The Lazy Mom's Update - 19/20 Months

So... yeah, it's been two months since I did an update about my sweet girl.  Time flies.  I can't believe it's been that long since her 18 month update.

Dear Eliza,

You are 20 whole months old now, and just as busy as you were last month and the month before that - if not more!  I love watching you learn and explore the world.  You get smarter every day (which also means you get a little sneakier every day, as well!), I just can't wait to see what you will learn each day when we wake up.

So what have you been up to lately?

• You say cute little sentences now like "uh-oh baby!" when something drops on the floor or something else that is "uh-oh" worthy happens.  Another one you say is "more ____ please" when you want something (like ice - you LOVE to play with and eat ice).  You are very polite and say 'please' and 'thank you', too, although you need a gentle reminder when to say these things, but that's okay.  You also say "oh no!" a lot.  Sometimes the emphasis is on the "oh", and sometimes it's on the "no".  It's funny to hear you say it as you sound quite serious.

• Your verbal skills have seen a lot of development recently and you now will repeat things we say without prompting.  The other day I said "come here honey!" and you said it right back to me in your sweet sing-songy voice.  

• Eliza, you are usually a very happy toddler from day to day... but when you want to do something, you are quite serious and fierce about your desire and you like to tell us all about it.  We saw that in you even before you were a year old, so it is nothing new.  Thankfully, you have become a very reasonable girl, allowing us to explain something to you and then deciding on your own to put something back (like the jelly beans at the store this morning) or transition from one activity to another.  Come to think of it, we haven't seen a full-blown tantrum lately.  I think your increased vocabulary is helping on that front!

• You have stopped throwing your food so much, for which your dada and I are very grateful.  When you are done with your meal, you now say "all done" or you just hand your plate right over to me.  This is a major change, as just a few short weeks ago you were still resorting to whipping food across the room like a baseball pitcher to signal the end of your meal!

• Your hair has gotten so long recently!  We finally took you in for your first haircut, though it was just more of a trim to get the hair out of your eyes.  You looked so cute!  And you sat so still while the stylist cut and blow dried (and then styled!) your hair.  You were dubious, but you were patient.  At the end, you got your first sucker, which, of course, you enjoyed very very much.  And just yesterday, you let me put your hair in pigtails and you looked SO CUTE!

• You are very physically strong and adventurous.  You run and climb like you are a big kid!  You always want to go to the highest point in the playground and freak your mama out (which reminds me, why do playgrounds have huge openings at the top of the structure, like 10 feet in the air??). 

• Speaking of playgrounds, they are pretty much your favorite place to be!  You love going down the big slides, climbing, and playing in the sand.  But I think your favorite activity is swinging.  You enjoy it so much that you close your eyes and smile whenever you are on it - it is so magical - you get this look on your face that makes you seem wise beyond your years!  You just soak up and enjoy the simple feeling of swinging back and forth.  It is precious.  Your grandpa first noticed it when he took you to the park, and now you do it almost every time you swing.  

• You weigh 30 pounds now (though I am not sure how tall you are), so you are still our big girl!  You are still wearing the same 'ol cloth diapers.  Our stash is made up of 20 dipes and it seems to be just the right number.  Those things have saved us a lot of money!  Especially in your second year - we are really reaping the financial benefits now.

• You are napping once a day, from about 11:30-1:00 and going to bed somewhere between 7:15 and 8:00.  Bedtime has been an issue lately as you have been fighting going to sleep more and more... we're not sure why... but you just don't seem tired at night.  I try to run you ragged during the afternoons, but sometimes even that isn't enough!  I guess you just have a lot of energy - certainly far more energy than your mama and dada do :)

• You are still nursing and loving it just as much as you always have.  You now ask to nurse either by signing 'milk' or by saying "ilky".  I am happy to let you nurse as long as you don't hurt mama, which has happened lately when you slap or kick me, or pinch me (usually my other nip.ple, ouch!!!).  I've started telling you to be gentle or you will be done nursing, and the times I've had to make you stop you haven't liked it much, so I think you are figuring it out and are becoming more gentle.  In fact, you are nursing at this very moment and you are being very gentle and sweet.  You look up at me and smile and it just melts my heart.  I often ask you while you're nursing: "do you like mama's milk?" and you will answer by nodding your head, it is so cute!!!

• You talk in possessives a lot.  You will point to something and identify whose it is.  For example, you point at your sippy cup at say, very clearly, "Eliza's", and then you will point to my glass or waterbottle and say "Mama's".  The same thing with hats or coats on the hooks by the front door.  "Dada's" you said today as you pointed to his bike helmet.  And just the other day when we got home and were coming up the stairs to our house, you pointed to the house and said "Eliza's house".  Ha!  

Mama loves you so much, Eliza.  You are my sweet girl, and we have so much fun together every day.  I so enjoy spending my days (and nights!) with you, and even though I might sometimes need a mama-break, or feel like I'm at my wit's end some days, there is nothing I would rather be doing right now than being your mama.