18 Months

Ellie weighs 21 pounds 12 ounces and is 32.5 inches long.  As described by the doctor, she is long, lean, strong, and strong willed.  She screamed from the beginning to the end of the visit, and she didn't even get shots!!
I am going to attempt to list some of her current milestones, likes, and dislikes.

Milestones:
*Knows the letters: E, M, S, I
*Counts 1-2-3
*Stacks blocks
*Builds with Legos
*Rapidly growing vocabulary, learns new words almost daily
*Starting imaginary play (makes stuffed animals hop and go nigh-nigh, and pretended to be Bailey the other night!)
*Feeds herself with a spoon
*Can recognize songs by the music, not just the words (sings: Hu-ah Hu-ah [ants go marching], swish swish [wheels on the bus], head [head and shoulders], up above [twinkle twinkle], walking walking [a movement song from when I taught pre-k] and ebc [ABC's].
*Saying "hi" with the person's name, i.e. "hi Ha-ee" (Hi Holly)
*Names and identifies lots of shapes: triangle, square, circle, heart, and star
*Walks backwards

Likes:
*Singing and dancing
*Playing with "Wook" (Luke)
*Books and reading
*Elmo (and Sesame Street)
*Swinging
*Fruit and crackers
*Playing with "Bay-yay" (Bailey)
*Dressing up in hats, "sassy" (sunglasses), and "brace-e" (bracelets)
*Bathtime and brushing teeth while laying in bathtub!
*Looking at pictures
*"Ye-yo" (coloring...not sure why it sounds like yellow!)
*Being outside for any and every thing
*Hiding behind her recliner and playing peek-a-boo

Dislikes:
*Diaper changes...still!
*When Elmo is turned off
*When Mommy goes bye-bye
*Eating veggies and meat
*Most men (this makes grocery shopping and eating out with male waiters very....interesting)

Those are the things that come to mind at the moment.  She is constantly surprising me with what she knows!!  Today at Target, she said "Awesome"!  I think my favorite new phrase is, "Wha happy?" (what happened?).  It's so adorable!!
She is a very determined toddler.  She knows what she does and does not like.  And, she's not afraid to let everyone know how she feels.  I am striving to find the best way to foster these positive character traits while balancing her desire for power with my desire for her to be a well behaved toddler.
It's a constant guessing game.  Will this work today?  Did I make the right choice in that moment?  Should I have done this?  What's best for Ellie?  I have a feeling that isn't going to change anytime soon!!