20 Months Old!

Happy 20 Months, Shelby-girl!

It's hard to believe we are just a mere four months away from celebrating your SECOND BIRTHDAY! Weren't we just celebrating your first birthday?! This second year of life--as you have transitioned from a baby into a toddler--has seemed to have flown by much faster than that first year..at least it has for your mama. It seems like it was just yesterday that you were booty-scooting around the living room. Now you are running all over the house and talking up a storm! And your little personality--sweet, strong-willed, and silly all wrapped into one--is coming out more and more each day. We are so proud of you and the person you are becoming!

 Here is what Miss Shelby is up to these days....

--After lots of time, effort, and patience you have finally graduated to Stage 3 baby food! Yay!
--You are starting to tolerate fruit a little more, too! The only fruit you actually enjoy {in other words, the only fruit you will willingly pick up and eat on your own..everything else, Mommy has to put in your mouth} is still your beloved bananas. You are starting to tolerate: grapes, strawberries, and peaches.
--You are talking up a storm these days! You are saying LOTS of new words this month! And the biggest development in your language this month is that you are trying to string two words together now, which your Early Intervention Coordinator told me is a 24 month old skill. :)  It's amazing how you were "behind" in language, and now we can't slow you down! By far, your favorite two-word phrase is "D Dada" b/c you have heard me tell you that "D is for Daddy." Mommy hears "D Dada" a lot these days. :)
--You are attempting to repeat a lot of the words you hear Mommy & Daddy say. We have had to start being careful with what we say around you. ;)  And we have also had to start spelling words around you to avoid tantrums. For instance, if you hear us merely say the word "outside" in conversation, you run straight to the door b/c you think we're going outside to play...and when that doesn't happen, tantrums ensue! ;)
--Also, related to language you are finally signing "more." This totally baffles us b/c we started trying to sign with you around 6 months-ish. You totally understood the signs when we signed them to you, but never made any effort whatsoever to use the signs to communicate back with us. So we finally just stopped signing with you a couple of months ago. But now that you can actually say the word "more" is when you decide to start signing it, too. Silly girl!
--Your desire for independence has really started to develop this month. You get very frustrated if Mommy and Daddy don't let you do every.single.thing by yourself. The power struggles we have can be very exhausting at times, but I know this is just a part of you growing up!
--You are testing the limits we place upon you on a regular basis. Your little brain is just trying to figure exactly how much you can get away with. ;)  Unfortunately, Mommy & Daddy are really struggling with you in the discipline department. Every time we think we are being firm with disciplining, you just start giggling or think it's a game we are playing with you..ha!
--Your little sense of humor and desire to make others smile has really blossomed this past month! You love to just throw yourself down on the ground b/c you know it makes us laugh every time. When I come to get you out of your crib in the mornings or after your nap, you like to lay back down and pretend like you're going to sleep. You are a hoot!
--You can wear anything from size 2T up to 4T in clothes right now depending on the brand, but typically 3T fits you the best. You still wear a size 5 diaper and size 6 in your shoes.
--Your sense of imagination is also starting to come out this month! You are playing "pretend" and giving bottles and sippy cups to your baby dolls in case they are thirsty. You also like to play with cars and make them say "vroom" when you are driving them. It's always surreal when we watch you playing in this manner b/c you can't possibly be old enough to be playing pretend!
--You are teething like crazy! I think all of your teeth have officially broken through or are right on the surface of your gums. You still only have your front four teeth and your four molars that are all the way in, but every other tooth beside those eight are working their way into your mouth...you have been such a trooper through all of the pain!
--It never ceases to amaze me what a good sleeper you are! I remember when you were a newborn {and I was severely sleep-deprived}, I kept reading all of the sleep books to figure out how to get us both some much-needed zzzz's. But none of the books really had any sleep training strategies for newborns b/c they said newborns always sleep--typically 16-20 hours a day. Ha! You hated sleep your first few months of life. But now? Now that you are nearing two years of age? Now, you sleep 16 hours, if not more, most days..and it baffles me! For the past couple of months, you have been going to bed around 7:30 or 8pm and waking up around 8 or 8:30am. But you must have hit a growth spurt or all or your teething has taken it out of you b/c you have been sleeping in until 9 or 9:30 in the mornings. So 13-14 hours of sleep at night and then a 3 hour nap in the afternoon! Mommy & Daddy are both very thankful to have such a good sleeper!
--Every now and again, you are starting to throw everything out of your crib when you wake up again. I guess we aren't totally out of the throwing stage just yet! ;)
--You get SO excited when Daddy walks through the door in the evening! Whenever you hear any noises that are evenly remotely similar to the front door opening or the garage door going up, you start yelling "Dada! Dada!" You definitely love your Daddy! :)