12-18.

I did not love 12-18 months the first time around.

In fact, it was kind of terrible. Cute, but terrible. Lots of biting and insane tantruming and general unpleasantness.

But this time around? Oh heavens.

This little lady is 15 months old. And she has become a total firecracker. Our once reserved, laid back, observant little girl is now an instigator, a tease, a tantrum thrower, and a daredevil.

My kids never cease to surprise me.

I mean, Audra is still Audra. She is still reserved and observant, but she's become a little less laid back. She now has opinions, and she will gladly, and loudly, let you know what they are.

We took her to urgent care for a suspected ear infection two weeks ago, and she gave the doctor a stone-faced stare down that resulted in the physician saying "She looks like she might shiv me!"

We call that her B face. I don't think I need to explain that to anyone. Looks a little something like this:

I hope that face will be used for good and not evil when she's a teenager. Like when a guy who doesn't bathe regularly, isn't on the honor roll, and whose parents we don't like asks her out.

She's a sassy little thing. And she has some serious spunk. She pokes and prods and laughs at Calvin constantly, which I find hilarious. Him, not so much — though he has a lot of patience with her. She's super active, and is never content to sit still. She loves to be flipped around, thrown in the air, and fake dropped. She would jump on our bed for hours if we let her. Her tantrums are hilarious — she folds herself in half and puts her head on the floor and wails. Like a crying teepee.

Babies are her favorite toy right now. She has a few of them, and she likes to give them lots of hugs and kisses while saying "Baby. Baby. Baby." over and over again. She loves puppies and pants with her tongue out every time she sees one. She's a total bookworm just like her mama and brother — her favorites right now are Let's Dance Little Pookie, Counting Kisses, Touch and Feel Baby Animals, Noah's Ark, and Brown Bear Brown Bear — and she loves to pull all of Calvin's books off his shelf.

She also loves to eat. Her favorite food, by far, is cheese. She can down a cheese stick in less than a minute. She generally eats what we eat, but avocado, blueberries, cheetos (no judging), strawberries, hummus on pita chips, scrambled eggs, edemame, raw mushrooms, cottage cheese, applesauce, and yogurt are her favorites. She's not really into meat these days, but she can put the hurt on a hot dog.

Her vocabulary is made up of seven words (mama, dada, uh oh, hi, bye, baby, blankie), a handful of sign language (all done, more, water) and some emphatic head shaking (NO!). She loves to be held (so long as you're moving...sitting still is not okay) and has gotten slightly more comfortable with snuggling, though she is still a very independent sleeper. We read, we sing, I hold her for as long as she'll allow, and then she goes in her bed, where she flips to her stomach, scrunches her butt up in the air, and stares at me until I leave the room. She sleeps from 7-7, and naps for two hours in the afternoon.

The other night before bed I asked her to put her toys away. I don't know why I asked her, because I didn't actually expect her do it, but lo and behold...she walked her two little wooden condiment bottles over to her play kitchen and put them on the shelf. She had to stand on her tiptoes to get them on it, but that's where she'd gotten them and that's where she was returning them. For cute.

I feel like 15 months marks the beginning of the end of her babyhood. She's still so deliciously baby-like in many ways, with that chubby little finger pointing out things that delight her and lots of squeals and grunts and running around naked. But her understanding of the world is getting broader, and her vocabulary and physical abilities are, too. She's growing so fast I can hardly believe it. But instead of the sorrow I expected to feel watching my last baby grow into a little girl, there is only joy.

12-18 months. Who knew.

Audra's 15 months stats:
Weight: 22lbs 1oz (37th)
Height: 31.5in (84th)
Head: 18.24in (67th)