I can't believe that it's been 6 months(!!!) since our last Evelyn update. When I wrote her one year update I expected it to feel like an eternity until this moment but it has come by so quickly. I think partly that is down to how pre-occupied I was with planning our wedding but it is also partly because since her birthday I've stopped feeling the need to age her by months. However, here we are. Lots has happened & I'm excited to be doing another one of these.
Evelyn has the kindest disposition. We've been hugely enjoying this age & seeing her little personality blossom. She loves animals, people, dancing, chatting, eating & generally everything that she comes into contact with. She's still a little tentative around meeting new men but it's nothing that I'm worried about.
She was away from us for 11 days while we were honeymooning (more on that in a future post) & split the duration between my parents & George's parents. From what I've been told she was good as gold. We weren't distracted by missing her but towards the end of the trip we were very ready to see her & she was never far from our thoughts. She was a little clingy with me for the first day back but has happily settled back into routine since. I don't plan on taking any holidays without her in the future but it's always nice to know that she feels comfortable with her grandparents if we ever do.
Age: 18 months
Weight/Height: Evelyn is sitting smack bang on 1 1/2 stone (21lb/roughly 9.5kg). Her height is 82CM tall.
Sleep&food: Perhaps surprisingly we have had no change & no issue with sleep or food. Bed time is 7:30/8PM & morning starts 12 hours after. Nap time is generally between 1-2 hours at around mid day. Breakfast is wheatabix/porridge/shreddies, snacks are fruit/nuts/pom bears & lunch/dinner are generally whatever we're having. The only big changes are the departure of the high chair from our kitchen & the inclusion of cows milk with her dinner. We also generally offer drinks from a cup rather than a beaker, unless we are out & she uses cutlery as well as her fingers now.
Evelyn's favourite thing: I couldn't possibly go back & pick one item from the last 6 months so I'm going to have to pick things from the more recent future. Her favourite book is Goose by Laura Wall (just a quick heads up : You can currently buy 4 of her books for £3 here which includes goose & is cheaper than it individually). Her favourite thing to play with is anything she can push along. Her favourite meal is fishfingers & beans & her favourite snack are dates. & her favourite place to visit is wellyboot land at Slimbridge WWT.
My favourite thing: The item that I was most surprised to love is something that George's mum bought Evelyn for her birthday. It's a cot toy from Toys R us (RRP £22.99 - currently £14.99) that initially gave us that extra bit of a lie-in in the mornings while she played with it. Her use of it has slowed down a bit but I still really like it & I still hear her pressing buttons to get herself back to sleep if she wakes up unexpendedly at night.
Milestones: I would say the biggest one is walking. That happened not long after her birthday. She's so happy on her feet now it's strange to think that she hasn't always been toddling. She'll run & dance & skip happy as anything. She's also more vocal & has a bunch of words under her belt now, the cutest being "bye bye" accompanied by a chubby wave. Her hair also went curly not long after her first birthday. I know that strictly speaking this isn't a milestone but I had to include it as it's a big physical change. My parents say that mine went curly at around the same time but Evelyns curls are a lot softer than mine. Other physical changes are how lean she has gotten, how big her feet are & that her eyes are settled at blue hazel which I think are stunning.
Best moment: Seeing her dance at our wedding & having her run up to me while I was walking down the isle. Such a beautiful, emotional experience.
What we've learned: Most 'baby' frustrations vanished when Evelyn started walking & they've been replaced with infequent but strong tantrums. We've learnt to let her scream it out, watch that she doesn't hurt herself & then cuddle her close when she's calm. Evelyn has also had a viral infection called molluscum that has brought its own challenges (mostly vanity-driven) but we've, truly, learnt that a beautiful smile & sunny disposition outshine any little physical flaws. Even with her little dots I still believe wholeheartedly that she is the most beautiful girl I have ever seen.
Looking forward to: Hearing more words in that gorgeous little voice & anything/everything that life throws at us in the next few months. Next update will be 2 years!
Photographs taken by Emilie of Little Butterfly.
