18 month stats

Just got back from Ellie's 18-month check-up... which is a few weeks overdue. Doc gave her great reviews! We decided to switch from Dr. Miller to Dr. Woods in the same office, mostly because Dr. Miller is so busy that it's been hard to get into see her for sick appointments. Ellie has seen Dr. Woods more often in the last six months anyway, so we felt like she actually has a better baseline on Ellie's health at this point. Plus, Dr. Miller's friendliness (while a good quality in theory) caused her to get so behind on appointments that we would wind up waiting for an hour or more at every appointment. I was thrilled to be in and out of the office today in less than 45 minutes.
Ellie weighs 24 lbs, 8 oz, which keeps her on the 50th percentile growth line that she's been on for awhile now. She is 32.75 inches tall, which is in the 75th percentile. I knew she seemed tall!
I asked about turning her car seat around, since she often seems so scrunched up especially on long car trips... but was told that the latest studies still recommend backward facing until 2 years old. Not what Brian and I wanted to hear, but we also respect the science... I guess.
We did get the green light to give her peanut butter. It's been the only remaining forbidden food from her diet. We're pretty sure she'll love it since she chows down whenever we give her almond butter. Plus, it'll be nice to have another protein option for meal times.
Other than that, Dr. Woods said she seems to be developing great. I'm feeling much better about her verbal skills. As Brian kept reminding me, she seems to branch out in these spurts. She's picked up some new words in just the past week, and it's become clear how much of what we say she understands. If we ask if she's ready for bath, she'll grab my finger and pull me to the bottom of the stairs ready to go up to the bathroom. If I offer her options for dinner, she'll say "uh-uh" through several until she hears the one she wants and laughs in agreement. She knows which objects to retrieve if we ask for them, points to many body parts when asked, makes the motions for "row, row your boat" and other songs.... etc. Basically, she's our brilliant little baby and I am feeling more chill :)