Miss Amber: "I am not a baby"

Can you believe that our little Miss Amber is going to be 18 months on Friday!!!! 

I can't! 

Amber would like everyone to know that even though she looks like a little baby she is no baby!

When she's not feeling sick she is quite the energetic, busy bee!

She plays her own games and thinks everything is funny.

 Anything she can get her hands on she'll play peek-a-boo with, including her oxygen cord.

 She recognizes people in pictures (She's looking at a picture of her, Grammy and Pappy).

We're working on a new form of communication using pictures of her things. She's supposed to pick the picture of the thing she wants to get that item but right now she is more interested in playing with the pictures than playing with or using that item. 

She is getting so strong! She's sitting really well on the couch and on laps. Her body control when you're holding her has improved so much. We really don't have worry as much when we hold her. She can spend a long time in her jumper now and usually prefers to be more upright during the day. She is also doing really well in her walker. She is still only going backwards but can now turn herself to the side and rock back and forth in it. One night before she was sick she backed herself into the bathroom off our kitchen about three times and was very content to sit in there and talk to herself, it was so funny!

This is one of Amber's favorite things. A "taggy" blanket made by one of my cousins. 

Somehow she always manages to get that certain loop in her mouth. 

She loves to stuff a loop and a bunch of the blanket in her mouth and talk to us.

Her other new favorite toy is a baby bottle. She loves to feed her baby and this puppy.

 However Pooh Bear does not get a bottle. 

She makes the funnies "No mommy" face when I feed Pooh Bear this way or tell her to.

She still loves her "beads". Her fine motor skills are really coming along. 

When she first got this toy at Christmas she would hit the beads to move them or try to move them with her hand closed.

Now she grabs a bead, pulls it to the top and lets it fall.

Sometimes it takes a few tries but she's so happy when she does it right!

She finds humor in everything!

 She squeals and screams in happiness now, I have to get it on video because it is so adorable! 

Everyday she seems to be doing or saying something new, I can't seem to update quick enough!

Her speech is improving. She has so many sounds and "Amber words".

She really is more of a toddler than baby now. When I'm changing her diaper I'll ask her to lift her legs or put them down and she will! She knows where eyes, nose, mouth, feet and hands are on us, baby and herself. She just needs to learn "no" :)

She is moving on the floor more too! She can plant her feet and lift up her butt, which doesn't really move her too much but it's really cute! Her rolling back and forth, leg lifting and stretching is really impressive now too. 

What a difference between this year and last year!

Tomorrow we're in Boston for a follow up genetics appointment. Our break has ended and we'll following up with all the specialists this month and next.

Thanks for reading!