Twenty Months Old

Madeline doing her "usual" --- reading a book on something just her size to use as a chair.

Our little tot is so close to TWO years old?! Wow, how can this be?! The last month has been quite an adventure with Madeline. The highlight of the past month for me was my spontaneous, out of the blue, during breakfast, "I wuv you, Mama!" Yea, it doesn't get much better than that. Eric may get all the hugs/attention/crazy big smiles & laughs, but I got the verbal love, unprovoked nonetheless. A precious moment that I'm sure I'll never forget! My favorite recent Madeline action is the fact that she loves, almost to the point of OCD loves, to use a napkin during her meals. After every bite, she requests her napkin to wipe her hands and her mouth. It's not always effective, but it's super cute to see her practice such lovely table manners, again all on her own. Maybe our family meals & modeling good table manners is actually working?!

Below, Madeline is doing her own rendition of a fish face!

Her vocabulary continues to explode, and she belts out the funniest things when you least expect it. The other day, she yelled out, "OH goodness gracious!" from the backseat of the car. For what reason, I have no idea, but it just makes me laugh. And, who knew that she knew what a breeze was? The wind blew through her hair, and she exclaimed, "I feel breeze!" Her vocabulary and ability to string together several words just continues to grow and expand exponentially. It's so wonderful to be able to communicate with her not to mention hilarious. Unfortunately, Madeline's sweet vocabulary has been tainted by both her Mama and her Daddy (Oh Sh-t!). Whoops, but it was bound to happen since her Mama and Daddy forget and use potty mouth within earshot without even thinking about it. At least she uses them correctly in context, and this lovely saying only pops out every once in a blue moon. :0) We hope if we ignore it long enough, she'll forget. (Really, we don't condone her repeating our potty mouth, so we are most definitely practicing what we preach in terms of our language now that we've already tainted her vocabulary!) "NO!" is Madeline's favorite word, and she even says it when she means "yes!" It really drives me nuts, but we are working on using the affirmative when appropriate. I've at least gotten her to nod her head yes when she means yes. It's a start.

Madeline is just a busy little bee --- playing, talking, roaming around, reading her books, being Mama's "helper", and coloring. Over this last month she has really started to imaginary play with her Little People, stuffed animals, baby dolls, etc. --- making the characters interact with each other & interact with her, and while I don't understand everything she says, there is obviously some sort of scenario taking place. Occasionally, she'll say some words I recognize, and I find it really interesting who or what makes it into her imaginary play. Ms. Shannon, a wonderful lady from the gym kids' care, makes it into Madeline's play a lot. Books are still her favorite "toy", but her Little People set is definitely another favorite. I don't think much will ever trump her books, and I hope that books continue to be a top love for her. Madeline loves to be outside --- going on walks, swinging, sliding, & just exploring. Recently after a nap, she requested, "I shop." Anytime, I mention the word "shop", she gets very excited and heads for the door. The girl LOVES to shop, and as long as she's shopping, she doesn't care where we are. Clomping around the house in my shoes is also a highlight of Madeline's day...she's becoming quite proficient in getting the shoes on her feet & walking around without falling. There have even been brief dancing episodes in my shoes that have not ended as badly as I would've thought.

Madeline has "her days" and "her moments" like any other toddler, but we are all learning to handle those times appropriately. Luckily for us, the consistency in consequences has made an impression on Madeline, so we are able to move past the incidents rather smoothly for the most part. Overall, Madeline just continues to be the happiest little girl which makes us happy. Eric and I find ourselves just enjoying these precious moments with her as we are quickly learning that time presses on much too quickly.