23 Months

My little girl is so close to two it is scary! She is acting more and more like a two year old every minute. I just look at her and am amazed by how much she's grown and is changing and finding herself in this world. I love watching her figure it all out, and I love trying to figure her out. One minute she is greeting everyone we see in the restaurant, chatting the whole place up, the next minute she is shy and hiding behind my legs and crying if someone tries to talk to her. She is a girl and just can't make up her mind ;-) ha ha. I absolutely can't imagine my life without her! She is my jewel! At 23 months she:

1. Talks like a 3 yr old. She can say anything and everything and puts sentences together. Even Eli's preschool director the other day said how she can't believe how ahead she is in language. Some things she says often are, "I NOT try that!" (at dinner), "I NOT like it!", "Oh, my word!", "Oh, my gosh" (which we're trying to put a stop to), "Not anything!", "Not THAT one!", "I hold you?", "I snuggle with you?", etc. My favorite thing she said this month was after lifting my shirt and putting her mouth up to my belly and yelling, "Asher...come out...I HOLD you!" She greets us all with a big "Good Morning!"

2. Loves singing. She sings all day long and is very animated and serious when she sings. Brandon always says it reminds him of me because I always have a very serious look on my face when I sing...can't help it! Her favorite songs to sings are: ABC's, the Barney Song, You are my Sunshine, and Lord's Army. My heart swells everytime I hear her sing because I can see how much she loves it.

3. Throws fits, cries, runs away from us, and does the whole dead weight thing when I hold her hand in the street. Welcome to the terrible two's! She wants to be Miss Independent ALL the time and doesn't like it if I interfere. She is able to do more and more on her own, which is nice...but then also encourages the fact that she thinks she can do EVERYTHING by herself. She tests boundries and all the other wonderful aspects of toddlerhood that keep it interesting and challenging. The great part is that she can talk and tell me what she wants or doesn't want (unlike with Eli). It makes it a lot easier, but on the other hand, there is a lot of sassy talking going on.

4. Goes to bed on her own and down for naps on her own...YAY! This was big on my "to do" list before baby arrives. Once we moved her to her twin bed, she still wanted us to pat her back or tickle her back until she fell asleep. Now, we do a book, prayers, and a few tickles and kisses and she goes to sleep on her own. Big...sigh...of...relief!

5. Has great manners. She is full of "thank you's", "your welcome", "excuse me" etc.

6. Is struggling with church. I don't know what I'm going to do when the baby comes. She used to come to worship with me and eat a snack...then I would go back with her to Sunday school and stay there with her (because she was so hysterical if I left). She would play with the other kids, do her craft, lesson, etc. and have fun and loved it. The past two Sundays she cried a lot even with me there. Last Sunday we left after worship because she was crying so much especially if anyone tried to talk to her. I have no idea what the deal is. With Brandon leading worship I desperately need to be able to get to church, even if it is just for worship. Eli loves Sunday school and I don't want him to miss out. I am really praying that this weekend goes better...especially because it is Easter and Brandon is leading. I do not want to miss out!

7. Loves jumping on the bed or trampoline. She is still a lover of the outdoors and goes out every chance she gets. Now that it's been warmer, she likes doing the water table and can do everything at the playground by herself, which is nice for us! She can actually swing on the big swings by herself. At the farm, she would swing for hours on end. Just like Eli, she loves anything that "takes her tummy".

8. Has moved to the back of the van with Eli. We need to be able to put Asher in the front, so we decided to put both kids in the back seat. She was really excited to sit by Eli and they haven't fought at all yet. She can also get in the van and get in and out of her seat all by herself. This has helped my back tremendously.

9. Loves clothes, purses, baskets, dolls, bottles, dresses etc. She shows them off to everyone. This week she asked for pigtails (much to my surprise and joy) and everywere we went she would say, "LOOK...I have pigtails!" I'm hoping she will let me do her hair more.

10. Is very protective of me. I tried to take her to my doctor appointment and she was crying hysterically when they checked my stomach and listened to Asher's hearbeat. Poor girl! She also gets really mad if Brandon kisses or hugs me. She will yell "STOP DADDY!" and run over and give me a hug or kiss. Kind of hilarious.

11. Is my little snuggle bug. She is super affectionate and gives lots of snuggles, hugs and kisses. I never get sick of it!