, we celebrated Father’s Day at the local Chinese restaurant; celebrated mommy and daddy’s 7 year anniversary by visiting the new coffee cart; spent lots of time outside in the yard, at the park, and running through the water at the splash pad. We took you to the Manti Pool and you had so much fun walking back and forth between the water and our towels. Next month you are taking swimming lessons, so I’m glad you like the water so much. Grammy took you to visit a lot of her friends and spoiled you with attention.
You decided that it was time to get your top molars and boy was it rough. It only took us 18 months to fully notice the signs you show us when you're teething. This is the worst it has been and we just want to make it better for you. Thankfully, we had family around to help give you lots of comfort and snuggles.
The weekend before we left, we were lucky enough to get to see Bapa Danny’s sister Suzanne and her husband Jim. We always enjoy our visits wit them.
Our flight home was fairly uneventful. We weren’t sure if we were going to make the 8 AM flight, but by the grace of God they had enough seats. We were “those” people who held up the plane for 20 minutes while they figured out our ticket. You slept for about 30 minutes and then we had to come up with ways to entertain you. As always, you said “hi” to everyone you saw.
Since the flights were filling up so we were able to stay a few extra days and avoid most of the crazy Portland heat. Our house (most homes that aren’t brand new in Portland do not have AC) was extremely warm when we returned, but I’ll take that over multiple days of over 100 degree temps. Poor Jericho couldn’t find a cool enough place to relax.
After returning home, you jumped right into (what we think is) your 18 month sleep regression. So far it hasn't been too bad. You'll wake up a few times in the early morning hours, but generally will calm down after one pop-in. The hardest part is when you wake up before 7 and we have to pop-in multiple times. All-in-all this is the easiest regression we've experienced and I am so thankful!
Probably not our best idea, but we also decided to officially transition you from 2 naps to 1. Some days you'll take a short first nap and end up falling asleep later on a car ride, so that isn't helpful, but I'm hoping your body will adjust quickly and you'll be sleeping one stretch of 2-3 hours. You've given us a glimpse of this and that long break is so so nice.
Our 4th of July was pretty low-key this year. We attended church mask-free (finally!!), had a small bbq, and watched a few minutes of fireworks from Youtube (Firework ban). Ha!
July 5-9, you and I went to swimming lessons. We learned how to hold you safely in the water, how you should get out of the pool, how to kick your legs and blow bubbles, and even how mommy can swim while holding you. Your favorite part, by far, was playing with all the toys at the end.
The rest of July will be a busy month for us as we are finally moving into our first house and doing quite a few renovation updates. We are so looking forward to summer bbqs on our back porch, getting a little kiddie pool for you to swim in, and having our dining table not be our office. Happy 18 months, baby girl! You are so special!
Love, Mommy and Daddy!
