Nora is 18 months old — a year and a half.
I like half birthdays… probably because I always had to celebrate my half birthday for school functions since my real birthday was during summer break.
There are SO many things I could share about Nora since her 15 month update — I’m not even sure where to begin. Yes, she has grown inches and gained pounds, but it’s simply amazing how much she has learned these past 3 months.
She’s a little girl now — and I love it!
Without further adieu, here’s my 18 month old little girl:
1. She’s got spunk.
I think “spunk” is a weird word — but it’s the best word I can think of to describe Nora right now. She’s a crazy cat and she’s “all there and then some”.
{thinking she’s so funny sticking both legs to one side of her high chair}
This girl doesn’t miss a thing… literally because she’s always awake!
As you know, we’ve had many issues with Nora’s lack of sleep — we’ve met with specialists, therapists, and more — and the baffled responses we get from all of them is that her brain is just going a mile a minute. She’s super smart, she’s super attentive, and she’s super aware of everything going on around her.
Apparently, she just doesn’t need a lot of sleep to recharge, and since her brain is always going, she figures her body might as well be too!
{Making her unicorn “roar” like a dinosaur}
If you think you can sneak by her or do something without her noticing, think again. She sees everything, she hears everything, and she notices everything.
And now that she’s starting to talk more, she feels the need to point out EVERYTHING too.
{ooing and ahing over the birds flying past the window}
2. She’s talking.
She’s not saying sentences or anything (won’t that be fun though — I can’t wait to be able to have real conversations with her) but she knows lots of words and a few short phrases.
My personal favorite is: “I did it!” which she excitedly whispers (it’s always a whisper) every time she does tasks like turning on a light switch, climbing to the top of her tree house, turning the iPad on, building tall towers with her blocks, finding the TV remote and changing the channel, or (ahem) flushing the toilet.
She knows most animal sounds (it’s really cute), body parts, and names of relatives.
She says “uh oh” every time she does something wrong or when something doesn’t make sense to her. She says “buh bye” every time she leaves a room, and then excitedly shouts “HI!” every time she comes back into the room.
She says “boom boom” any time she falls down or hurts something. And she says “all gone?” any time she can’t find something — including Dave or me — “mama all gone?”
She says “poo poo” every time she poops — which is really convenient. She keeps saying she wants to sit on her potty, but so far, she’s never actually done anything on the potty. I suppose we need to start somewhere though…
3. She’s miss independent.
I have no one to blame for this except myself because I was exactly the same way 😉
She wants to do everything, and I mean everything, by herself. She puts her hand up (as though to shoo us away) and says “self” any time she doesn’t want us to get involved in her business.
{looking like Cindy Lou Who from The Grinch}
I’m sure you can imagine the mess this makes with anything related to eating (did I mention she absolutely LOVES sticky suckers!)
I think she’s going to be the type to ask for forgiveness rather than permission… and she’s so cute that it just might work!
4. She’s surprisingly nurturing.
Most of the time, Nora is just crazy, running around, laughing, making noise, etc. but there are also plenty of times when she surprises me with her softer, more nurturing side.
She loves bringing her animals (and puzzle pieces) into her bed to go “nigh-night” or to read books. She also sits them all in a row and shares her snacks and drink with them. So cute!
She points out every baby she sees and she carries her doll around like it’s her best friend. She rocks her baby (bebe), feeds her baby, and wraps her baby in blankets.
I’m sure she will be a fabulous big sister some day (and no, this is not an announcement — don’t plan on any “announcements” in the near future!)
5. She’s so curious!
I know this is totally normal for toddlers — but it’s also really fun to watch. Everything is so new and interesting to her… and now that she can say a bunch of words, I think she likes exploring even more.
For example, “flower” is one of her new favorite words and every time she sees a flower (in real life, in a picture, or in a book) she gasps, points, and proclaims “flouw” like it’s the most beautiful thing she’s ever seen.
She’s also fascinated by automobiles and has to report back to me every time she sees a car (ca), boat (boo), tractor (trac), or bus (bus).
She’s finally figuring out how to open all our drawers and cabinets (even the ones we have child locks on) so I’ve been trying to keep a close eye on her — which is pretty much impossible.
