18 Months - Stats

If you scroll down, you'll see the post that I wrote yesterday, in honor of Clare's 18 month birthday (yes, I know, it's 2 weeks late). This post, this one is the scientist/engineers version - just the facts, the cold hard facts.

A. At Clare's 18 month check-up:
Height - 30 inches (measured a different way than at her 15 month check-up. This way is less accurate)
Weight - 23 pounds

This gets Clare around 25th - 50th percentile for height and weight. Actually, with these measurements, her relative height dropped and her relative weight increased. It was clear, during our chat with the doctor about such things that he just doesn't have a good handle on data, statistics, or trends.

B. At daycare, Clare was tested again with the Nippising District Development Screen. She was able to complete all of the tasks on the checklist, which include:
- identifying pictures in a book (where's the baby, find the dog, etc)
- use familiar gestures
- follow directions when asked without gestures (one of my personal favorites!)
- use common expressions
- crawl or walk upstairs
- push and pull other toys when walking
- point to three or more body parts
- help with dressing

All of the tasks on the development screen were things Clare has been doing for a while. Some, for longer than 6 months, a couple were developed shortly after her 15 month screen.

C. Language

- Still uses non-verbal cues as her preferred mode of communicating. (So effective is she, sometimes we forget to ask her to use her words. An example: she shakes her head or nods instead of actually saying 'no' or 'yes'.)
- Strings to or three words together into some basic sentence format. "Hi Cat!", "Sit down, shoes".
- Much better at parroting though it still take s few times before she can get the word into her vocabulary proper
- Some new words: backpack, airplane, outside, upstairs, yeri, carmela, jayjay, nolan, hailey, mali, YeYe, poo, book, flower, truck, sit, shoes, binky, alligator, hat, cheese, keys, mummy's, daddy's, clips, inside, toes, spot, bebo (bellybutton), park,

D. Clare's favorite things now:
- Mr. Bun and Binky (yes still)
- Her blankie, knitted by Sue, now required at bedtime
- Her backpack
- Riding the bike with Rob and wearing her 'hat' (bike helmet)
- Pointing to her bellybutton, or yours
- Swimming, splashing, anything to do in the water
- Sandbox time
- Bubbles

Talk to you soon,

B.