Happy Half Birthday Molly!

My little baby turned 18 months old today! Molly is our little miracle and marvel and the joy in our life.

She speaks really well, I'd guess she has a few hundred words. She is an incredible mimic and is always repeating things that I say. She surprised me by counting to eleven yesterday, I have never taught her that. She can also sing a little song where we insert people's names, asking where they are.

She runs around with the most adorable drunken sailor gait. She refuses to sit in the stroller, be carried or hold hands. She tries to jump but her feet never leave the ground. When I give her a little lift with her jumps she yells "Higher!" When she wants to get Henry in trouble, she screeches and then says "Henry!" while swinging her arms back and forth, indicating (not always honestly) that he has hit her.

To this day, she has only slept through the night three or four times. She loves her Mama and will scream and scream until I go to get her. If I don't get there fast enough she wakes Henry up (and then laughs about it) and all four of us are jammed into a queen sized bed. She is the first one to wake every day and it is before the rooster crows. She woke me recently by stroking my lower back and saying "Tushie" over and over. She has been impossible to wean from nursing and still was going strong until I cut her off cold turkey yesterday. The only way I could get her to nap today was to send her to bed with a Twizzler. (Can-deee!)

She writes on the walls and jumps on the couch at any opportunity. As much as Henry was a rule follower, Molly is a rule breaker. She dumps her drinks and throws her food and shimmies herself out of the seat belt of her high chair pulling herself to a stand. She cannot be left alone for a second. If I do squeeze a few minutes away to perhaps cook dinner she finds me and literally hangs from my legs. She shoves her head between my knees and I walk dragging her behind me. Otherwise she screams "Up!" until I relent and let her help me cook. "Taste!" is one of her favorite words; she tried to jam a clove of raw garlic into her mouth today. I cannot leave a stick of butter in her reach or else she will start gnawing on it.

She loves her brother and Daddy with abandon and will not be left out from their adventures. Earlier this week we tried to keep her home during the nightly trip to the ice cream truck but she had other plans. Despite the fact that she was just wearing a diaper she went to get her sandals and her purse and ran into the kitchen yelling "Ready!" and "Dollar" clutching some money she had stolen from my wallet.

She gives the best hugs and kisses but she always tells you no if you ask. She will only relent if you beg. She has a big toothy grin that she shares with you and everyone we see all day. She loves to read and be read to, dance and sing her favorite songs. She makes the funniest animal noises and loves to pretend to scare you. Her best friends are Roen and Finn; she will hold hands and hug Roen but she won't give Finn the time of day and is always growling and yelling at him.

Molly and Henry are the best of friends. They run around with capes around their necks, pretend to camp in their tent, color and paint together and hang together on the couch watching their favorite shows.

She is just the sweetest little baby and we love her so much.