20 Months

Lucy:

• can frequently be heard starting sentences with “I want…”
• has finally started to eat cheese, and is crazy for apples lately.
  
• loves her “nalk” [milk]. Ask anyone at Target who heard her protests when I refused to open the half-gallon right in the store.
• always requests "kinkle" when you ask what song she wants to sing (Twinkle, Twinkle).
  
• gets excited about eating pizza ("pisa! pisa!")
• started taking baths in the big bathtub, and loves it!
• for some reason calls most any monkey a “tommy.”
• has discovered and LOVES Curious George ("Where's George? George comin'?")
  
• learned how to give "uckles" (knuckles/fist bump).
• still likes to sit on the potty from time to time, and still doesn’t do anything in it.
• can be heard giving me instructions in the morning: “Mommy, jacket! Mitts! [mittens]”
• wears size 2T, although sometimes the pants are still a bit long.
  
• is much better at saying “thank you” and will address the person, i.e. "tee-too, Daddy."
• can say the names of several colors, but usually answers “What color is this?” with “blue.”
• is working on numbers and can count to 2, occasionally 3.
• is learning what a circle is [“see-co”].
• likes to cook in her kitchen and make apple pie or tea for everyone.
• wants “tails” in her hair, and gets mad when I won’t keep putting them in after she immediately pulls them out.
  
• gives THE BEST hugs and kisses!

Lucy

A.K.A.
Punky
Punk-a-Dunk
Sweetie
Bubba
Miss
And most recently...Toots


Any way you spin it, the light of my life.

The Little Gym

As we are full-force into the cold winter season, I have been looking for things to do with Lucy, to get us both out of the house and to help her burn off some of her abundant toddler energy. This past Sunday I took her to a trial class at a place called The Little Gym. This is a place where they have a variety of gymnastics and dance-type classes for kids.

We joined a class called “Beasts” for those ages 19 months to 2 ½ years. Lucy was obviously on the younger side of the class, but certainly not the smaller side! Before we started, the teacher warned me that the first time can be overwhelming, so if Lucy wanted to hang back and watch that would be OK.

As it turned out, this was not a problem. Lucy found herself in the middle of the circle more times than not, checking things out. She tried everything – the wheelbarrow, the forward roll, and some other exercises with my help. After circle time the kids were able to play freely on some of the mats and equipment in the room. Lucy was climbing and scrambling everywhere. Every once in awhile the teacher would stop the music and teach us a “skill” using a certain piece of equipment. She would usually have one of the children in the class help her to demonstrate. The second skill was on the uneven bars. She went through two kids and couldn’t get anyone to stand on the bottom bar and hang on to the top (with teacher holding their waist). But then there was my Lucy, who walked right up to the teacher and threw her arms up in the air. She stood on that bar without a glint of fear, until the teacher asked her to let go with one hand. Then she got a little spooked, so she got down. Everyone clapped for her and she was so proud! I was amazed she had even gotten up there, and so was the teacher. She said this particular class had been going for 17 weeks, and it usually takes until week 5 or 6 for a kid to even stand on the bar.

So I went ahead and signed us up for a class at The Little Gym. Every Sunday afternoon we will go and learn new skills and play with other kids and their parents. We start in 2 weeks!

Iowa Christmas

Over New Year's weekend we were able to make it down to Iowa to celebrate Christmas and a big wedding anniversary for my parents. Unfortunately Josh and his family couldn't make it because of the weather on Saturday, so they were missed, but we had a good time and were able to visit some other family as well. Below are some of my favorite pics from the weekend.

To my parents, we wish you many more years of love and happiness. 35 years is amazing, and we should all be so lucky! So glad we were there to spend it with you!

19 Months

This month has gone by so fast with all of the holiday activities. Here’s what Lucy has been up to.

She is:

• talking, talking, talking! At her 18 month appointment in mid-December the doc asked me how many words she has. I had counted about 40. Apparently 10-15 is average, and she has added more since then…we have a gabber on our hands!
• starting to put words together, as well. “More, please;” “Daddy go?” “My tee-tee” (blankey).
• 30 pounds and 32 ¾ inches long. Still a big girl!
• fighting persistent red patches on her cheeks – doc says it’s dry skin, but every time we seem to clear it up, it comes right back.
• loving her “babies” and stuffed animals, and has to have about 5 in bed with her or in the chair when we’re reading books.
• starting to take an interest in the bathroom and has even requested to sit on the toilet a couple of times. (Right now we’re just sort of facilitating the interest and explaining things, but aren’t in a rush to break out the potty training just yet).
• answering a lot of questions or requests with “NO.”
• putting Mommy through some pretty difficult mornings lately…Miss Independent is getting harder to get out the door.
• scolding the dog on a regular basis – my favorite is “Buddy, GO!” as she runs him over to the gate and points downstairs. That being said, she is not very nice to him sometimes…and we are trying to correct that.
• enjoying all of her Christmas gifts, especially her bean bag, baby dolls, Little People Farm, tea set, and play food.
• doing a lot of running up and down the hallways, and jumping into her bean bag.
• a dancing machine. She's got quite the fancy footwork!
  
• A busy, busy bee. The girl rarely slows down, but when she does, it is usually for food, sleep, or books!

As always, Lucy keeps us on our toes – whether it’s chasing her around from one toy to the next, or being careful about what we say in front of her. There is always something new to explore. It’s a really fun time right now, as she learns new words and phrases and is able to communicate better with us. She amazes me every day!