'Dis and 'Dat - Molly at 18 Months

At 18 months, our little "copper top" may have lost her red tresses, but she's making up for it by keeping us on her toes with her "sweet and salty" personality.

The kids helped me compile a list of the words she now says, in order of frequency. After gently informing them that they she does not, in fact, say "cool" or "wow" yet, we agreed that she has a total of 18 words. Topping the list? Dada. She uses this word far and away the most... even, much to her mother's annoyance, in front of a roomful of babysitters and parents at the gym childcare. The other day she saw me enter the room, dropped her blocks, and ran to me at full (toddler) speed, shrieking, "DADA!"

Runner-up for the most common word we hear from her these days is "Hi!" -- notably when spying older men in the grocery store or at Target. She's been known to attempt a kamikaze leap off my hip into a startled, uncomfortable 85 year-old man's arms.

She loves nodding vigorously and saying "Yeah!" as well as extending her index finger like a little dictator, and demanding "'Dat" and "'Dis." She loves to throw food and toys and dogs and exclaim "uh-oh!" and of course, she makes up for her third-child status in the house by bossing "Da-is" and "Akey" around.

She's in awe of her big sister, and will often run the length of the house and back shouting "'Ara! 'Ara! 'Ara!" when the subject in question is at school. She also knows that she could easily be parented by "Oey," and looks to him for comfort, help, food, and horseplay.

She perfected "cheese" and "please" simultaneously, and is lately always ready with a smile when a camera is around... or when someone even picks up an iPhone. During a holiday photo shoot, she was on point and definitely the star of the show, especially since uncle "KyKy" was behind the camera.

Finally, she's picked up "thanks," "juice," "no," and "cheers!" -- all to feed her sippy cup and snacks habit.

Along with new words, she's picking up some attitude and dramatic flair. She's been strutting with her hands behind her back for months now, but recently added a hands-on-hips move, has been known to cross her arms in defiance, and is not above throwing her whole body on the ground when she's really mad. These two pictures from Hawaii say it all!

But she loves cuddling, snuggling, and being toted around on Mommy's hip, and is still never more content than when she has her thumb in her mouth. She loves dancing, will bring you a book and ask to sit in your lap all day long, and wants to join in "big kid" fun as much as possible, especially when it comes to her new love affair with pen and paper.

In other words, she's growing up way too fast! Thank goodness she at least looks like a baby! She routinely gets mistaken for being under a year old, and has the stats to prove it. At her latest check-in, she weighed 21 pounds (7th percentile), was 30.25 inches tall (25th percentile), and proved that this Irish lass really is a Cecchin with a 47cm head circumference (75th percentile!).