Eighteen Months. Or, If You Like, A Year And A Half, Already.

What is it about the new-mom-counting-baby-age-in-months?  I used to try to figure it out mentally when I would ask about a child's age. 

'How old is she?'  I'd ask. 'Oh. 33 months already!', would come the response and I'd tune out of the conversation, trying to remember my 12 Times Tables and Subtraction Facts.  It wasn't like a huge pet-peeve or anything.  Just something I remember from my childless [decades] years.

So, fast forward and I'm the mother of a 16 month old.  'Oh, my! She's devastatingly cute and wouldja look at those EYES?' some random person will say, 'How old is she?'  'Oh,' I reply, 'She's 16 months already!'

And then?  I see the Random Person doing some Mental Math.  'So, she's like a year and a half, right?'

'Almost.'  I say.  I mean, really. 

No need to rush it, yo.

But it caught me off-guard, a little.  What you don't realize when you see a kid every couple months is how much they change day-to-day.  Knowing that four days ago, my kid wasn't running and now? She's effing RUNNING and trying to dive head-first into the bathtub that is FILLED WITH WATER, just makes it seem like SO much is going to happen between 16 months and 18 months.  If I call her A Year And A Half NOW, it's like negating all the growth and change that's going to happen BETWEEN now and then.

And then I blink my eyes.

And here we are, A Year and a Half.

Still only four teeth.  People SWEAR that they're going to come in SOMEDAY.  We'll see.

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And look! She's reading!  She's very advanced. 

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Too bad all she could get a hold of was the Evangel-icitor's  Newsletter.  I should have put that straight into the recycle bin.

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My mistake.

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I forgot to renew her subscription to Time.

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She's also doing some HOUSEWORK!  Finally.  It's about time, that little freeloader.  She sucks at folding laundry (I guess it's not easy for her, what with those tiny mitts,) but she can vacuum all right.

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Sometimes she'll stop to look over at the computer and give me a wave, you know, 'What's up, Mom?' kind of thing.  'How's the Facebookin?'

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And sometimes she still makes like I'm a jungle-gym.  I didn't say moon-bounce, em effers, so don't even go there.

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But most often these days, this is the view I have:

Free bird, indeed.

At least there aren't any tail lights or screeching tires.

Yet.

Comments

[Kamagra Discount]

great info at this site.. thanks

[Bre]

If you really want to confuse people, keep counting by weeks, like during pregnancy.

She's not one and a half, she's seventy-eight weeks!

And my 65-week old only has two teeth, so I get you on that one.

[Krissa]

Oh yeah. Just wait... She will start off preaching whatever that particular brand of religious literature totes and move on to screeching off in a hot rod. Your days are numbered...;-)

[the new girl]

J: Why YES, J. You observant thing, you. That IS a potty (or pot pot [pronounced poe poe] as they say in Baby French...

[Stimey]

So adorable. And you hit the nail on the head with the months thing. I did that too. Until my third. Now I go by half years.

[J from Ireland]

What an adorable little girl. My little girl is nearly 14 months old and when anyone asks her age, I say just over one because it freaks the shit outta me counting in months forever. By the way is that a potty I see in the backround?? Now you have me scared!!

[moo]

SO sweet! And yes, the time does fly. I made myself stop counting in months once we hit 2 ... but I still find myself trying to do the mental math now that he's 2 years, 4 months. So wait, that's ... hmm ... let's see ... carry the one ... nevermind.

[Backpacking Dad]

4 teeth? My daughter popped 4 teeth last week!

I'm not joking, actually. I now refer to last week as "Frosh Week" because of what was essentially her hazing me for 7 straight days.

So here's hopin' that when those teeth DO come in they DON'T come in all at once :}

[Motherhooduncensored]

She's cute and all but DUDE - YOU MADE IT THROUGH 18 MONTHS.

WOO!

[Lori]

omg i want to knock her right down shes so stinkin cute

[Domestic Extraordinaire]

I can't believe she is running around now. I swear it was just yesterday that she was a wee bit.

[-R-]

She is so cute!

I was crazy about counting by weeks when I was pregnant. If someone asked if I was 6 months along, I would correct them and say I was 28 weeks, or whatever. The baby is only one month old right now, so I don't know if I will insist on counting my months yet, but probably. =)

[Manic Mommy]

Exactly, because you can't sell short the minute-by-minute growth your LNG.

RC is "just-over-three-and-a-half." I don't think the kind stranger at Target was looking for that level of detail.

[Swistle]

1) I love her shirt.

2) Elizabeth has those SAME JEANS. Love them. Love.

3) But hers are in size 42 months.

[lora]

The age thing was so annoying to me until I had Jake. Both the counting pregnancy in weeks and the age in months. Then when he turned one I didn't want to just say one, because what if people thought that he was undersized for one because their idea of a one year old is a 20 month old. I didn't want people thinking my 13 month old one year old was slow or undersized or needed special services. And then when he was 20 months old I didn't want them to think that he was an overdeveloped freak of a baby.

It's so hard to be a mom.

[ashley]

The age thing kills me too. For my three year old I say he's three and three months and have been doing that since he was little so people don't get that look, unless I want to confuse the person on purpose, in which case, start counting sukas!! TLNG is wildly cute!!

[Kayla]

Seriously how adorable is she! That face with that smile - OMG. You dont' know if to squeeze her cheeks or get her nose or bite her chin. (Ya I am into biting kids) Seriously if she needs more vacuuming you can send her down to me. I totally need some help with housework. I will take good care of her and I swear to return her ~ I mean she will have a bite or two but what is a bite between friends.

My god-daughter is now 8 months and she is about the cutest 8 month old. So I love to bite her, but the thing is that I don't really bite where it is child abuse or I am leaving a mark. I just show my teeth and do a growl noise. Apparently that tickles her and she gets a real kick. So now when she sees me come through the door she bears her teeth and makes a growl noise:) THEN she throws her head back and laughs.

Why did I just tell that story - NO IDEA. We are just going to blame this on pregnancy brain because right now all I can REALLY think about is "how early can I get to Wendy's and get a spicey chicken sandwich with cheese" UMMMM it is 8:23AM!!!!!!!!