So much has changed since I wrote about Anna Stephens when she turned one! She is now  19 months and much more of a toddler than a baby these days, which is exciting and sad all at once. She is learning and growing so much and it is the most fun to watch.

We recently had her 18 month appointment, where she was 29lbs (97th percentile) and 34″ tall (94th percentile)! She has gained 5 pounds and 4 inches since her one year old appointment and jumped from the 60th percentile to 94th in height…crazy, especially accounting for her short parents! Her hair is getting long as well and has the prettiest flips and curls! She is our strong, smart, beautiful girl who truly amazes us everyday!

Anna Stephens continues to be an amazing sleeper and to be very socially aware and adaptable in most situations. She reads people well, loves to make you laugh and to laugh with you. She is independent (nothing like her grandma or mama ;)), tough and rarely cries or gets upset when she falls on the concrete or tumbles a bit…she just says “uh oh” or “boo boo.”

She is a mix of tough, sweet, funny and sassy (or we like to say “spicy!”) … she will definitely let you know what she wants or what she does NOT want, but for the most part she is the happiest baby and we adore her more everyday.

She is big on her routines and doesn’t miss a beat. She knows what we do in the morning and evening and even prompts us to pray sometimes before eating with her folding her hands, closing her eyes, bowing her head and then saying “MEN” for “amen.” … She usually says “more” after and we pray again or multiple times on the way to school in the morning and it’s just so precious.

Speaking of school, she started her 2nd year of preschool and is loving every minute. She adjusted to her new teachers and buddies quickly and is even taking great naps on the floor on her mat…which we are SO grateful for!

She LOVES her baby doll … she wants to “rock rock” her all the time, she puts her in her old bouncer and bounces her, pretends to feed her, pats her back, tells her “night night”, etc… it is cute and has been a very natural tendency for her.

She loves to do “roll call” and will quickly say “mama, dada, Willowwww!” … she is obsessed with Willow and bosses her around outside telling her to potty or yelling at her when she’s going too close to the road – it is hilarious.

She is obsessed with Clemson and her Clemson tshirt, tiger paw blanket, and doing the cadence count.

She still doesn’t show much interest in TV, but she does love Bluey (not as much as Luke and I do though lol) .. she mainly loves the theme song because she loves to dance, twirl and “shake her booty”

She has started to show interest in the potty and pee pees on her baby potty before bath time most nights. She will let us know when she has poopy diapers.

Her favorite books are Pout Pout Fish, Llama Llama Red Pajama and Who Sang the First Song…she also loves the picture book I made her last Christmas of her favorite people and points to them and names them and then either kisses them or says “up” because she wants them to pick her up LOL

She loves to try on clothes and put on her bows and shoes! When she gets new clothes, she makes sure to show Dada as soon as she’s got it on! It’s the cutest.

She loves to draw/color, be outside and go to the park, play with bubbles, throw a ball, dance, be silly, play with blocks, play in her play kitchen and of course stroll her baby around the house.

She loves to talk and her words are increasing. She is very expressive with her face and hands (once again, who did she get this from!?)

Her favorite things to eat are cheese, pb&j, hummus, yogurt, oatmeal, mashed potatoes, tortillas, bananas, & APPLESAUCE POUCHES (or any pouch for that matter). Oh she also LOVES dipping sauces, especially ketchup.

She cracks us up because she loves to clean and will grab a wipe and go to town cleaning any surface (mainly the floor).

She still prefers to sleep on her stomach with her booty in the air, as she’s done since the beginning!

She still very much LOVES her paci, but we have tried to limit her using it to sleep and if she’s very upset.

She is great on her feet and has wonderful balance and flexibility. I will be sure she’s going to fall and then she steadies herself. She is climbing everywhere and even doing great with steps. She is getting faster and swings her left arm aggressively when walking or running!

Being toddler parents has us SO exhausted, but man it is sweet and so rewarding!