Punky - Eighteen Months.

Seems like only yesterday I was writing this post about Punky being 12 months old. Time moves so fast these days that its sometimes hard to remember to stop and take it in, but we all know what Ferris Bueller says so here's me stopping to have a look around. It might be a long one and I understand if you don't want to read it all, this post is more about recording these things for Punky and I to look back on, but I appreciate it if you do get through it all!

These last 6 months since Punky turned one have been so hectic. We've had Christmas, weddings, Easter, funerals and more play dates and vegemite sanwiches than you can poke a stick at. And while it's been hectic its also been so amazing to see Punky go from being a baby to a toddler, right before our very eyes.
After all the birthday present opening a month before, Punky knew exactly what to do on Christmas Day and made short work of unwrapping her presents!

I'm the oldest of 5 kids, with 10 years between myself and the youngest. However you don't notice the way a child develops so quickly until you're living with one every day and you're 100% responsible for them, not just noticing them when you stick your head out of your teenage bubble for a few hours each day.
So proud to have built this tower of blocks all by herself, back in January

Punky started walking just after she turned 11 months so she's been doing it for a while, but its amazing to watch her now, running and dancing. She has so much balance and the simplest things that would have her landing on her arse, or worse, her face, just a few months ago, now barely make her skip a beat, there's a little stumble and its onwards as fast as ever. Nothing stops this kid!
Sick snuggles
Except for being sick. She had her first real sickness about a month ago. When I say 'real' sickness, I mean more than just a bit of a cold but a full-on flu-type thing with high temps and the lethargy that goes with feeling well and truly horrible. She spent an entire weekend doing nothing but sleeping and lying on the lounge (or me) and that is so out of character for her that it was a little scary. Thankfully a course of antibiotics cleared her up after 2 weeks of trying everything else had failed, and she is mostly on the mend. She still has a lingering cough and a perpetual runny nose, but the runny nose is more as a result of her weekly daycare session than anything else! I think of it as the immunity building centre these days!
Along with being a breeding ground of germs, daycare is just so exhasuting you can't possibly sit-up to watch Play School afterwards!
Along with her growing gross motor skills her fine motor skills have also jumped ahead in leaps and bounds. She's taken a keen interest in drawing and its truly astonishing to see her pick up a pen or pencil and hold it correctly, then proceed to draw spirals and circles on the page, not just random scribbles. I think she may have inherited a little of her father's (and other family members) art skills. I really hope she has as I am crap at drawing!
Punky loves the great outdors
Something else she has inherited from her father is her fearlessness. The girl just has none. She is not afraid to give anything a go. She will follow her Dad blindly around the backyard, ooing and ahing at every bug and insect he points out to her, more than happy to pick them up and have them walk all over her for a little while. Until she decides to squash them anyway. She tries to climb everything (although thankfully she hasn't figured out how to climb out of the cot. Yet!) and is not afraid of the tallest slipper-dips or biggest swings.
The girl has no fear when it comes to bugs!
She also loves music, which is frustrating at the moment as our CD player has broken and she is really starting to get annoyed with it. She stands and points at the CD player, wanting me to put on the Wiggles or the Play School CDs we have but I can't and she doesn't understand why. So sometimes I pop on the TV to one of the music channels and we have a little dance and a groove to that instead. She also loves to play her baby 'grand-piano', sometimes so enthusiastically that after 6 months two of the keys no longer work on it!. Thankfully she has a grandmother who has a virtual band in her spare room and she loves nothing more that having a go on Grandma's keyboard at Family Night. She even helps her baby doll to play too!
