Libbi, you are 19 months old TODAY! Here are the some of the things you've been up to this past month:
You love to sing. Your favorite songs are "wheels on the bus", "itsy bitsy spider", "Jesus loves Me", "If you're happy and you know it", and "old macdonald." Anytime we ask if you want to sing a song, you always say, "Yes!" and you usually make a request, too. :)
You typically request "bus!" or "E-I-E-I-O!" :)
You have busted out some brand new dance moves this month. I have no idea where these came from. We laugh so hard whenever you dance and it has become one of our favorite forms of entertainment. We have had a lot of "dance parties" at night after supper. I try (and will keep trying) to video you dancing, but you usually stop as soon as you hear the "beep" of camera turning on.
You weigh around 28 pounds and can feel like pure dead weight when you want to. :) You are around 31 inches tall. When we went for your 18 month check-up you were in the 50-75% in weight, head circumference, and height. I am pretty sure not much has changed since then. You are still our perfectly proportioned little girl :)
You wear mostly 18-24 month clothes and some 2T :( I tend to forget when shopping for you that you are not my little baby anymore! I find myself looking at the 12-18 month outfits and then I suddenly realize that you're not that size anymore. I'm so glad that you are growing, but I have to admit it makes me a little sad that you're not in the "baby section" anymore and I now have to shop in the "little girl" department. :(
Your personality is coming through more and more....along with your stubborn streak (which you get from your Daddy!) ;0) Just when I start to think that pitching fits is one of your new hobbies, you quickly remind me how unbelievably sweet you are and make sure to give me lots of hugs and sugars.
You are Miss Independent! You want to do everything by yourself and you make it clear that you do NOT want our help. You want to hold your own cup, feed yourself, go up and down the stairs unassisted, brush your own teeth, even change your own diaper! I try to let you do as much by yourself as you can, but I draw the line when you try to clip your own nails :)
Although you are Miss Independent, you are still a Momma's Girl. :) My favorite times of day are when you snuggle up with me when you first wake up or right before bed. I love that you let me read to you and we read LOTS of books throughout the day. You copy so many things that I do - from pretending to dry your hair to pretending to put on makeup. When I fix your hair, you like to sit at my vanity and go through all my makeup and pretend to put it on both of us.
You love to "call" people - especially Daddy - and I'm not talking about on the phone (although you love that, too!) Whenever you are looking for Daddy, you will "call" him by yelling "DA-DA" at the top of your lungs. My favorite is when you do it into your microphone (or kazoo - ha!) or when you "call" him when we're out in public and you can't see him. :) If we say, "Call Buddy" you will yell "BUUUU-BUUUUU" and then follow it up with "MIIIIIIMMZZZZZY" (since they are a package deal) and it doesn't matter if they are within earshot or oblivious in their own home.
You are starting to talk a little more, but of course I still worry that it's not enough. You have about 15 words that you say really clearly, but everything else you seem to have your own language for. You talk all day long, you're just the only one that understands it. :) We try to get you to repeat what we say, but you will not do it. Every time we ask, "can you say_____?" you will answer, "uh-yeah" and then look at us like we're crazy. :) You have come up with your own sounds for certain things. For instance, you won't say "juice" or "cup" but you will make the same sound (huh-huh-huh) every single time you want something to drink. You know every animal sound imaginable, but you won't say their names, only their sounds. For instance, if you want some goldfish for a snack, you refuse to say, "fish" but you will make your fish face/noise to let us know that's what you want. I guess you will start talking when you are good and ready. One day when you are a complete chatterbox, I will look back on this time and laugh that I worried you weren't talking enough.
You are still an excellent sleeper! You sleep from 8pm-8am (almost) every night and typically nap from around 1-3 each afternoon. Sometimes a little longer, sometimes a little shorter.... I usually put you down for a nap around 1 and probably 75% of the time you will lie in your bed and talk to yourself for at least 30 minutes to an hour. You are happy as can be, so I just let you do your thing. I love listening to you practice all your words and sounds over the baby monitor. Then all of a sudden, everything goes quiet and I know you're asleep.
You started school this month and I am pretty sure you love it! You never cry when you get dropped off (thank you!) and your very first day you marched yourself right in like you'd been going to school all your life. I was much more effected than you were - ha!
Whenever I pick you up in the afternoons you are always happy. You tell me you played with the babies.....I don't think you realize that you are one of those babies, too! ;)
I feel like you have grown so much this month and you are starting to look more and more like a little girl and less like my little baby :(
You surprise us every day with how much you know and all that you take in. You are like a little sponge soaking up everything around you. I pray that you will always be so inquisitive and eager to learn! Your Daddy and I have enjoyed every single day of these past 19 months and we are so thankful that you are ours! We love you!!
"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
~Philippians 4:8
