Orelia at 17 Months

We are at the point where I should start telling people Orelia is "a year and a half" when they ask how old she is, but I can't just bring myself to say it.  She's seventeen months old now, and I'm sticking to it.

 The most noticeable change is that how well she's doing talking and understanding us.  She says fifty or so words now, and is able to learn new ones more quickly than ever.  It's great now that she can understand us most of the time, we can explain to her where we are headed and who she is going to see.

She's gotten good at names, and is able to say some form of the names of most of her favorite people.  "G" for Gigi, "Ma" for Gemma, etc.  She calls herself "Ya" or "Yaya," which we find absolutely adorable.

Orelia has decided she loves playing in the sand, which makes trips to the park longer and more fun.  Maybe a bit messier too, but definitely more fun.

Hide and seek has become a fun after dinner game with Daddy.  And coloring with washable crayons has been buying us some time in her high chair.  I can't wait for her to get more into art.

 In the past month and a half she went from having six teeth to having twelve.  The four molars she got were not a barrel of fun, but I guess we are glad they all came quickly.

Orelia has been testing limits recently, and apparently I should take solace in the fact that she's supposed to be doing exactly that.  It's hard to stay calm when they give you this look right before they do the thing they know they aren't supposed to do.  I've gotten firmer with my rules - one warning and then the object/Orelia is removed.  This seems to at least help me get through the situation.

Our favorite 17 month trick is that Orelia now gives hugs and kisses to us and to her friends.  On some occasions she essentially tackles her friends in her exuberance.  That's my girl!