Temporary tidbits from our 18 month old

My little one is now 18 months old and is a complete tornado of activity. She is fast and leaves a debris trail behind her. As she whirls from one thing to the next, she is growing, and in the process she is leaving some habits and establishing new ones. Here's a snapshot of some of her current "things"

Front steps - When we go on walks around the block she tries to go up each sidewalk and sit on the bottom front step. I find myself picking a route that has the steps right on the public sidewalk to avoid having to direct her away from neighbor's front porches.

Bottles - Hanna still loves her "Bobble" of goats milk. The temp has to be just right, she likes it warm but not hot. As she drinks her little hand grabs and releases a burp cloth, "Mammy".

Early mornings -  Sometimes Hanna wakes up hungry before the sun. I go into her room with a bottle, and scoop her up. She always has a full diaper so I lay her down on the changing table. As I change her, Hanna contentedly sucks on her bottle with her knees pulled up and her little feet touching. She will grow out of that little curled up position before too long.

Frozen - Hanna loves the characters of Frozen and regularly takes the DVD off the shelf while naming the characters, especially Anna and Olaf. When the soundtrack is on she dances slowly, waving her arms in an interpretive dance kind of way. It almost looks like Tai chi.

Waking up - Frequently when we go to get Johanna out of her crib, she is standing and fussing, pushing her hair out of her face over and over again, saying "hair, hair" This is quickly fixed with a ponytail.

Grace - Without being prompted Hanna started folding her hands while she sits in her highchair during grace and she joins with us for the Amen.

Hanna's First Orioles Game

Names - Minnie, Bijjie, Ree, her cousin Ben is B, and her cousin Anthony is Annie

Happy - Johanna and I started the tradition of singing songs on the way to and from Aunt Becky's on my work days. Her favorite is " if you're happy and you know it".  Now when she and I are driving she requests "Happy".

Letters and Numbers - When Hanna sees things in print she will touch the letters and randomly name letters of the alphabet. If she sees numbers she lists numbers. It is fun to realize she has made a connection and knows the difference between alpha and numeric symbols. Her go to # is 89.

Papa Hat - Jim has a black ball cap with an Oriole head who is wearing an O's hat. Hanna is fond of this hat and calls it "Papa Hat". Whenever we see that Oriole logo on TV or on a car sticker, or someone's shirt she point's and says "Papa Hat". We went to an O's game in April and when we walked into the stadium, Hanna's eyes got big and she started pointing and exclaiming "Papa Hat" "Papa Hat". Since then Jim put a Papa Hat sticker on the underneath of the shelf she sees while getting a diaper change. It makes her happy. 

 These things will all stop happening and new Hannaisms will start. Knowing their temporary nature reminds me to savor each one.