Today you are 17 months old. We continue to be in awe of you--the greatest gift we have ever received--and incredibly thankful for the joy and laughter you bring to our home. We are even thankful for the challenges you are presenting to us as a toddler for they teach us patience, endurance, and how to love you unconditionally but discipline you to be ready for all the good things God has in store for you.
One of our favorite things about you is that you give us great cause to play and frolick and explore. These pictures are of you and your daddy at the Children's Museum. We went room by room quickly with your short toddler's attention span but loved watching you care for babies, grocery shop, learn about water, pretend to camp, drive a bus, and watch other kids put on a show. You love other kids and have a special fondness for babies.
Most days home is your playground and that suits you well, too. Your favorite entertainments are everyday things like the six packs of diapers that became blocks. You have discovered Mommy and Daddy's closet and purses and shoes are fantastic for you developing imagination. Most days you carry around multiple purses/lunchbags/totes and sometimes couple that with a pair of shoes. You are pretty good at walking in mine, but Daddy's are too big and trip you up!
I've started scouting out a good take-home box for you when we check out at Costco. You really like the big ones with the front dipped out. This time it was a Fruit & Nut Medley box and I couldn't help but think that describes a toddler well--usually sweet but occasionally a little bit hard headed!
In the last month you've made some major steps forward! Your vocabulary is exploding! You now say: cracker, chicken, bike, pool, cheese (when we take a picture!), bag, shoe, cow, ma (milk), paci, food, Nana, and so many more! Grammy insists we all say please and thank you and thought it was time for you to learn too. It's so nice to hear you say those things and impresses people when we are in public!
You understand that Daddy leaves in a car (daddy-bu-bye-car) and ask for him during the day. We are so excited when he comes home and says he missed his girls that day. We do prayer hands and eat dinner before playing and going to bed (nigh-nigh).
We've worked really hard to get you to stop throwing food off your tray when you are finished, and to tell us you are done. Now you say, "take this" when you are done with something and have a "no thank you" place on your tray. It works...most of the time!
It seems like you eat all the time! You have loved fresh summer foods from berries (you grab a few every time you get in your milk out of the fridge or put it back) to pickled beets (a little pucker doesn't scare you off). During the day you have snacks at your little table. Usually you ask for crackers and run to sit down.
During our trip to the Midwest, I let you have your paci's as much as you wanted. It helped you with the change in pressure on the planes and, as always, was your preferred teething toy as you got another set of molars. When we got home, you thought that should continue and didn't want to take no for answer. It made for a rough couple of days.
When I caught you stealing paci's out of the dishwasher, I knew they had to go so I threw them away in front of you. I was surpised you didn't cry. You understand throwing trash away and just seemed to accept it. You did ask to look in the paci jar several times over the next few days, but when I said they were all gone, you were ok. I was so proud of you! Your lovies are things that have been around (white and green stuffed dog, your ladybug blanket, and a pink fleece blanket) but now all three go to bed and get up with you. When Daddy was resting on the couch you brought him your lovies. It was a sweet Georgia thing to do!
With the paci's gone, we brought in the potty chair. You love to sit on it and over the next few months we'll start working toward being diaper free!
This picture of us wearing our matching pj pants cracks me up. You rarely get upset like this and I think it's funny that we look so cute other than your mad don't wanna go to bed face! We are in a good stretch of not teething so you sleep all night. If you wake up, you can get yourself back to sleep.
Your body is trying to figure out how much sleep you need now. Sometimes you'll sleep 13 hours at night, skip the morning nap, and take a mid-afternoon nap. Other days you'll sleep 11 hours at night then take both a morning and afternoon nap. We love peeking in on you before we go to bed. Most nights you are stretched out and make me think you aren't going to last long in that crib!
You most definitely have a ornery streak in you. You love to climb, dig, and explore. You test the boundaries...sometime just to see what we'll do. The newest challenge is getting you to not eat crayons. I turned my back for a few seconds and found you with a black waxy mouth, which of course you were happy to show off for a picture.
We are still working on a discipline strategy with you. You seem to understand the danger in our voices when it's something that could hurt you, but you often laugh at us when we are emphatic. It's so frustrating!! When your Grammy heard you do this, she said, "Georgia Elyse, when you laugh like that I think there's a little bit of the devil in you!" Yes, indeed! Right now I am trying a softer than normal tone and redirecting you.
You ask for things by coming to get us and asking us to go with you by extending your hand. Sometimes you push and pull us to go where you want us to or do what you want us to. We like it when you climb on the couch and pat the place next to you so we'll come sit down.
You don't have to share much but you will so we are working on that also. Your daddy is such a tease and he is teaching you to be also. You like to play what I call the JK-LOL game (that's text language for just kidding, laughing out loud). You'll act like you are going to give/feed/share and then take it back at the last second and laugh. At least you think it is funny when sometime does it to you too!
You have a great interest in things that are pretty now. You were a little tom-boyish from playing with little boys, but the princess in you is showing more and more. Here you are with clips in your hair that Nana bought you. You looked adorable!
You love to play with bracelets, necklaces, and purses. You are starting to pay attention to our clothes, too. You tell us to put on our shoes and try to help us do that. This morning as I was getting dressed you were pulling on a dress in our closet that you recognized and repeated over and over, "mama-mama," as in this is mama's dress. Nothing much gets past you!
You have learned how to high-five, pound knuckles, and give kisses. For all your independence, you love to be held (up!) and give the best squeezes EVER. You love when we sing in the car and dance to music. You smile and we cannot help but smile at you.
As you rest tonight, rest knowing we'll always be here loving you, supporting you, and helping you grow and learn. You are loved SO much!
Kisses!
Ma-ma and Da-da
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