Although we didn’t plan it this way, when we recently took Troy to the zoo, he was almost the exact same age as Ella when she went to the zoo for the first time. He was quite the trooper - although we had the stroller, he preferred walking most of the day!
And, one of Ella. It is crazy how much changes in just 20 months!
Due to lots of craziness going on over the past month, I haven’t had the opportunity to cook much (at least not regularly). I’m thankful that we’re back into a least a little bit more of a regular schedule again. It is funny to me to think about how much I’ve evolved regarding my attitude towards cooking – I used to try to get out of cooking dinner, and now most nights I want to cook dinner – I really enjoy it and thankful for the opportunity to do it!
This milestone really hit me hard . . . you are the age Ella was when you were born. It is so crazy to me. Every little thing you do these days seems to show me how far removed you are from your newborn days.
You’ve suddenly developed a fondness for your pillow and blanket. I’ll ask you if you want me to cover you up, and you’ll lay down on your pillow, stick your thumb in your mouth, usually curl up, and wait for me to cover you up. It is pretty precious! You’ll say “cover up, cover up.” Anytime you stick your thumb in your mouth, we know you are ready to go to sleep. That’s the only time you suck your thumb.
You’ve had a lot of fun exploring water this mouth. You got to splash in rain puddles (although you had a knack for finding the mud puddles), and you went swimming for the first time this season. It was fun to see you in the swimming pool because you are so much older/bigger than last year when you were in the pool.
You’ve been able to say Ella’s name for a long time now, but you have started saying it a lot – calling her when you want her to do something with you or if you want something she has or if you want to give her something. You say “Eva, Eva, Eva!”
We had the opportunity to hang out with your cousin a couple of weeks ago. He’s about 9 months younger than you, and when it was time to swim, he didn’t want to get in the pool – he’d only sit in the grass several feet away. You, completely unprompted by any of the adults supervising, filled a bucket of water, walked over to him, and poured the bucket of water on him. We all about died laughing!
You continue to love going outside, and often request to go outside by saying, “outside! outside!” You rush to the door if you think anyone is going outside to play. You love running and exploring, and also have a great time chasing dogs if they are outside with us.
You have always been pretty good at communicating what you want, but you continue to amaze me in your speech development. You use lots of sentences with one of your new favorites being, “I want to take it.” You love to grab whatever it is you want (including a grandparent’s Sonic cup). You’ve gotten a bit better about not throwing things (like your cup) as soon as you finish with them.
Signs you do: more, finished, milk, hungry, thank you, please, thirsty, sleepy, bath
Words you say: No way I can even count or name them! You say so many things!
Animal noises you make: chicken, duck, cow, dog
Body parts you identify: nose, eyes, mouth, ears, hair, head, hands, belly, teeth, tongue
Favorite foods: You are still a finicky eater in that one day you like something and the next you don’t. Generally, your favorites are banana, beans, cheese, chicken, and crackers (although the type of cracker changes . . . }
Favorite activities: walking (and pretty much running!) and exploring everything, especially following Ella or chasing a dog; reading books; watching Blue’s Clues or Finding Nemo; taking baths; playing with balls (you love to throw any kind of ball); playing outside; playing with toys, especially talking on the phone or putting things over your head or playing with the kitchen stuff; trying get any electronics or drinks you can spot.
This photo reminds me of something that I’d want to put in a graduation slide show to embarrass Ella . . . this “catch” was priceless!
