Monthly Motherhood Update: Sloan at 18 Months

I hate how cliché this sounds, but I truly can’t believe I have a one-and-a-half year old. One of my friends just recently gave birth and I couldn’t even remember that Sloan had been that small (and he was four pounds more than she’d been). Here are some of my favorite moments with Sloan as of late.

What is she currently into? She’s really into pretending right now. Our friend got her this little wooden coffee set since she’s always been interested when we make our own in the morning. Most of the day she walks around with a spoon mixing it, adding milk and sugar and serving it to her “customers.” She’s also into a version of hide and seek in which she yells her own name (pronounced “Saaaa-ahnn!”), prompting us to look for her. I’ll kneel down while she sneaks up right behind me, breathing on my neck, while I yell her name and look for her. She thinks it’s hilarious.

What has been the biggest change in her recently? Her level of understanding. We’ve always tried to explain things to her, even when she was young and didn’t show signs of getting what we were saying. But before we left for Paris, we spoke to her a lot about how we were taking a trip and that we’d be back on Saturday. My mom said she didn’t ask about us once (and I intentionally didn’t Facetime her as to not get her upset), until the day we got back my mom asked, “Sloan, do you know who’s coming home today?” Apparently she answered, in a nonchalant way, “Mama. Dada.”

Any funny personality quirks? Sloan likes to follow the rules. Recently in her music class, in which new instruments are passed out for each song, she got really into helping with the clean-up process. She’d turn in her tambourine/drum/shaker to the teacher and then run around the room grabbing all the other kids’ instruments to give back. We’ll see how long this lasts though, since she has a newfound objection to holding my hand while we’re walking in the street.

Favorite hairstyle on Sloan? Her hair, though still in a very awkward long mullet, is finally long enough to sport a ponytail (with the aid of a barrette). I love having her hair out of her face since she kind of resembles a sheepdog when it’s down now. She’s pretty averse to headbands and hats, but at least she lets me do simpler styles to keep her hair out of her eyes.

Is she more like you or G? G and I were both painfully shy kids, which is certainly the case with Sloan. Most people agree she looks more like G, but has my expressions.

What is your favorite pastime with Sloan? Hanging out in our bed. We don’t let her in there to sleep, but we’ll all get back into bed on weekend mornings and all just kind of cuddle and it’s so sweet. She’s gotten a lot more affectionate lately, which has been so fun.

Her weirdest trait? She loves being quizzed. Sometimes I worry people will think we’re those kinds of parents that are trying to get her to do algebra by the time she’s three, but she’s so into it. In fact if she’s ever really upset, I’ll start asking her questions rapid fire – either about showing me specific body parts, saying animal noises, or pointing out letters in her ABCs book. It gets her out of a funk immediately.

Has she tried any new foods this month? Her eating habits aren’t that impressive at the moment. She used to eat everything until she learned the word ‘no.’ At times I feel like a line cook in the morning, offering her this massive buffet, but we’re planning on changing that up and instead offering her two choices and letting her be a bigger part of the decision-making process.

Which new words has she been learning? She’s been talking a ton. About half of it makes sense and the other stuff is complete gibberish. She’s nuts about ‘Sesame Street,’ which we let her watch on the weekends, so most of what she talks about involves Elmo, Abby, and Cookie Monster.

Is there any toy/object that Sloan is very attached to at this age?Mainly her books. She always has one in her hand and insists on taking them with her on walks. I’m so excited for her to dive into classics I loved as a kid, but she’s pretty much only interested in her ABCs books.

Is there anything Sloan does that always makes you laugh out loud? Well I’m not entirely proud to report this one, but Sloan’s been testing the limits a bit and when you tell her ‘no,’ she’ll occasionally lash out at G and me. Most recently, she’s been (albeit gently) slapping us across the face. It’s like this slow-motioned movement that she then follows with a “BYE!” to let you know she’s done with you. It’s obviously not appropriate, but it’s nearly impossible to reprimand her with a straight face.

What do you like to do while Sloan is napping and you have time to yourself? Now that Sloan only takes one nap, it usually means I’m running around the house getting things done. Our house is in constant disrepair – both from Sloan’s messes and from me not having the time to tidy up after myself. But the one great thing about the fact that she’s a little older is that I don’t feel like I have to hover over her constantly anymore. A couple of weeks back I decided to bake a pie on a Sunday morning and was able to pretty much finish the custard while she ran in and out of the kitchen and I could always see where she was.

What milestone are you most excited about her reaching next? I think it’ll be really exciting when she gets involved with our plans. For example, our weekends now consist of G and me making decisions (i.e. going to the park, library, beach, etc.) and just dragging her along. It’ll be fun when she can contribute and offer her own ideas and see her enthusiasm ahead of time when we’ve told her where we’re about to go.