Memories Captured – May edition (a.k.a. 21 month stats)

Since I’m WAY behind on my D monthly update posts and I just saw that the May link for Memories Captured is up, I decided to do a combo for your blogging enjoyment. Let’s see if I can remember all that’s happened since D’s last update that I wanted to report while simultaneously putting up an astonishingly cute recent pic of the little one:

• She weighs around 26 lbs., and I have no idea how tall she is. Terrible Mommy, I know. But I forget how tall she was at her 18 month checkup – 34″? Something like that? So by now she’s a little bit taller. We’ve unfortunately been in so often for sicknesses and ear recheck visits that I’m very up-to-date on her weight, but I don’t think we’ll get another official height measurement until her 2 year checkup on her birthday in August. (what?? 2 years?! wow.)
• Speaking of those illnesses, she was just diagnosed with another case of hand, foot, and mouth. Come on! This poor kid can’t catch a break. I swear she’s been sick more often than not ever since she was about 6 months old. Attributable to daycare? Possibly. But at least it’s not another ear infection, for if it were, I’m afraid we’d have to go for a tubes consultation.
• I can see her becoming a little more independent each day, but she still loves to run up to me, give me a huge hug, and wrap her legs around me monkey style. When she pats me on the back while giving hugs my heart practically explodes.
• Dies of laughter when I get real close to her face to smother her with kisses or tickles. It’s the best.
• Pretty much a champ eater still. Obviously feeds herself always now (has for a long time) and is getting better and better with her silverware. Just the other day one of her daycare teachers said she’s one of the best eaters in her class, so that’s great. They’re learning how to drink out of cups with no lids, too. I let her try this at home with a cup of water the other night, but it ended up all over the living room floor. We’ll keep practicing.
• Watching her skinny little legs run through the house makes me smile every single time. Those tiny footsteps ring through the rooms like nobody’s business and always make my heart sing.
• LOVES to play at the park. She scampers up the equipment to zoom down the slides and usually throws a fit when you have to take her out of the swings to go home. I bet she’d live there if you let her.
• Her hair has finally grown! It’s long enough to get in a tiny little pony tail in back, but she’d just pull the pony tail holder out if I actually tried to leave one in.
• Words these days:
• Elmo
• hi
• bye-bye
• ball
• boat (and “row, row” for the song)
• box
• eyes (usually said when referring to glasses or sunglasses)
• hat
• hot
• shoes
• hop
• more (also stills signs this one)
• mee (said when signing “please”)
• mama
• dada
• dada version 2 (how she says her own name)
• bus
• purple
• orange
• blue (sounds more like “boo”, but whatever)
• ice
• ooo (while waving her hand, it’s how she says something is cold. i think it’s her version of “brr”)
• bubble
• octopus (except she likes to transpose the syllables and say “op-o-tus”)
• thank you (not entirely sounded out correctly, but again, whatever. we get it)
• makes all the animal sounds (moo, ba-ba, ee-ee-ee for monkeys, woof-woof, mrrow with a blink for cats, hoo-hoo for owls, zzz for all bugs, sss for snakes, good roars for lions and bears, hop-hop for frogs, neee for horses, makes an excellent fish face, does a great elephant noise complete with her arm for a trunk)
• apple
• moon
• all done
• boom boom boom (for thunder)
• arms
• ouch
• no (this one has just appeared in the past week or so and is, of course, my least favorite)
• knows that cars/trucks go “vroom-vroom” and trains go “choo-choo”
• Does an excellent Cookie Monster impersonation, and usually pairs it with saying “Elmo” when she wants to watch them or Sesame Street. Those are her 2 favorite guys right now.
• Doesn’t yet know she’s going to be a big sister, but we’ll work on that the closer #2’s arrival gets.

As always, I’m sure I’m forgetting a million things – sorry, sweet pea. But rest assured no lack of listing will ever diminish the incredible joy you continue to bring to our little family. We love you!