21 Months

Darling Girl,

Happy 21 months!!! This letter to you is almost a week late! We went through a big transition this past week - we moved into our new house. We are so excited to be in a home that gives you the space to grow, a not busy street to ride your bike on and a great set of schools to attend in the near future! You already love your new room and we're so happy!

(I think) you are now 23 or 24 pounds and 34 inches long - long and lean as always. You are wearing all 2T clothing, although I got you into a pair of 12 month shorts the other day. Your hair has grown so much and you look like a true little girl - I can put it in pigtails or a single ponytail with clips now! I bought you a new set of hair ties and you love sorting your hair bows. The back of your hair continues to be curly which I love. Your light brown hair is getting a few blonde streaks in it from the sun and your eyes are still a green hazel with blue specks.  You didn't get any new teeth the last 3 months but that is A-ok by me. You brush your teeth every night and do a fairly good job of actually cleaning them and not just eating the toothpaste.
 
You still sit in your high chair for meals at our house, but want to be pulled up to the table and not use the attached tray. You refuse to sit in a high chair at your grandparents house or in restaurants, so it's only adult chairs for you. You eat three meals, plus two snacks some days, and other days you eat one good meal. It's hit or miss with you and food these days, but thankfully you will let me know when you want to eat. Your daddy and I started a new tradition at the new house - we all eat dinner together at the table, with music on and we make sure to say grace before we eat and say "cheers" and clink our glasses a few times during the meal to make it fun. You eat a lot more when it's dinner time that way. 


Your sleeping habits have become more and more like a teenager - you're a night owl, a total grump in the morning and you like to sleep in. You still sleep between 11-13 hours a night depending on your schedule the day before and take one afternoon nap for about 45 minutes to 1.5 hours. 

You have mastered running, can almost jump and also stand on one leg without falling over. I kept a list of all the words you learned between 18 and 21 months - thank you, bread, problem, knock, butterfly, cheers, basketball, cheeks, potty, chip, marshmallow, beer (haha), star, mess, Easter, Jesus, dip, orange, purple, pink, curtain, door, whisper, elephant, alligator, giraffe, stroller, and pretty. You can also identify all the objects in that "First 100 words" book and make lots of new animal sounds for snakes, elephants, roosters, horses and foxes (we know foxes don't make a sound, but we made one up). You continue to say 2-5 word sentences like, "That's my kitty" or "Where is Dada?" and you even walked over to something your daddy spilled on the ground, pointed and said, "That's a big mess." You repeat a lot of what we say which is funny and also makes me watch my language around you! Counting, singing ABC's and pointing out colors are a big thing right now - you know the first few and last few letters of the alphabet in order and can identify a few more colors - orange, purple and pink. My favorite little thing is that you say "hold me please" but it sounds like "old me peas". 

You still love to cuddle, and now you love to lay in our bed under the covers and pretend to sleep. You continue to pat people on the back, blow kisses, give great goodbye hugs and wave at anyone and everyone you meet. Drama is still your mode of operation, but you are a toddler and it's hard being so little sometimes. We are trying to really anticipate your needs, listen to your concerns and also give you lots and lots of guidance and reassurance (and a little discipline when warranted).

Brighton Love, you have changed so much in the last three months and watching your little brain process new things daily has been really amazing. We are seeing the world through your eyes and it has made us appreciate the little things a lot more. You will forever be our baby, but watching you become a little girl is pretty great too!

We love you!