18 months going on 18

18 months already!?!  My baby has turned into an opinionated, funny, stubborn, fantastic little person.  I honestly cannot remember what life was like without her.  Our life may be hectic and exhausting, but it's amazingly rewarding and I love her more than I ever imagined.

She's such a happy girl and has this great belly laugh.  She loves to be tickled and will say 'more' if you stop.  She's learning to say 'please' and 'thank you' and says some of her words along with sign language, which I find just adorable.  I can't say no when she says please.  Instead of saying 'uh oh', she says 'uh ho'.  I will miss all of these things so much and wish she could stay this age a little longer.

It is difficult to get smiling pictures now because she insists on saying 'cheese' when I take them... and it looks like she's saying cheese.

The other day I pulled her hair back and this picture gave me an immediate glimpse of her ten years from now.  Doesn't she look so old?

She likes to wear her sunglasses to the park.

I know everyone thinks their kid is cute...

but mine really is.  :)
I've turned into one of those obnoxious people, who talks about my kid and shows pictures even when no one asks.  I am well aware of how annoying I am, but I can't stop.  Ah, all the things you understand once you have a baby.

Mmmm, tomatoes

We have this great garden in our backyard, and Shae has learned the joy of eating a ripe, warm, tomato that she has picked herself.  The first few she would just bite and throw away... but she kept trying them and will now happily pick and munch.  One thing she has yet to understand is seasonality.  Starting in the Spring, we had these yummy little strawberries ripen every day, and she loved picking and eating those.  She still goes out to the garden, every day, saying 'berries?'.  Soooo, I started buying strawberries at the store and putting them in the plants for her to 'pick'.  Nevermind that they are cold from the refrigerator and it's 105 outside, she thinks she's picking them and she's happy.

In the Spring helping to plant the garden.

Tomato seeds dripping everywhere.  Mmmmmm.