Dear Carolyn,
Today you turned 20 months. 20! That’s all your fingers and toes added up together! Sometimes we count to 20. You do really well up to eleven, skip twelve, say thirteen, and then the rest of the numbers all sound like “ah-teen”. It’s a good start, though. I blame it all on Sesame Street. This month you’ve become obsessed with it, asking for it before Signing Time or even sometimes your beloved Blue’s Clues. If I’m not careful, you’re going to become a TV junkie.
Every month I’m amazed at how much your language has changed. Instead of saying “no” to everything now, you say things like “no chair!”, “no pants!”, “no play!” and “not sleepy!” (Everything you say is an exclamation. Sometimes I think there’s more than one exclamation point on the end – especially “no (in)side!!”) Longer words are popping out here and there, and cute little mispronunciations that I hate to correct – like “tah-peeyah” for caterpillar, “lo-gur” for yogurt, and “teeee!” for Carrie. And you’ve gone from loving books to being absolutely obsessive about them. No longer can I read three different stories at bedtime. No, we’ve graduated to “more ‘night moon!” and “more where sheep!” Now I read three different stories three or more times each. I have so many of your books memorized that I sometimes make a game with myself to see if I can “read” the whole thing with my eyes shut, no peeking. Since you’re sitting in my lap facing away from me, you don’t notice. Not sure if this qualifies as “language”, really, but you also pretend to snore as I leave the room at naptime or bedtime.
You’re definitely all-out running now, and sometimes when you jump your feet actually leave the floor a fraction of an inch. You climb up the little slide we bought you and slide down all by yourself, and at the playground you go down the huge spirally slide that’s way taller than me while I wait at the bottom. You have no fear, and I haven’t decided yet if this is a good thing or a bad thing. You love being outside, playing with chalk and bubbles, swinging, or watering the flowers.
Another new thing you’ve learned this month is how to remove every stitch of clothing on your body. I went in to get you up from a nap you decided not to take, and found pants, shirt and diaper on the floor next to the crib. You were pretty proud of what you’d accomplished. I was pretty happy that the diaper was empty and dry! On the diaper front, you ask to use the potty all the time, but you’ve never actually done more than sit on it for half a second. I’m fairly certain it’s a delay tactic (“no diaper! “noooo diaper!” “nooooo!!” potty?”) but I generally indulge you. One of these days you might just get it!
At our last playgroup, one of the girls who’s a few months older than you tried to start playing with you instead of just next to you, and you know what? You played with her! I was so happy and proud I thought I might cry, watching the two of you giggling over the game you made up with the playsilks. You’re growing up so fast, learning so much, and while part of me wistfully longs for the baby who used to nap in my arms, the rest of me is so excited to watch you blossom into such a wonderful little girl.
Love, Mommy
