18 Months Old!!

It's crazy to me that Makena is ONE AND A HALF YEARS OLD! I found this list of developmental milestones and wanted to keep it for my own memory. I'm already forgetting what age she was when she does things. I always thought I'd be totally on top of filling out her baby book with details, but I totally haven't been keeping track of when each tooth comes in, etc. Actually I haven't even started her baby book yet. Or scrapbook. I wish I could find the time!!

By 18 months of age does your child:

Motor Skills

• like to pull, push, and dump things Yes!
• pull off hat, socks, and mittens Yes!
• turn pages in a book Yes!
• stack 2 blocks She stacks way more than 2 blocks!
• carry a stuffed animal or doll Yes!
• scribble with crayons Yes!
• walk without help She's been walking since she was 9.5 months old, lol.
• run stiffly, with eyes on the ground No. She runs quickly and very steadily!

Sensory and Thinking Skills

• identify an object in a picture book Yes!
• laugh at silly actions (as in wearing a bowl as a hat) Yes! She's a very silly giggly girl!
• look for objects that are out of sight Yes!
• put a round lid on a round pot Yes!
• follow simple 1-step directions Yes! And usually even 2 or 3 steps!
• solve problems by trial and error Yes! Though sometimes she gets frustrated and asks for help.
  

Language and Social Skills

• say 8-10 words you can understand Yes, but I don't know if other people would understand.
• look at a person who is talking to him Yes!
• ask specifically for her mother or father Well, she calls us both Mama right now, so I'm not sure...
• use "hi," "bye," and "please," with reminders Yes! "hi" and "bye" usually without reminders!
• protest when frustrated Sometimes. Or she will sign for help.
• ask for something by pointing or by using one word Yes!
• direct anothers attention to an object or action Yes!
• become anxious when separated from parent(s) No. Maybe for a second, but she's pretty securely attached! She's hardly ever without one of us. If she gets upset when one of us leaves, it's usually just because she wants to go out too.
• seek attention Sometimes. She usually already has our attention though. ;)
• bring toys to share with parent Yes!
  
• act out a familiar activity in play (as in pretending to take a bath) Yes! We are often amazed by how well she pretends.
• play alone on the floor with toys Oh yes!
• compete with other children for toys Not really. If someone has something she wants she will usually whine for it, but it's generally easy to distract her or have her wait for a turn. She's VERY good at sharing!
• recognize herself in the mirror or in pictures Yes!
• seem selfish at times Selfish? I don't know? She's a toddler. Aren't they all selfish at times?
  

By 2 years of age does your child:

Motor Skills

• drink from a straw Yes!
• feed herself with a spoon Yes!
• help in washing hands Yes!
• put arms in sleeves with help Yes! She even does it all by herself sometimes!
  
• build a tower of 3-4 blocks Yes, the tallest tower I've seen her build is 8 blocks.
• toss or roll a large ball Yes! And catch!
• open cabinets, drawers, boxes Oh yes!
• operate a mechanical toy Yes!
• bend over to pick up a toy and not fall Yes!
• walk up steps with help Yes! She can walk up steps without help as long as she can hold on to the side.
• take steps backward Yes!
  

Sensory and Thinking Skills

• like to take things apart Yes!
• explore surroundings Yes!
• point to 5-6 parts of a doll when asked YES! (I just tested her and she identified 19 body parts on her doll.)
  

Language and Social Skills

• have a vocabulary of several hundred words No. I am trying to keep a list of words she says, because I'm curious how many, but of course she KNOWS hundreds and hundreds of words.
• use 2-3 word sentences No.
• say names of toys She can name a few, ball, bear, block, book...
• ask for information about an object (asks, "Shoe?" while pointing to shoe box) I don't think so. I don't know if she's asked an actual question of her own yet. Hmm. I'm really not sure.
• hum or try to sing Haha yes, she just started humming recently because of a song she has, and will sing little tunes.
• listen to short rhymes Of course!
• like to imitate parents Yes!
• sometimes get angry and have temper tantrums Yes, but I think there have been only a couple true temper tantrums.
• act shy around strangers Sometimes.
• comfort a distressed friend or parent Sometimes.
• take turns in play with other children Yes.
• treat a doll or stuffed animal as though it were alive Sometimes.
• apply pretend action to others (as in pretending to feed a doll) Yes.
• show awareness of parental approval or disapproval for her actions Yes.
• refer to self by name and use "me" and "mine" No. Well, she has just recently started showing us that she knows she is Makena. She holds her hands to her chest and will say "Ma" after pointing to each of us and saying "Mama"
• verbalize his desires and feelings ("I want cookie") No.
• laugh at silly labeling of objects and events (as in calling a nose an ear) Not really.
• enjoy looking at one book over and over Yes!
• point to eyes, ears, or nose when you ask Yes!