Friday, March 28, 2014

Elizabeth at 21 months

Oh my goodness this kid is hilarious!

I actually can’t quite get enough of her these days. She’s continually amazing us at what she can accomplish and do. I tend to be pretty laid back so she’s able to try just about anything on her own, with safety accounted for of course.

Her very favorite words to utter are “I do it, I do it” and then upon doing whatever it was she’ll get a huge smile on her face and say “I did it, I did it.” She is so proud of herself when she can figure something out and we of course are proud of her just for having the gumption to try.

Each day looks relatively the same with some exceptions but for the most part our days begin between 7/7:30. She usually wakes up really happy so we set out for a leisurely morning. Following wake-up we get started on breakfast and empty the dishwasher. This is by far one of her favorite tasks. She is in charge of the silverware and all plastic plates/containers and she does it all without even being asked. During breakfast we’ve been reading our Jesus Storybook Bible and she is totally in to it; we often finish more than one story. If we even forget to bring it out she’s right there reminding us “bi-bal, bi-bal”. After breakfast we usually turn on her morning show, 25 min., so that I can shower and get ready without having someone pulling everything out of my makeup drawer. The last time I showered without a show on she ended up opening the lotion container and looked like this:

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After that we are ready to get her dressed, her teeth brushed and we are usually out the door by 9 if we have Bible study or MOPS, otherwise we are off to run errands/play somewhere/or we head to the basement to do laundry and play. Lunch is around 12 and nap starts around 12:30/1. She usually sleeps for 2 hours so during that time I get whatever relaxing thing I want done. I really try not to use the time to get a lot of house things done because I really want her to see mommy’s “work” and be able to participate if she wants. Following naps she gets her second show of the day, same length and a snack. Then we are off for more errands, for cleaning the house, prepping dinner, or just playing downstairs or outside. Around 5:30 Alex comes “home” and we eat between then and 6. Bedtime routine starts at 7 and she’s in bed by 7:15.

She’s really begun talking up a storm. At 18 months we really had to stretch to come up with 8 words that she said consistently and now she has well over 40, as I’ve stopped counting and writing them down. She knows quite a few animal sounds and the way she “neighs” is absolutely hilarious.

Elizabeth has always been really good at fine motor and she’s blown us away by what she can do. She’s an expert at puzzles, ones that have pictures in the background and ones that don’t. She loves playing with her duplos and building towers with her blocks. She’s just started getting her doll house out and moving the people about. She can kick and throw a ball, buckle any buckle, almost pull her own pants on and almost get her crocs on by herself, kind of do a somersault, and zip zippers. If she’s not doing those things you can find her flat on her belly with a marker or crayon in hand drawing on paper. She also loves stickers and dressing up. Oh and don’t get me started about babies. She’s obsessed. She definitely has a helper heart; she loves to clean up her toys, help clear the table, open doors and turn off lights.

It’s really fun for me to let her help. I see this burgeoning joy to serve others and help others that is not prompted that I just want to encourage and foster. I’ve already begun making a list of things to buy that will allow her to do more things on her own, like a stool and a mini pitcher. And she’s started laughing at things that are truly funny. We are always cracking up with her and the silly things she does.

So far she’s been a pretty good girl as far as acting out goes. She has her moments like we all do and although she has a bit of a strong will I’ve found it easier to accommodate and help her to accomplish what she’s trying to do rather than tell her no all the time because most of those things are far easier for me to do myself. I don’t mind tasks taking a lot longer than necessary because I often get sidetracked anyways and they still take me longer:)

While it’s hard for me to believe that in just 3 short months she will be 2 I’m pretty overjoyed to have been able to experience 21 months with her. I love getting to do life with this sweet girl day in and day out. AND I can’t wait for her to be a big sister because I have a feeling she’s going to LOVE it!

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