The Rueckert Family: 18 Month Old Darling

My little darling is 18 months old now! That means time for nursery :) We took her on Sunday and she struggled just a tad. I think she made it through 15-20 minutes, but then Daddy caved and saved her. It's okay, she'll like it eventually.

So, Olivia is a GENIUS. She totally got my brains ;)... She says pretty much every word you ask her to say. She says Bawten (Boston), Papa (Grandpa), Wama (Grandma), Baby, Puppy, Cow, Cheese, Cany (Candy), Ride, Book, Bug, Pider (Spider), Phone, Five (High Five), Two (2), Pizza, Wi-wwy (Livvy)... and like I said, if you tell her to say a word, she can say just about everything. She is so independent, still, and is so active. She is in a 'mommy phase' right now, which I enjoy. She wakes up in the middle of every night saying 'Mamma'. It's so freaking cute I can hardly be mad at her for waking me up. She gives kisses and hugs to everyone, even strangers. Well, we don't let her give strangers kisses, but she wants to. She tells me everytime she goes Poo-Poo and has started sticking her hand down her diaper when there's something in there which is LOVELY. She has also developed a love of Minnie Mouse - if we are near the TV, she brings me the remote and says, "Minnie?". Super cute!

She is getting to be kind of a picky eater though. Well, she still eats pretty much everything, but not when I want her to. Every time I set her up to eat a meal, she won't eat. But if I let her down and put the food where she can reach it, she'll eat it herself. She loves pizza and cheese and of course, candy. She has all of her teeth now! Except the molars she'll get when she's older. That means no more teething for a while, which is super great. Sometimes she likes to tell me no and scream until she gets what she wants, but I read that she is acting like that because she can't communicate and she gets frustrated. And that she is gaining her independence. I guess that's the terrible 2s sneaking up on us already!

Her hair is getting longer, which makes pig tails a lot of fun. They are easy and cute so she has them just about every day. Her hair has gotten pretty light, almost blonde, compared to her black hair that she was born with. Sometimes it looks like strawberry blonde. More people have been saying she looks like me! That's good. I would hate to have given birth to her and have her never look like me at all... Oh - BIG NEWS - we got rid of her binkie!! It was a spur of the moment decision, but it wasn't too bad. She asked for it for a couple of weeks, but she did really good without it. It's so nice to have that over with! Now I keep thinking about potty training...that should be a joy!

I love this little girl. She keeps me busy every day, but I would not trade any of it. She makes my life so much better and teaches me to enjoy the little things in life. As she gets older and can start talking to me, it's so surreal. I can't believe we created this person who is so beautful and smart! I love to see her with Dave. He just glows when he's playing with her and she loves her Daddy. It really makes this saying true...

Being a mom is the best job in the world. Ever since I started staying home with Olivia every day, I have been busier than EVER! But I've never been happier either. Kids are soooooo worth going through the crappy pregnancies! Here are some pictures of our sweet girl: