21 Months

Dear Annie,

What a month this has been for you! It seems like this is another month where so much has changed, but maybe that's just every month now. You are turning into such a little girl lately, despite your relatively small stature. Some of the biggest changes for you have come at daycare - you had turned a little whinier there, so Sue decided to let you do all the "big girl" things - like nap on a mat instead of in a crib, sit at the little table to eat instead of in the high chair, and do crafts every day. You took to it immediately and apparently are so much happier now! You LOVE doing crafts and coloring at home too. This is the beginning of you starting to want to do things yourself - including walking places instead of being carried, climbing up stairs yourself always, and buckling yourself in things. You are still quick to ask for help when needed, which was a great word to add to your vocabulary!

Despite acting like a big girl so often, you have decided that there are some ways you still like to be a bit babied, and have discovered that sucking your thumb is fun ALL the time, not just in bed! Yay! That will be really fun to try to convince you to stop in a few years... Frequently if you are frustrated or tired or just feeling blah, you immediately stick your thumb in your mouth and love to snuggle with mom or dad for a bit. We do love this, finally we get some cuddles out of you! It is also really nice that you have your thumb - anytime, anywhere, if you are hurt or pissed, a bit of thumb sucking seems to make things much more tolerable. You've really done a number on your thumb, however, and I try to put cream on it when I can but unfortunately you don't allow much time for it to work before sucking your thumb again - you do know that it's an "ouchie" and will suck your pointer finger if I remind you to until the cream sinks in :) (PS - ouchie is probably one of the cutest words I've heard you say so far!)

You seem to be very into a mommy stage right now - you sometimes show a preference for me getting you in the morning, and threw a bit of a tantrum one night when I wasn't home at bedtime, which is not like you. You also have started to resist other people holding you, including but not limited to your dad and grandparents. You'll warm up to them after awhile, but in new situations, you definitely want mommy. I'm liking it for now, because I know I'll have to share you much more in a few months. New places and people are a bit overwhelming to you, especially big crowds, but if you recognize people you're happy to be there after just a few minutes.

In terms of playing, books have been at the forefront of your play time this past month - you love being read to, and now can shout out the words when I pause for several books. Your favorites this month are Tumble Bumble, I Spy, The Feelings Book, The Belly Button Book, Barnyard Dance, I am a Bunny, and Goodnight Moon, aka MOUSE. You also love to find all the animals on your blocks and show them to us - I'm always shocked, but it seems like 90% of the time, you actually know the correct animal on there! You still love playing pretend with any kitchen you come across, and with your baby. Whenever ANYONE is willing to play ring around the rosie with you, you are up for it, again and again! Outside continues to be a big favorite with you, and you can now get up all the big slides and ladders yourself at daycare with no help.

Language has seemed to explode again this month - now nearly any word we tell you, you can repeat and soon integrate into your language. There were a ton of new words this month, and you're starting to use 2 word phrases more and more, like Daddy home, more cookie (nice try!), hi (Name), etc. You also use a lot of single words in a row to express an idea, but it doesn't seem like it's an actual sentence yet. You've also started singing! It doesn't QUITE sound like a song, but especially with "happy birthday", you can make out the words - usually like "Happy... to you!" You know quite a few names now, and remember the names of your family and friends without being prompted.

One not so fun development this month is the return of you waking at night. You still sleep approximately 7:30pm to 7:30am, but about half the nights you wake up a few times crying for no explainable reason. Usually you don't require anything from us, but it's annoying. I suspect you are getting a few more teeth, but I'm not sure what is to blame. You have all 4 molars, but only 1 pointy tooth so far, so you still have a few more to go before a possible break before your last molars come in.

You also tend to get frustrated pretty easily when you are trying to figure something out if you are in a cranky mood. For example, you'll try for about a second or two to buckle something, and when it doesn't work, you yell and stomp your feet or say HELP! We're trying to help you try again and do things yourself instead of always just doing things for you and "rescuing" you right away, but it'd be nice if you learned just a BIT more patience!

Despite being quick to frustrate sometimes, you are still quite pleasant to other kids, and pretty gentle with babies. You do tend to "give" babies toys with a BIT more force than necessary, but have never shown any sign of aggression toward another kid other than glaring at them if they take or attempt to take a toy you really really want. This only happens if you REALLY love the toy - most of the time you really don't care if someone else takes a toy you have at all.

Every day your dad and I are so thankful we get to be your parents - you are filled with spunk and sass, and are so much fun to be around!

Love you!! (maybe someday you'll say it back to us!)

Mom