Punky loves to 'play' her baby grand!
Speaking of the baby doll, its her favourite toy at Grandma's. From the minute we get there to the minute we leave, that baby doll is always close-by and she loves to push her around the house in her Aunty's old toy pram and share her drink bottle with her. When we are at home she often tries to push the baby dolls she has here around on her plastic green chair but gets very frustrated that it doesn't work the same way as the pram does. Dave and I have already decided that we need to get her one for here. When she goes to daycare she carries around her Blankey Bear and Violet doll everywhere, they are her security things. Normally they're reserved for sleeping at home, but her daycare teachers tell me that they rarely leave her hands when she is there and when they do, they are never very far from her.
One of Punky's earliest attempts at creating 'art'. 
Frustration has been another big feature of the last few months, with Punky trying lots of new things and getting very frustrated when they don't work exactly the way she wants them too, first try. Her first way to express that frustration is with a scream, then a vigourous shake of her head, and if that doesn't help her solve the problem then the next port of call is the sprawl-on-the-floor-whinging manouvre. She also employs this when her pointing and whinging fails to communicate to me exactly what it is that she wants. It doesn't help that what she wants is usually something that she's not allowed to have, which makes the tantrums even worse, but I know with a couple more months and a bit more language development some of that frustration will ease.
"What do you mean I have to stop swimming and go home?!"
Her vocabulary has really started to expand, and I must say nothing has given me more of a thrill than when Dave and I went to pick her up from daycare last week and she saw me walk in the room, pointed at me and shouted "Mum!" with the biggest smile she could muster! She does also call herself Mum, which is quite cute, and Dave gets the Mum treatment as well, but it's certainly a progression from calling everyone "Nan". Every day she seems to speak more and more words and she tries very hard to have conversations with me and mimic the words that I use. It's a thrill now but I just know that thrill will wear off once she's got all her words and just won't shut up! She is her mother's daughter after all!
She loves to read. Her favourite books at the moment are What Does Baby Say, Where is the Green Sheep? and Grug
Right at this moment she seems to be going through another stage of development, a Wonder Week maybe, which has led to an increase in whinging, and for the first time, clingyness. It's like the separation anxiety that she hasn't really suffered from yet has raised its head and she doesn't like to see me leaving her and has taken to wanting to be picked up by me a lot more often, or taking me by the hand and just leading me around the house while she does stuff. On the one hand its very sweet, but on the other, like when I'm desperate to get to the toilet, it can be quite irritating!
Total water babe
I'm not quite sure if she has any comprehension when Dave and I talk about the "baby in Mummy's tummy" and her little sister who will be here soon, but she has learnt to be gentle to my tummy and has even given it a kiss once or twice when we've all been sitting on the lounge watching the baby wriggle around in there. I am still anxious about how she will be with her new little sister but I know she will love her and, for the most part be gentle with her. I'm not so sure I'll cop the same treatment when I'm not able to give her 100% of my attention 24 hours a day though!
So much change in such a short period of time!
Despite the struggles and hard days, there are plenty that are awesome to more than make up for it. Seeing her grow and develop each day, watching her developing sense of humour and cheekiness really coming to the fore, hearing her frequent laughter and seeing her imagination burgeoning, I am reminded of how lucky I am and that these days go by too fast and won't last forever. In the space of just over two years this amazing little person has grown from little more than an idea between her parents, and it really is the greatest miracle in the world.

