Beth & Robert's Baby Blog: 16 to 18 Months Old

Kian had two big accomplishments in her 16th month. She spoke her first sentence and she learned to crawl!! Mommy and Daddy are very proud of Kian for finally crawling even if it did happen a little later than is "normal." Joking aside, it was a big deal for Kian who has not spent a lot of time on her stomach due to her reflux problem. Kian spoke her first sentence very loudly and clearly one morning. She looked at her sister and said, "No, Aiya!" (Skyla) We are sure this is only the beginning of her demands.

In her 17th month Kian had an Easter party at her Mother's Day Out program. She exchanged Eggs with the other little kids and had a special lunch. Mommy and Daddy went to her party and ate with her. She is doing very well at her program now so Mommy and Daddy decided it was time for Kian to start taking her nap there as well. Kian wasn't used to the noise for the first couple of weeks and only slept for a few minutes but she has adjusted and now she takes a full nap with the other kids! Kian's teachers are very proud of her and say she is the first one to lay down and the last one to wake up. They say she sets a good example for the other kids. Mommy and Daddy have been told many times by her teachers that Kian is "one of our favorites." We tell them that Kian is one of our favorites too!

Kian's vocabulary has really expanded during her 18th month. She can say many words including, Shoes, Elmo, (Melmo), Yes, Cracker, Juice, Ball and many others. Her favorite new word is "Mine"! She also has named her Uncle Mike, "Cuckle." She learns new words daily.

In May, for her 18 month well visit, we switched pediatricians and we are now seeing Dr. Dianne Lackan. Kian weighed 23 pounds 8 ounces (35th percentile) and was 23 ½ inches tall (75th percentile). We all were a little concerned that she dropped so far in the percentiles for her weight, but with her being sick so much (2 ear infections, Bronchitis and a UTI), it made sense. Unfortunately, the weekend after her 18 month well visit, Kian came down with Bronchitis again. However, after lots of breathing treatments and antibiotics, she is once again doing better. During Kian's 18 month well visit, Dr. Lackan decided it was time to schedule Kian for an Upper GI test to make sure reflux is Kian's only stomach issue. Most babies grow out of their reflux way before Kian's age so Dr. Lackan decided it was time for further testing. When Mommy, Daddy and Kian went in for the test they were in for a big surprise. Kian had to be strapped into the table and a tube was put down her throat while the X-Rays of her stomach were taken. It was a horrible 20 minutes and everyone cried. The preliminary test results show nothing out of the ordinary with Kian's test results (except for reflux) but we will know more after the doctor appointment next month. We will keep everyone updated.

Kian is very happy to have her sister home for the summer and is excited to have lots of fun with both her sister and her new puppy Sammi! Kian and Sammi are the best of friends and the worst of enemies. They play lots of fun games together like "chase each other around the house" and "How many Goldfish can Kian feed Sammi before Mommy notices" but Kian is having a hard time learning not to hit Sammi when she is done playing with her and Sammi still wants to play. Sammi is having a hard time learning that playing does not involve biting.

Here are some more pictures for you to enjoy as well as a video of Kian when she was 18 months old saying her words and showing us the signs she knows…

Easter Party at MDO Program