I can't believe that there are only 4 more months until you turn two! The time with you is just flying by too quickly. You are absolutely the most amazing little girl. This month you have been your most fun and your most challenging! You have kept us on our toes, and we have spent many nights discussing how we should handle certain situations.
You are wearing 2T/3T clothes and size 6 shoes. You have been sleeping great lately - about 11-12 hours at night, and an 1-1.5 hour afternoon nap.
Your favorite things lately..."nano" (your lovey), pretend cooking "rah-roll" (casserole) and "doup" (soup), goldfish crackers, yogurt, books/story time before naps and bed, riding in the big green cart at the grocery store, making laps around the house with your doll stroller, brushing your teeth, bubble baths, snowmen, and the library.
You just love for us to sing to you, and this month you have adored Christmas music. You have especially enjoyed Jingle Bells and Deck the Halls. I have been singing Silent Night to you when we rock each night. You have started to know the actually words to songs, and you sing a lot in the car and bath. Current favorites are Itsy Bitsy Spider, Row Your Boat, and Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. We got you a set of wooden instruments (like preschool music class things) and you have spent A LOT of time playing the triangle.
You are very determined to test everything that we tell you. Once you see that we are serious, you usually back down...but not always. We have had several instances in the past couple of weeks that have left me feeling outsmarted by a toddler. Tonight I asked you to eat a bite of carrot and a bite of meat before you had your grapes. It was a struggle. Eventually you did, and then as soon as I gave you the grapes, you took the carrot and meat out of your mouth and handed them to me. Awesome.
I know we are going to have many, many more moments of conflict in the coming years. You are a smart, independent little girl with a very determined spirit. I am praying for the ability to handle discipline issues with consistency, patience, and wisdom. I also need to allow myself some a little more grace. I spend hours worrying about what I should have done differently.
You talk all of the time now! I love it! You call yourself "Babelle". At the beginning of the summer, I was feeling a little lonely staying at home all day, and one of my girlfriends said "just wait until she learns to talk"! She was absolutely right! We talk about everything we do and you have the best memory. You respond so much better to new situations when I talk to you about them in advance, and you seem to remember everything we tell you. Right now your favorite thing to say is "this way" (to get us to follow you somewhere).
We were playing on the floor one day last week, and you came over to hug me and said "love you" completely unprompted for the first time ever. It was one of the sweetest moments of my life.
We love you so much!
