Sixteen months...

Prepare yourself for a hefty dose of Lola bird.

My beautiful little chickadee is sixteen months old today.

And in keeping with the pattern of her life up to this point, she's given us that much more to love over the past 31 days.

Though we didn't think it possible, her gigantic personality has continued to grow exponentially.

To say that this girl has a mind of her own would be a gross understatement.

She is quite comfortable telling us what she wants, what she hates and what we should be doing.

Her new favorite word?

MINE.

Delivered best with either an icy glare or a sugary-sweet smile.

That's right, we've entered that stage.

Suddenly, Lola has an opinion on just about everything.

Mom and Dad are not allowed to touch, hug or show any sort of affection.

We think it's a calculated effort to keep us from reproducing again.

Boy is she in for a surprise.

We've run into a bit of a road block when it comes to the "sharing" concept, which I've concluded is fairly typical of this age.

She wants nothing to do with her toys when we are home alone, but when another baby is around, watch out.

She'll defend those blocks with her life if that is what's required.

But she's also very sweet when reprimanded.

She'll be the first to blow a kiss or hand over a coveted object, even if she tries to grab it back after about five seconds.

Step by step, I suppose.

This girl loves her daddy.

She listens intently every evening for the "beep" that indicates the car has been locked and papa is on his way up the stairs to play.

Like a bullet, she makes her way to the front door and proceeds to knock furiously, screaming, "Dada? Dada? Dada?" until Dada lets her in, so to speak.

Lola loves to dance.

When given the direction to, "go crazy," she shakes her head, flaps her arms and wiggles her fingers.

She likes to make up songs on a regular basis, particularly when placed in her crib for nap time.

And if she's not in the mood to compose, she just sings along to any tune that happens to be playing in the background.

Commercial jingles are her personal favorite.

Oh how she loves her books.

She loves to pull five or six off her shelf at a time and "reads" aloud to me, the cats, her nana, her "beebees" -- basically anyone who will listen.

When she wakes up from naps, she points to her bookshelf and whines until I give her a book to snuggle.

She's learned that a good book can be a girl's best friend.

She's starting to learn her colors.

"Eh-yow" (yellow) is her current favorite.

She has a lovely and vast imagination, which I am quite grateful for.

She can turn just about anything into a magical toy.

Unfortunately she prefers the sharp, potentially life-threatening stuff.

Pens are the thing these days.

She loves Santa ("Ho, Ho, Ho") and the baby Jesus ("Sheesus") from our nativity set.

She can't get enough of the "Tee" and loves to catch her reflection in the ornaments (aka "beebees").

She loves gum and will  go to great lengths to track it down.

She ransacks purses, bags, coats -- any potential hiding place for her favorite contraband.

Her expressions keep us laughing.

She is the ultimate cheese.

The girl has a bit of a violent streak.

If she doesn't like what you are saying to her, she'll pop you in the nose.

I guess that's a good thing when thinking in terms of potential high-school suitors.

Lola is a human parrot.

She has taken to repeating anything she hears anyone say.

Cute? Certainly.

Entertaining? Without a doubt.

Dangerous? You better believe it.

Now we really have to watch what we say.

At least if she says something offensive around her grandmas, I can always blame Reece.

I've been thinking a lot lately.

Mostly about the seeming impossibility of loving another child as much as I love my Lola girl.

I have faith that I will be granted that ability when the time comes.

But right now, I am dedicating myself to showing my first born just how much I adore her.

How much I believe in her.

How much she has changed me.

How the world wouldn't be worth anything without her presence.

Happy 16 months baby bird.

We would be so hopeless without you.