[1y 5m] Climbing

Lara is nearly 18 months! Highlights this months:

* Know what she wants - cried in protest when I broke a biscuit into half and gave her the smaller one - she wanted the bigger half!

* Used the word "more" for every situation. The easiest one to figure out is when she points to her empty food bowl and says "more". When she holds her hands up and says "more", this could mean either her hands are dirty (she wants them wiped) or she wants water to drink. "More" sometimes also means blanket, go out and read a book or other object she wants me to get.

* Really into climbing. Climbs on chairs, boxes, coughes and high chair. Lara can climb the barrier we put up in front of the kitchen entrance quicker than I can turn around.

* Fussy with food at the beginning of the month. Eats better after I reduced her formula feed. I think I simply gave her too much milk that she was too full for anything else.
* Able to feed herself and get most of the food (80%?) into her mouth (yeah!).
* Hold a spoon (& scribble) with either hand with equal competence. No preference with either hand.

* Everything round (including our lemons and oranges in the garden) is an "apple". Lara says "cars" (pointing to one), "sit " (sounds more like 'shit') and really tries to copy things we say. "da da" is the guy in "Play School", the author of one of her story books and a few other people on TV.

* Kisses, feeds and pats her "baby".


* Favorite cartoon is "In the night garden" (not my favorite).
* Favorite fruits are mandarin and oranges. Loves watermelon too. Prefers a youghurt dip I made on bread rather than vegemite on toast. Wants to drink everything we drink (white wine, tea, yukult and fresh carrot/celery/cabbabe juice)

* Likes to take tissues out of tissue box.
* Scream in delight when she sees animals/birds on TV.
* Loves and tries to sing "Ba Ba Black Sheep"
* Covers her mouth when others are coughting. (we taught her to cover her mouth when she coughs).

* Obviously loves to clean (see below)