21 months

21 months is the next three month stop on our way towards the terrific twos...oh my! It has been a wonderful adventure between the ones & the twos. And, when I look back at her one year old pictures, it reinforces just how much growing up she really did this year.Toddlerhood has been such a sweet spot with our dear Eliza Kate. I really would love to linger at 21 months just a few months longer. Pause. please. pretty girl. When the door is slowly closing on the chapter of babyhood, I miss those early days with you...chubby cheeks, chubby legs and baby coos. I'm LOVING soaking in each stage with our girl every little stop along the way.

One bonus of blogging is that it holds me accountable to jot down little snapshots of development with my children. I know it will bring me great pleasure in the years to come to reflect on each little tidbit of info.

Her 21 month old picture:

Showing Independence:

Eliza Kate likes to stand on her stepstool and repeat "wash ya hands". She steps up and rubs her hands together trying to perfect her lather. She's much too quick without my assistance to rinse off all the soap. A new cute habit is to stand by the bathroom sink and say " too-brush peez" "peez mom, too-brush". Miss Independence is taking initiative to perform these independent tasks on her own. Such a girl thing to be so personally responsible for grooming herself. She's been putting her own shoes on and taking them off for a few months now. She likes to put them in their place when entering the house. Somewhere around month 19, we removed the baby gate on the stairs and she's become a stair master. The best part of her up and down routine on the stairs is that she reminds everyone around her to be "careful" and "watch out" while she carefully chooses each step.

Playing:

Eliza Kate is completely enthralled with her babydoll. Bitty baby has captured her full attention. After wiping Eliza Kate's nose last week, she requested "hold it" to the wipe. I gave her a new wipe and went along my way folding laundry. I watched her sweetly give Bitty baby a nose wipe mimicing my own mommying skills. She really is watching how I take care of her and all my little mommy chores. She is quite the doting mommy to Bitty. I love to watch EK put her baby to sleep soundly in her crib. She even plays games with Bitty by tickling her toes with a "tickle tickle" game. Eliza Kate turns her babydoll upside down and swings baby back and forth saying "tick tock, tick tock". This is a cute game that daddy plays with her. She loves it so much, she mimics it with her doll. Her teddy bear is now wearing a diaper. She requested a "diiii-pear" for him to wear. Her beloved pink lovey even gets a daily bottle

Her Routine:

At the end of 20 months, she gave up her morning nap. My kiddos have loved snoozing well into their toddlerhood. She started waking up around 3:00am ready to play, so I took her cues and chalked it all up to not needing the morning snooze session anymore. We have loved having our mornings to play away, but I secretly wish I had the hour back to get some things done around here. We settled into our new schedule with a 30 minute earlier afternoon nap around 1:15. In those early days on no morning nap, it took everything in her to stretch her awake time until after lunch. She wakes up about 8:00 a.m. after I drive my morning carpool run. It's off to sleep around 1:15- 4:00. Bedtime greets this tired one at 8:00 p.m.

At the table:

Eliza Kate prefers to sit at the table with Miller, but we haven't made the jump out of the high chair yet. She would eat only fruits & guzzle milk all day if I didn't push meats and proteins. Her favorites at meal time are Kiwi, grapes, apples, mandarin oranges, cucumbers, carrots, cheese, black beans, yogurt, toast, goldfish crackers, pancakes and scrambled eggs. I really push for peanut butter, chicken, meats and pasta in her diet. I love watching her locate a napkin from our table drawer and give her lips the wipedown pat after meals. She really is concerned with staying neat. Too bad we can't get her to wear a bib. She insists on using utensils at every meal even if the food is finger food. Oh, her little ways! I have to really watch abandoned cups leftover on the table. She'll climb right up on the kitchen chairs and help herself to our food and drink. I know she's so ready to sit with us.

What she's saying:

Around 19 months, her phrases really took of and sometimes, they count as sentences...Here's a sampling:

Clap ye hands

Brush ye teeth

Comb ye hair

Hey Mom ( anytime she wants my attention)

Mear Titty Tat - Come hear kitty cat

Titty Tat hiding

Elmo's On?

Watch Carebears?

Jammies on -as she points to her footed sleeper

Ont cheese mommy

Oh know, Baby fall down

Go see Grandmama

Bye Mawny, Bye Ger-ant- as she waves from carpool

Hold it

All done

Want lunch-lunch is every meal

I speel- I spill

Give a big kiss- while she's kissing lovey

Treat ose mean peez- Ice cream, please

Hey mommy, der are you?

Sit down

OK-she answers every question she asks with her desired answer of "ok"

"Monkey, der are you"-as we flip the pages to her favorite book

What she's singing:

Eliza Kate loves the Birthday chorus inserting "Wiza Cake" in the name blank. She even sang Happy Birthday to her cracker at snacktime today. She is loving Wheels on the Bus and the baby stanza with the "wa waaaa waaaaa" is her most requested line. She loves hearing me sing This Little Light of Mine and tries to hold her finger up. Grandmama taught her Jesus Loves Me...she chimes in with the Yes, Jesus Loves Me part of the song as she sways back and forth. She loves to sing "Ring around the Rosy" and then fall down with me.

Other fun facts:
Eliza Kate knows the difference between hot and cold and will comment on the different temperatures. She counts to five and knows the color pink:) She surely wears enough of this girly color to identify it. She mastered singing her ABC's a while back and can identify her "A".....I had to marvel at this stage Miller could pick out and identify each letter of the alphabet...Each child truly masters different skills on their own timetable. Eliza Kate is my cuddle bug at night. She nuzzles close and sucks her thumb. I love those tender moments holding my freshly bathed girly just before bed. There's really nothing like that cozy feeling with a willing cuddly cutie pie.
Favorites:
Favorite Activity: sliding, running, strolling baby
Favorite Book: Busytown Books
Favorite Song: Happy Birthday
Favorite Show: Sesame Street
Favorite Character: Elmo