21 Months

Alternately titled, How is it possible that this is the last one of these posts before she's two????

There are so, soooo many things I love about Leah at this age!  So many that are worth remembering and cherishing.  All year I've been saying that this phase is my very favorite, and all year it's been true.  One is incredible.  Possibly more amazing than her very first year.

I'd like to keep this post a readable length, but there are so many things I adore about Leah at 21 months.

• In the last few days she has really begun practicing sentences instead of just words.  She's been able to string words together for quite a few months, but they've always been simple ideas and separated by some space (Hat. On.).  Now, we have legitimate short sentences and multiple ideas.
• We were talking about how the leaves go away in the winter and come back in the summer, and she said clear as a bell: "come back leaves!"  
• I love the way she says words that start with S right now.  They're all nasally; she literally breathes out her nose to pronounce the S.  Snow is "Th-now" with air out the nose.  It's hillarious.
• She is obsessed with counting.  She does it all the time, except she likes 3 and 4 the best.  She can count... I've heard her!  But she'd much rather start with 3 and end with 4. Again. And again.
• She is definitely her mother's child.  She is always telling me, "careful."  "gentle."  and "scared me!"  When she does the last one, she puts her little hand over her heart, and there's no doubt about where she got that move.  
• The way she says "God bless you!" before bed.  LOVE.IT.
• She is absolutely fascinated by Santa.  Everywhere we go: "Santa!  See!  Hug!"  
• She is the most amazing little helper.  She LOVES to help with everything from setting the table (I fold silverware up in a napkin and let her put them on the table, and she takes plastic cups to the table), to putting laundry in the washing machine and cleaning up her toys, to folding blankets and emptying the dishwasher, where she can actually put the clean silverware into the drawer.  Don't even get me started on her love of taking things to the trash!
• That girl can finish a cup of cocoa in 2 minutes flat.  Seriously.
• We recently discovered the best trick EVER to getting her to eat: a snowman plate with 3 dividers.  How did I not do this earlier?  The girl loves to feel like a "biggurl" eating on her very own plate. 
• When we ask her if she's sad, she laughs and says no!  Then we ask if she's mad and she laughs and says noooo!  Then we ask, "what are you?"  and she responds, "Happy!  Silly!" and gives the biggest giggle. 
• Her super-fake silly smile, which she puts on any time a camera is pointed in her direction (Exhibit A is above!).
• She has officially outgrown bed time.  We used to have a lovely routine that included milk, a story, prayer and some snuggling.  Now she's too grown up for that.  As soon as she finishes her milk she asks for her bed and puts herself to sleep.     
• She knows everything.  I know I say that every time I write one of these, but I'm absolutely in awe of how much she knows.  In a conversation about the cold and snow outside, she told me, "Hot, summer.  Snow, winter."  Um... how does she know that?!  She was only 20 months old!!!!!
• She went through a huge growth spurt in September.  Prior to September, her 18 month clothes didn't really fit.  In September, she wore them and by October she'd outgrown them.  She now wears exclusively 2T clothing, even though they're a tiny bit big. 
• She wears size 3 diapers and size 5 shoes.  We have a potty, which she is very interested in, but totally not ready to use yet. 
• She has quite a few teeth: the top and bottom two front teeth and about half of her molars, as well as a few others I don't know the names of. 
• Her favorite book is currently How the Grinch Stole Christmas and her favorite show, bar none, is Caillou.  Yes, Elmo has been replaced.  She also really loves her teddies, and the more, the better.  She likes to go to sleep hugging at least three of them. 

Although we are definitely beginning to see more and more toddler like behaviors, she is such an easy girl.  I think her verbal skills help in that, because she communicates so effectively that it makes her feel like she's being heard and doesn't have to act out.  And, it helps because we can reason with her when she's upset.  That's a pretty big accomplishment for someone who's not even two!

I can't fully express in words the gratitude I feel for this sweet little person.  We are so blessed - beyond anything we could ever deserve or have imagined - to know her.  Being her Mommy is far and away the best thing I've ever done.

We love you to the moon and back, sweet girl!