Twenty-One Months

I thought about waiting until Claire was two to document her latest happenings, but given the rate at which she is changing I decided it was much too long to wait until then. By then I am sure I will have no recollection of what she was doing three days ago, yet alone three months ago (especially in my current sleep-deprived state). It is amazing to me how much she continues to turn into a little person. With that comes so many new and exciting developments, as well as challenging moments.

• Her vocabulary is exploding. I swear that she says a series of new words and phrases on a daily basis. She understands everything and not much gets by her. The other night at dinner I was trying to get her to take a bite of broccoli before I gave her more strawberries and after several attempts she finally said, "Mommy, you eat the broccoli!" Guess she told me! :)
• In addition to tons of new words and phrases, she is getting good at both her numbers and colors. She can count to five on her own and knows most of the other numbers up to ten (she skips nine almost every time, but definitely knows eight and ten).
• I'm still not sure where she gets it from (definitely not me) or if it will last, but she LOVES music. She knows the words to several songs including, "Twinkle, Twinkle", "ABCs", "You are my Sunshine", and "The Wheels on the Bus". Along with singing, she also loves to dance to the radio. Her current moves consist of bouncing up and down and shaking her head...guess she has a ways to go in that department.
• Like most kids her age, she loves running around outside. Whether it is a trip to the park or playing with water and chalk in our backyard, she is in heaven while outside. She is also a sand magnet, especially at daycare. I'm not sure what exactly goes on in the sand while she is there, but she comes home almost every day with sand in her hair, on her body and in her diaper. The nightly bath is definitely not optional.
• She is independent and can get very frustrated if she doesn't get her way. She has officially entered the world of temper tantrums, which usually consist of LOTS of crying and whining. We have found that our best approach is to ignore her completely. Most days these tantrums only last a few minutes. On other days I am convinced that the behaviors that go along with the saying "terrible twos" start much earlier than the actual age of two!
• Elmo has officially stolen her heart. She has absolutely no interest in any other animated character or cartoon besides Elmo. We turn on Sesame Street and within minutes, she is demanding that we fast forward to 'Elmo's World".
• She absolutely adores her little sister. She is constantly giving her kisses and has shown very few moments of jealously since she arrived. Hopefully this means good things for the future.
• She has started to get into the act of pretending, especially with her babies. She loves to change their diapers, feed and burp them, and put them down for naps. She also loves to cook in her pretend kitchen, especially when I am making dinner.
• She loves being chased and sequels with delight when we actually catch her.
• She definitely has a sweet tooth. The mere mention of a treat or cookie puts a smile on her face. She savors each and every bite and a half a cookie can take up to 30 minutes for her to actually finish.

We are enjoying the laughter, communication and development that come with this age...all of these things are definitely worth the challenging moments that come with it. She is such a joy and we love her very much!