Reading with Kelsi, originally uploaded by griffey.

Eliza’s cousin Kelsi came to stay with us for a week, and everybody had a great time.

They spent lots of time reading, doing crafts, playing outside, and singing. We had an awesome fourth of July, although Eliza missed the parade and the fireworks due to her sleep schedule.

Eliza adores older kids! Hopefully we can spend more time with her Kentucky cousins in the future.

IMG_7940.JPG, originally uploaded by griffey.

Here’s something Eliza and I have in common: we HATE the summer heat and the direct sunlight.

We’ve tried to keep her cool by staying indoors, but she also gets bored fairly easily. And we live in the middle of nowhere, so our options for indoor play are limited to the Piggy Wiggly, the CVS, friends’ houses, and an ice cream place.

So, we broke down and got her an inflatable pool. Jason went all out and got one with an attached slide, which she adores. She has no fear of water and loves splashing and sliding in her new pool. The neighbors probably hate us because the only place to put it was our front yard. Oh well. It’s worth it to see her cool and happy on hot summer days.

IMG_7909, originally uploaded by griffey.

Eliza is officially a year and a half old! Time flies!

Favorite hobbies: watching home videos of herself, sorting the recycling, singing, “reading” by herself, putting on shoes (especially mommy’s), playing dress up with scarves, hats, and necklaces.

Favorite toys: Melissa & Doug castle and dolls, Elmo mailbox sorter, stuffed animals, magnets, wind-up toys, balls, sand and water table, anything her friend Griff has.

Favorite books: Billy and Milly Short and Silly; Spot Loves His Daddy; I’m Just Like My Mom / I’m Just Like My Dad; Peekaboo Zoo.

Favorite foods: chicken noodle soup, cereal with milk, vanilla ice cream, green beans, vegetable soup, Gerber juice treats (not really “food,” but she’s totally addicted), peanut butter, pizza

Eliza has changed a lot in the last month. She is better at feeding herself with a spoon, even something as tricky as cereal! She’s also working on the fork, although she still needs practice. She is faster at going up the stairs and can now come down the stairs with a little bit of help. Still quite the talker, she says 3-4 word “sentences” on a regular basis now. It seems that she says at least one new word every day.

Emotionally, Eliza is getting more complicated. She has turned into a biter, and we’re working on that. She gets her feelings hurt very easily and does not like to be in trouble. She’s also a lot more affectionate that ever before, doling out tons of hugs and kisses. And she has become a bit of a daddy’s girl, which is cute to watch.

At 18 months, she can count from 1-14, sing most of her ABC’s (she gets stuck on T-U-V), recognize and say most colors, recognize and say several shapes, point to and say at least 10 body parts, say 3 days of the week in order (Saturday, Sunday, Monday), recognize, say, and do the sounds for countless animals, and properly use the pronoun “I,” as in one of her favorite phrases, “I want that one.”

We can hardly keep up with her!

IMG_0489, originally uploaded by griffey.

Eliza got to spend 9 whole days with Daddy while I attended a workshop in Florida. I’m sure she stopped asking about me at some point. They did lots of fun daddy-daughter things, like a trip to the farmer’s market, playdates with friends, hanging out at the park, and a visit to Nana’s house.

In the 9 days that I was gone, she changed so much it’s scary. When I left, she needed help getting up the stairs to the slide at a local park. When I came back, she could do it all on her own. Standing up, mind you, not crawling up on all fours! She has also developed a new love of YouTube videos of animals (thanks, Daddy!) and a worrisome obsession with watching home videos of herself, especially of herself falling, which is apparently the funniest thing she’s ever seen.

IMG_0465, originally uploaded by griffey.

I think Eliza is going to have her mom’s sensitivity to others, which is both a blessing and a curse.

We were watching an episode of Yo Gabba Gabba today, and there is a character named Gooble, who is always crying.

“Gooble’s sad,” Eliza said.
“Yes, he is sad,” I confirmed.
“Hug Eliza,” she suggested, in order to make it all better.

Works for mommy and daddy, so why not the rest of the world?