And as I shared on Facebook last week, she’s climbing up on chairs, tables, the back of couches and anything else she find. She finds something new to explore every day — and life with Nora is NEVER boring!
I could go on and on, but I’ll stop (until 24 months — then I’ll gush on and on again).
Happy 1/2 birthday Nora!
Kristin says
When you say she doesn’t sleep do you mean she wakes up a lot or just doesn’t sleep more than a few consecutive hours? I could count on one hand the number of times my 3 year old son has slept through the night in 3 years. I would much rather he sleep all night without waking up even if its for a shorter amount of time. He seems to be a light sleeper and wakes up frequently. He also doesn’t require a lot of sleep (gets that from me) and will only sleep 6-8 hours a night. That wouldn’t be a problem except he comes in my room every 2 hours and tries to get in bed with us. He’s also only been a one nap a day kid since about 6 weeks. He was that baby that was always awake, content but awake. Just recently we figured out that he’s getting hot at night even with a ceiling fan so we aim an oscillating tower fan at his bed and he’s slept 100% better. But yeah, my first child is a great sleeper, 12 hours a night all night, sleeps like a rock and has since she was about 6 weeks old. I went from one extreme to the other. Oh well. Coffee is my friend!
Andrea says
Haha — unfortunately I don’t like coffee 🙂
And when I say she doesn’t sleep — I mean, she DOESN’T sleep! She regularly goes all day without shutting her eyelids even for a second… and she sleeps for maybe 1 or 2 hours at a time at night. She’s also awake for long periods during the night — like wanting to read books, play with her baby, and watch movies from 2-5am. Of course, we don’t let her, but she’s WIDE awake in the middle of the night — which means we’re also WIDE awake!
Autumn Beach says
This is so sweet, Andrea. And Nora is just adorable! And the recap of the sleep specialists’ conclusions helps prove what I have been thinking for a while now. The degree to which this child does NOT need sleep is the degree to which you are able to achieve all that you do. That doesn’t sound like it makes sense. Let me explain. At times I have wondered if you are even human. Your productivity (even with a small child who does not sleep) has always astounded me! And I have a feeling that Nora is exactly like you! Just think: She will make a great business partner someday. 🙂
Summer says
I totally agree Autumn! I have Andrea’s drive, but four children and a husband who runs his business out of our home. It’s BUSY! It’s CRAZY! But, we love it!
However… since I have read this blog, I just keeping thinking Nora is just like her momma! The apple did not fall far from the tree!
Summer says
I totally agree Autumn! I have Andrea’s drive, but five children and a husband who runs his business out of our home. It’s BUSY! It’s CRAZY! But, we love it! And I have trouble stopping at night, because there is just always so much to do… that’s OCD at its finest! (for me and a few of the children too. It’s funny how it has manifested itself.)
However… since I have read this blog, I just keeping thinking Nora is just like her momma! The apple did not fall far from the tree!
Autumn Beach says
Summer, I love how we seasons think alike. 🙂 Yes, bless BOTH of their hearts. One day all of Nora’s drive will be a very good thing. BTW…I don’t know how you do it! I am OCD, but have only TWO kids. Oh, and a husband who leaves my “workspace” for his job! I love him, but I would probably go bonkers if he didn’t. And I can totally relate…my sleep suffers, because once everybody else goes to sleep, I can finally get things done! Of course, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Katie says
My little boy never slept. He would wake up at 6.00am and go to sleep around 9pm at night when he was 15 months old (with no nap during the day). The only one that was tired was me. I think some people are just like that – some people need sleep and some people don’t. I never went to see a therapist though.
He did walk very early and ended up with bowed legs which took awhile to straighten out – perhaps its something to do with that.
Fiona says
Oh Andrea, I could have written this about my daughter too! They are only a week apart, and live half way around the world from each other, but they are SO similar it’s frightening! The only major difference between them is that my Heidi needs a lot of sleep. Honestly, I was going down your post saying “Yep! Yep! Yep!” All the words, all the little mischievous & curious things they do, exactly the same! It’s amazing and I love them at this age! Nora is so beautiful too!