Comments

Kylie Purtell said…
She is so adorable, a really pretty little girl Kylie. That 6 months has gone super fast. I think it is a time of heaps of changes for babies growing into toddlers. I see the floor did cop a little bit of that artistic flare! You know.. next it will be the walls! I remember on of my boys would call everyone Mum, it was pretty cute.
Kylie Purtell said…
She is just so adorable and it was beautiful reading through and watching all of her little milestones! You mst be so proud!
Kylie Purtell said…
Aww 18 months already?? Man where has the time flown! She's a gorgeous little girl and I loved reading this! Anything in mind for her 2nd birthday yet? :p

Ai @ Sakura Haruka
Kylie Purtell said…
she is absolutely GORGEOUS! And it's so nice that you have these records of where she was at each stage in her little life. It's way too easy to forget when they did what, etc. as they grow! I can't believe my "baby" is 5 in just a few weeks. *5*!!! It goes too fast :( x Aroha (#teamIBOT ;-)
Kylie Purtell said…
She is just gorgeous Kylie! 18 months - oh my - you are about to have your hands so very full soon. I love the photo of her and her Daddy in the backyard looking at bugs, that is priceless xx
Kylie Purtell said…
She is gorgeous :) What a cheeky grin in some photos, but then butter wouldn't melt in others :) love posts that reflect on each six months of growing. Will be great for our kids to see :) x
Kylie Purtell said…
What a cutie! They really do grow so fast, it can be hard to appreciate it when you are living it day to day but it's times like this when you reflect back it really hits home!
Kylie Purtell said…
This is awesome! I just realised that my youngest, 20 months, is nearly the age BOTH my older two were when their younger siblings were born, SO YOUNG, a bit like Punky, all my three have a 21-month-age gap, and I do lament that I didn't have more time to enjoy No.2 more - and that No.3 isn't clapped for every achievement like No.1 was! Sorry for silly 'poor-me' talk - just having a moment! Enjoy Punky moments xx
Kylie Purtell said…
She's growing up into such a little girl now Kylie! That last pic, with her hair up, makes her look so big!
I'm sure she will be fine with the baby, and love it to bits xxx
Kylie Purtell said…
She is so beautiful Kylez!!! She is growing up so quick!! I remember how small she was when I started reading your blog a year and a bit ago!! Time really has flown! Xxx
Kylie Purtell said…
She is gorgeous. Happy 18 months Punky.
Kylie Purtell said…
Such a great age. My 18 month old loves books, and has a dramatic tanty move that has her sprawled on the ground, it's quite funny. Punky is a gorgeous girl, always has been :)
Kylie Purtell said…
Lovely post Kylez. Punky is so beautiful and is coming along in her development so well! 18 months is such a glorious age. Beautiful photos, love! V. x
Kylie Purtell said…
18 months is a gorgeous age! Punky is growing up sooo fast and love how she's turning to be such an adventure seeker! You're doing good, Kylez!
P.S Not sure if you heard, but The Mother tongue has been postponed so the after party has been as well :( Will keep you posted when we reschedule! xxx
Kylie Purtell said…
I know, that 6 months has just flown by, its made this pregnancy seem so much quicker than the last too! I definitely think this 6 months has had the most noticeable changes and they've happened so quick, every day she does something new.
Kylie Purtell said…
Thanks lovely, i am definitely super proud!
Kylie Purtell said…
I am thinking we might take her to the wildlife farm not too far from our house. We are going on holidays the week before her 2nd birthday so we won't have a lot of money, so I thought a little excursion to see the animals would be fun. The Wildlife park is much cheaper than the Zoo or the wildlife place in the city and the kids are able to pat the animals and feed the wallabies and stuff so it will be perfect for her.
Kylie Purtell said…
It's scary how fast it goes hey! I can't believe that the babies that were literally just newborns at my wedding are turning 5 this year! So scary!
Kylie Purtell said…
That's one of my fave pics too Josefa. I have so many of the two of them together and exploring, they really are a couple of peas in a pod!
Kylie Purtell said…
I hope she appreciates it when she's older. It's so easy to forget all of this stuff and we are lucky to have such an easy way to record it for our kids.
Kylie Purtell said…
Absolutely! Some days I really need to remind myself that it won't be this way forever and to try and make the most of it, even the whinging!
Kylie Purtell said…
No apologies necessary Emily! I am hoping that I am able to try and remember to do the same things for this bub that I have for Punky, like keeping a record of her milestones and taking lots of pictures. I am thinking Fridays will be my PJ#2 photo taking days, when Punky is at daycare and we have some one-on-one time! Wouldn't want PJ#2 to feel left out when you consider how many photos of Punky there are!
Kylie Purtell said…
I know! Sometimes I look at her and think "What have you done with my baby?!".
Kylie Purtell said…
It really has Meagan, and I have a feeling its about to start going even further once this new bubs is here!
Kylie Purtell said…
How funny are those dramatic tanty moves. All I can do is laugh at Punky when she's doing it, it's such an over-reaction! I can only imagine what she'll be like as an angsty teenager!
Kylie Purtell said…
It's definitely one of the funnest ages so far, she's just getting to a point where she understands so much, and that sense of humour! Man she makes me laugh!
Kylie Purtell said…
She really is an adventure seeker! I just hope she doesn't end up an injury magnet like her Dad was! Lol!
No I hadn't heard that about The Mother Tounge, thank you for letting me know. That actually suits me really well as I was struggling to find a babysitter and now Punky has come down sick again this morning so I don't know if I'd have been able to leave her tomorrow anyway so that works well. Can't wait for the next catch-up!

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