18 months

Yesterday our little girl turned 18 months old. Holy smokes, a whole year and a half has gone by! First, here's a little "before and after" of Quinn a year ago and then at her latest photoshoot with Amy Allen. 

Those little eyes have gotten bluer and she has so much more (RED) hair! For our 18-month update, here's what Quinn is up to these days:

• Counting! Tonight she counted to seven all by herself (twice). Unfortunately I haven't gotten this on video yet. I'm trying, but our little girl has a mind of her own. 

• Please-Otay! We've really been working on manners and Quinn is doing a great job. She'll say "please" and "thank-you" often without being prompted and is awesome when we ask "what do you say?" Her new thing now is she'll say "please-otay" because she's used to hearing us say "okay" after she says please. It's hilarious, but a little habit we're trying to break. :)

• Go-Go-Puppy! She has a lot of favorite books, but her favorite one is Go Dog Go, otherwise known as Go-Go-Puppy. She knows a lot of the words and she's catching on to all the opposites in the book. She also says "GOOD-BYE!" as we read through the "do you like my hat?" part. It's sooo cute!

• Christmas! She can't point out all the fun things out for Christmas in our house: Baby Jesus, Scout (our Elf on the Shelf), the tree, the star, mistletoe, Santa says "ho, ho, ho," etc. It makes Christmas so fun.

• Friends! She can't get enough out of naming her friends (from school, from Des Moines, her family, etc.). When we look at Christmas cards and name the people in the pictures she asks for "more-more" when we're done. 

• Music! The love of music is in this girl and I couldn't be happier. We've been listening to Beethoven in the car and she'll ask for more when the music stops or gets quiet, and will clap after each movement. She'll also ask for us to play music on the TV and will dance whenever she hears a tune she likes. We've been able to attend music class a little more lately and she absolutely loves it. It warms my heart seeing the love of music in her so much!

• Love! Her hugs and kisses are the absolute best and she now tells us that she loves us, which is just amazing. We love her so much and have the absolute most fun with her. Happy 18 months Quinn Marie!