The Toddler Girl is eighteen months old today. Looking at her, still almost bald, short, only twenty-one pounds (or so) and sporting only ten teeth, it's hard to believe she's that old. Then I see her running, jumping, climbing, talking and singing and I realize she really has come a long way since that November evening when she arrived.

The Toddler Girl loves shoes. Not just for herself, but she also picks out mine and tries to insist that I wear them all the time. She's good at matching the pairs of shoes together, although as often as not she just wants to wear one shoe around the house at a time.

Actually, she likes playing dress-up with her sister all the time, though they tend to fight over who gets the pink necklace and the tiara. Who knew girliness came in so young? She's not all girly though. This morning she was pushing a car around the floor and saying, "Brrm brrrm."

When the Toddler Girl decided to wean a month ago, I lost something very precious. No, not just the cuddling and the comforting. I lost the ability to get her to take a nap. It's not that she doesn't need them any more, but I guess there are residual memories of a better way, because no matter how tired she is, she fights and struggles when I try to get her to sleep. When her father takes her, she falls asleep quietly in about five minutes or less. During the week, I'm left hoping that she will fall asleep in the car on the way home and that I will successfully transfer her to a bed with out rousing her. Sometimes that works. Other times, at 6 o'clock in the evening I have a very cranky toddler who hasn't napped all day.

Even without many naps, the Toddler Girl is a lot of fun and very sweet. She loves to sing. Mention singing and she'll treat you to her "La la la" song or a rousing version of the Bible class favorite "The B-I-B-L-E." Although her older sister is her rival, she's crazy about her too. When the Middle Girl came downstairs the other morning for breakfast, The Toddler Girl rushed up and hugged as if they'd been separated for months.

The next six months before her second birthday will bring large changes for the Toddler Girl and our family. Presumably she'll gain a little in weight, stature, hair and teeth. She'll talk even more and play even more. Assuming all goes well, she'll become a big sister herself and knowing her love for babies, we'll have to watch her like a hawk. We're lucky to have her in the family. I can't imagine having never known her smile.