Congratulations on having such a wonderfully intelligent baby girl 🙂 what a star! x
Andrea says
Well lucky you Fiona — a cute baby who also sleeps a lot (I’m a little jealous!) It is a fun age!
Caroline says
This post was so darling – thank you for sharing! I literally laughed out loud when you described “boom boom” and “self”. Congrats to you and Dave on having such a beautiful, sweet, healthy little girl!
Bev says
LOVE your description of your little Nora. She sounds soooo much like my grandson. I’ll be in touch in 18/20 years. We should set them up!!!
Jennifer says
We are celebrating the 11/2 birthday, too, on the 25th. I always liked half birthdays because after that I would always say, “now I’m almost 13”, or whatever age. It was fun scrolling through your pics and reflections and comparing the milestones. My son was 5 wks early but still seems to be right on track with everything, but he is only saying a few words. He also loves my spice containers, opening and closing everything, climbing, and that darn toilet flush! As for books, he loves the whole act of getting a book and coming to sit on my lap. He’ll do it over and over again with book after book. I don’t even get to read one to him. I get a real laugh when he sometimes misses my lap. And those “uh-oh’s”…So cute! I commented once before about him not being a good sleeper either, but I’m trying to be patient and fixing us both chamomile tea at night–his with milk. I think it helps. Thanks for sharing. Fun post!
debbie says
What a beautiful little birthday girl!!!! Bring on the balloons, cake and ice cream.
Dallas says
Happy half-birthday, Miss Nora!! What an adorable little girl … you can tell she has such a big heart! What terrific photos, too. Hope you have a fun day celebrating!
Ree Klein says
I just can’t get enough of Nora, her adorable photos and your description of life with her. Thank you so much for letting us in 🙂
Debby says
Thanks for sharing the pics. She is so beautiful. I always loved the toddler age. My girls are 15 and 17 and I have enjoyed every bit of my journey (well almost. Teenage girls can be very trying at times.), but my favorite stage thus far has been those toddler years. So innocent and soaking everything up like a sponge. My Katie was always independent. Her favorite phrase was “Me do!!”. We still tease her today when her independence comes shining through. My husband and I say “OK. Me do!!!” Most of the time it gets us a little smirk.
Organize 365 says
What an awesome memory! I hope you are printing these updates out to put in a book for Nora!
🙂
Lisa
Andrea says
Yes Lisa, After her 2nd birthday, I’m going to put them all in a Blurb book — at least that’s the plan right now 🙂
Priyanka says
Happy half birthday, Nora! She has such beautiful eyes!
When I read this, I feel you have written about my son minus the talking part. His vocabulary hasn’t extended that far yet. At almost 12 months, my son Neil is almost like a male version of Nora! 🙂
Andrea says
Aww, Nora and Neil 🙂 Sounds like he’s a smart, mischievous little boy!
Kristia says
THIS is my favorite age. Most of the pics of my kids hanging all over my house is this age; I just loved it. So much fun.
Lauren @ Rustic Honey says
Love the whisping “I did it!” She is adorable! And those eye lashes! Beautiful little 1 1/2 year old! 🙂
Luba says
Thank you for the beautiful post about your even more beautiful daughter. 🙂
Leslie H says
“I did it!” How cute that she says that! I love it!
You have persevered through much adversity in the lack of sleep! One day soon, even if she doesn’t sleep more, she’ll understand to stay in bed, and maybe you can catch up a little!
She’s a darling girl!!
Jen says
Nora is adorable! You’re doing a great job as her mommy 🙂
Andrea says
Thanks Jen!
Evie says
Happy half birthday, you beautiful and happy girl! 🙂
Melissa says
My husband tells me that his mind is always going which is why he’s up late working on the computer (1 or 2AM most nights) and he doesn’t require much sleep. He’s a computer engineer so the majority of time he’s up working on coding for fun or playing computer games. I couldn’t understand it at first since I definitely require 8 hours or more at night and LOVE naps, (which I rarely get). But I’ve been hearing more and more lately that my husbands lack of sleep and inability to shut off his mind isn’t that uncommon. Maybe Nora will grow out of it and if not embrace it. Big things will happen for her! 🙂
Andrea says
We’ll see Melissa — maybe she’ll grow up to be a computer engineer too 🙂