23 months

Again, like every month, I will say that you are so much fun. I love having a toddler in the house. It always provides an adventure.

Here are some of the milestones and cute things you have done this month:

• You were weaned this month. The last time I nursed you was the day before you turned 22 months so this month was quite a transition. You finally have stopped asking for milk and you even watched one of your friends nurse without asking for it. In fact you went over to watch. I have realized how complex the nursing relationship is and some days it has been harder on me than you.
  
• As you were weaned, I noticed that we have started a few new routines. Katherine needs her mommy cuddle time. We now either read for a long time or watch Sesame Street together in the morning. When you wake up from your nap we also either read or we cuddle under your blanket on the couch and watch a Baby Einstein DVD.


• Somewhere you learned the phrase "Ready, Set, Go". I don't think I ever said it so maybe you learned it at school. It is pretty cute.


• You have started to count. You rarely go past three though you get the one to one correspondence of more items than three. Usually you will say "one, two, three, two, three, two, three." We are working on four and five. I have actually found that three items in a list is your limit. If you are thinking of something or telling a story, you will say a lot more words, but if I ask you to repeat something, three items in a list is where you stop.


• You are also starting to be interested in letters. I bet it is due to the fact that we are watching Sesame Street every morning. You do not yet recognize letters, but you know the names of a lot of letters. Your favorite seems to be "M".


• You have also started to sing your ABC's. You have the tune down pretty well but you skip a lot of letters. You like to say "A B C D" over and over. When I sing along you also join in on "H", "O P", and "S".

• You had your first slumber party this month when Ben spent the night. His mom and dad were chaperoning a high school dance so they were out late. He slept on his sleeping bag in the guest room. Ben is so easy that we did not hear a peep all night. You thought it was fun to have him here in the morning to eat breakfast with you.
  

• You have started having a few "chores" or at least helping mommy with some of hers. Your favorite is to help me feed Hooligan each morning. You get her bowl and bring it to the laundry room where I fill it with food. Then you take it back in and set it on the right spot. The vet said this is a good chore for toddlers but to make sure that the food is where you can't get it or else you will feed Hooligan more times a day than she should eat and she will get fat! You also like to help mommy with the laundry by taking the clothes out of the washer and giving them to me to put in the dryer and by pressing the button to start the machine. You help me unload the bottom half of the dishwasher (after I take out the silverware basket in case there are knives). And at work you love to push the big green button on the copier.


• You finally will go to the bathroom on the "big potty", not only on the toddler potty. This is sometimes a good thing and sometimes a pain. I like it because I no longer have to worry about if you decide you want to go to the bathroom at a house where they do not have a toddler potty. This means we can take potty training to the final step. However, you do not like the toddler seat that goes on the toilet so your tiny little bottom has a hard time not falling in or off of the seat and I have to sit on the tub and hold you the entire time. Before you would sit on your toddler toilet while I was cleaning the bathroom, folding your laundry or reading.


• This month all three of us were sick with minor but lingering colds/sinus infections. Yours also caused a bout of diarrhea and diaper rash. So, you had a lot more medicine than we usually like to give you. You really like the taste and every night ask for "more mecine". We have to make sure that it is far out of reach or you would drink it all.


• Being a little under the weather with a runny nose means lots of kleenix. You actually will wipe your own nose from time to time and you have learned to blow your nose as well.


• You love your Nana. You love all of your grandparents but you get to see your Nana the most. Recently after talking to Nana on the phone or after a visit, you will get upset when it is over and you will say, "more Nana" over and over. It is so cute and I am so glad that you love your Nana so much. It sure makes me feel OK about having her take care of you because I know you love it. In the video you were upset because you had just hung up the phone with Nana and you wanted to talk more.
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• This month there was another milestone when we spent the night away from you not once but twice. We had never done that before (mainly due to nursing). The first time was when Daddy and I celebrated our anniversary and the second time was this weekend when Daddy and I just wanted to sleep in to try to kick our sinus infections once and for all. You do great spending the night in your bed at Nana's house and she has so much fun with you. You draw pictures with Pops and his highlighters, read lots of books and watch Elmo's Christmas special on DVR over and over.




Drawing with Pops




• You have started to have fun playing games. The other night your ball rolled under the couch. Then I started hiding it and you were trying to guess where it was. You had so much fun going all over the room trying to find it. Then you would hide it and call out the places where it could be so I could find it.


• A new phrase is "Mommy, holzu". It is said when you want me to "hold you". Again, those pesky pronouns really get you. It is pretty cute.


• You understand a lot more about mommy being pregnant than I thought you would. One time I told you that I had a baby in my tummy and you took it rather matter of fact for something that should have been rather odd. Now you point to mommy's tummy when I ask where the baby is or where Squeak is. You then rub mommy's tummy to be soft with the baby and then usually you hit mommy's tummy and that is where the fun stops. One time I asked you you thought you would have a brother or a sister. Now every time I ask that, or what the baby's name is (looking for the answer Squeak) you say "Sister". We will see if you are right. It would sure be fun to have a little sister wouldn't it.


• A new very annoying phrase of yours is "no way". I have no idea where you picked it up but anytime you say "no", it is now "no way". Sometimes it comes out downright disrespectful.


• You will also answer "Okay" when I ask you a question but it comes out a little Buckwheat style and sounds more like "o-tay". Everyone thinks it is pretty cute.


• You like your shoes. A neighbor let us have all of her daughter's outgrown shoes. You were digging through them while I was getting ready I came in and you had lined them all up by pairs. (A little OCD I think). You kept trying on each different pair. Luckily when it was time to go I convinced you to put on a pair that matched.

It is hard to believe you are only one month away from being 2. Sometimes it feels like you are already there with the "terrible" part in full swing. You can sure throw a tantrum and discipline sure is not fun for mommy. Overall you are a very sweet girl and we are very blessed.