18 Months?! Already?

Hard to believe that Asha is 18 months already. Man, time flies. I was thinking I might take her for pictures, but with me getting sick, that didn't happen. That's okay, we take nice pictures and everything here is so nice and green in the yard.

Well, it's been a busy few months for Asha. She learned how to walk after her first birthday at 15 months, and now has mastered the art of running. She looks like a penguin when she runs; I have to get it on video so you can have a little chuckle. She's getting more confident with stepping down from steps or ledges and in Moro Moro she got pretty professional at climbing stairs.

Asha has 18 beautiful lil' white teeth that sometimes she sinks into her siblings' flesh. She's not a biter like Joel was (whew!), but I think she enjoys getting a reaction out of people. Her favourite games with Joel and Kezia are wrestling or chasing them and pretending she's a snake.

She loves to play at our little playground; her favourite thing is climbing up the slide, turning around at the top and sliding backwards on her belly. She could do that for hours. Asha also enjoys riding her pink bike that she got for Christmas; although she'd rather have someone push her on it then actually do it herself.

Her favourite words are No, Up, Mine, Agua, and Candy. She will respond to you if you speak to her in English, and if someone else speaks to her in Spanish, she'll respond to them too. It's kind of neat to see that.

With all the activity around here, she's become quite the social butterfly. Asha isn't shy about being around people and seeks out attention from total strangers. She has changed her scowl for a big cheezy grin (though there are days when the scowl dominates the day!).

Asha's favourite foods are madarines off the tree (or right now from the ground because they are ripe and falling every day), tomatoes, meat and of course candy. She asks for candy every hour of every day. Sigh, that girl is definitely persistent. Asha also asks for papas and we're not exactly sure what that is. We've figured that it is something round....maybe tomatoes? potatoes? oranges? I don't know....

She still loves Wilbur the cat and has made up her mind to teach him how to sit. Every time she's outside with him, she'll push him down so he has to lie down and then pats him on the head and says Si.

Asha is also going to Sunday School with Kezia. She's the youngest in the class, but she enjoys her teachers and being able to colour or play in the toy box. The cookies at the end also help make it a positive experience for her!

This next month we have to take Asha to the Dr. for her 18 month immunization as well as her last Hep A. I don't think she's going to be very happy with us. Well, Asha, if it makes you feel any better, we all have to get another needle. I'll be curious to see how much she weighs and what her height is. From my pencil and string technique, I've been able to determine that she's about 65cm, mas or menos, but I have no idea how much she weighs. I guess we'll just see.

It's been definitely fun seeing her personality blossom. She's her own little person. Asha's not overly cuddly and certainly has a mind of her own. But she loves to sit on your lap and have you read stories to her or sing action songs with her. Then she's off running somewhere else, usually getting into something. If she's been wronged, she will definitely tell you by running with mouth open in protest, yelling "Owel, Owel!" or "Tesia, Tesia!". But she is also a very loveable little girl. She loves to tickle you and will dance anytime she hears as much as a drum, just to make you laugh.

It's awesome to see that she is so different from her siblings. Asha is not the same as Kezia, as Kezia is not the same as Joel. The diversity that Asha brings to our family certainly means there's nothing boring about our household. We love her very much and are excited to think how she'll change and grow in the coming months.