18 months!

Rachel is 1 1/2 years old today! Can't believe that milestone is here. She is:

--saying a few words, although I'm worried that she doesn't say more. A friend told me the informal milestone of "20 by 20" -- i.e., 20 words by 20 months. She's not even close to that. So far her universe consists of: mama, dada, challah, bye-bye, hi (sometimes) and cra-ca (for "cracker'). How is she ever going to argue a brief in front of the Supreme Court if she can't communicate?

--running races with her friends in daycare, although she has yet to run around the house.

--playing peek-a-boo a lot. She covers her eyes, usually when Drew and I are sitting next to her at dinner, and we'll say, "hey, have you seen Rachel? Where's Rachel?" and then she'll uncover her eyes and have a big smile on her face, as if she's one-upped us. She can do this a dozen times if we'd play along.

--still not drinking milk from a cup, although we are doing our darndest to wean her from the bottle. It is proving to be a tough task.

--getting heavier and heavier to carry. I tend to set her down a lot while I'm working in the kitchen and picking up around the house; Drew tends to hold her while he's opening the refrigerator, washing lettuce, etc. No wonder she whines to be picked up a lot!

--speaking of the refrigerator, she loves opening the freezer door, probably because it's so easy to open and close. The fridge is a bit harder, but she definitely tries!

--very fond of closing doors. And turning off lights.

--not seeming to care to venture into dangerous areas, such as the basement, by trying to get down the steps by herself. I am hoping we can get away with only one baby gate (at the top of the attic stairs, which I can tell she dearly wants to figure out!)

--so affectionate. She loves sitting in my lap and reaching for toys, or turning the pages of a book while I have my arms around her.

--very appreciative when Drew and I sing her songs. She applauds when we finsh! Really!

--developing very delicate features, yet at the same time she really is starting to look less babylike and more like a kid. I have to remind myself that I can't really call her a baby anymore. She's a toddler!

--enjoying putting things into bins, boxes, etc. She does with the washable Crayons we got her: She hasn't yet figured out how to use them to draw (although she may just not be interested), but she loves putting them in their skinny box and taking them out again. It's quite a challenge!

--less and less likely to put un-food-like things in her mouth although she likes Drew's asthma inhaler. She grabs it and pretends to inhale, herself! (it locks up when Drew is finished with it, so there's no danger)

--developing an attachement to two "friends" -- her stuffed dog, Spot, that arrived at Hanukkah with a book about Spot (thanks, Mom and Dad!), and her rubber duckie. She likes to know they're around, and sometimes she will pull one or both onto her lap when we're reading books at night.

--using her pacifier less and less, although Drew clearly has more tolerance for non-pacifier fussing than I do. I tend to just pop one in her mouth if she's whining and whining and whining.

--getting big hands and feet. I hope her hands are as graceful as Drew's.

--"setting the table" -- i.e., when we give her silverware she will toddle to kitchen table, where we eat most of our meals, and set it down. She will do the same with napkins. The other day she even took PLATES out of the dishwasher!

--"the most wonderful, beautiful little girl in the world" -- Drew