21 Months

Our baby girl is now 21 months old. Here’s what Helen Grace is up to…

• Multiple new words come out a day, and she’s stringing sentences together. Favorite words are jumpy jumpy, uppy, stop, milk, funny, happy, bump, eat, bubbles, more, mine, etc. She repeats EVERYTHING that we say (her daddy thinks it’s a fun game to play). You can really have conversations with her now. It’s truly amazing to be able to communicate so well. She’s picking up sign language from the Little Gym and Blues Clues- wish I had started that months ago.
• She wants to do everything herself, and she will only accept help after she asks for it.
• We’ve worked hard on having “sweet hands,” and she is very sweet petting the animals and is getting better about not swatting her friends when she doesn’t want to share.
• She’s learned to walk backwards, and when she wants you to come with her, she’ll grab your hand and tell you to, “Come on.”
• When she doesn’t get her way, she is apt to tear off running and fall into a dramatic puddle on the floor.
• Loves to climb on the couch (and jump off of it), jump and tumble on the bed, and is fearless in general. Constantly wants to dance, swing, color, paint, play in the sand box, and play Ring Around the Rosie. Would stay for hours on a playground (loves to be outside) or an inflatable slide.
• 2 year molars are on their way. Tons of snot and fussiness, especially at night.
• She prances around or does her giddy up skip most places. Can’t be still too long!
• She’s down to one nap a day, which is usually around 1:00 and lasts two hours. She usually sleeps from 8-8:30 p.m. to 6:15-6:45 a.m.
• Just bumped up to size 5 diapers and pretty much wears 2T clothes.
• She loves to snuggle in her bed with Beary, Oatmeal, and her blanket. I’m still putting her down awake, and she is very easy to get to sleep for the most part (PTL!).
• She is using her manners more and more often without being prompted.
• I’ve started praying with her at bedtime, and she loves to put her hands together and listen to me pray. Some nights she says “More” and wants me to keep going.
• Her hair is growing like crazy- at least it’s growing evenly now though.
• She will go to the freezer door when she wants ice cream and the fridge door when she wants milk, cheese, etc.
• When you sneeze or stumble, she asks you, “K?”
• Still a big mama’s girl but has her daddy loving moments. I was gone all morning to Oxford for Delta Gamma’s initiation, and she played with Daddy, Grandma, and Peggy. I got home about the time John got home with her, asleep in the backseat. I pulled her out of the car seat in an effort to get her into her bed, but as soon as she cracked open her eyes and saw me, that was over. She gasped and squealed and wrapped her skinny little arms around my neck and wouldn’t let go. It was freaking adorable.