Growing Up Fast: Mae- 19 months old

Mae is 19 months old and is learning and growing so much. She had a great 18 month check-up and the doctor was amazed at her physical strength. Although she is still small for her age, he has no concerns about her well-being after seeing her run around, climb and carry things all over during her exam. She is a little behind in her verbal skills (doesn't have 10 words), but not far enough behind to warrant any extra help at this time. For once I'm really not that worried about it, since Anne was the same way and now Anne talks non-stop. Mae keeps me on my toes, is constantly pushing me to my limits and showing me just how different each kid can be. Even though her energy levels far exceed that of my own, her hugs, smiles and kisses are worth every exhausting minute.

Here are some fun facts about Mae:

At her 18 month check-up: 21 lbs 15 oz, 31 inches
Determined- she has always known what she wants and will work very hard to do it.
Independent- She is trying to put shoes and coat on by herself. Opens the door to the garage and goes outside by herself- much to my dismay. Plays in the basement by herself. Just happy to do what she wants.
Observant- always watching what is going on and learning how to do things.
Loves shoes- all kinds and sizes
Loves milk and sweets. These are the 2 things she eats consistently
loves dogs and will point them out to me when she sees one out the window.
crosses her feet at the ankles when sitting. Whether she is reading books, eating at the table or riding in the car her feet are almost always crossed.
'Roars' at Pete EVERY time he comes home from work. She runs to the kitchen and roars at him. Then laughs when he roars back at her.
Has started to sit on the toilet. She doesn't really get it, but she will take her pants off, lift the toilet lid and try to climb up on the toilet to sit down. It will be nice to have her out of diapers, but I'm not ready to potty train quite yet.
Sits perfectly still while I brush and do her hair (she must find it relaxing like her mama) and then she rips it out every single time. I keep hoping that one day she will start to leave it in.
Great sleeper- She will nap for 2-3 hours every afternoon and sleeps well through the night
Enjoys hanging on Pete's pull-up bar. Her longest hold was about one minute. She usually holds on until Pete asks her if she is ready to come down.
Getting familiar with timeout. She is exploring her limits and loves to torment Anne (pulls hair, takes things away, climbs on her, etc)
First time ever having one of my kids break something at a grocery store. I was looking at the labels comparing two products and the next thing I knew Mae was grabbing a bottle of apple cider vinegar off the shelf. Crash! Lesson learned- don't read labels when shopping with children.
First time ever having one of my children color in a library book. It was a board book and thankfully she used pen, which the library was able to clean off with rubbing alcohol. She was thorough in her work coloring on every single page. Thankfully, our small town library knows me well and it wasn't too big of a deal. I was assuming I would have to buy the book.
Desperate to be one of the big kids.
On the fateful day of April 15, 2015 she learned how to escape her prison cell crib and bedtime has become a long and tiresome process. I think I'm getting too old for this.