23 months!

Next month I will be the mother of a 2 year old! I love 23 months. Just like most other months...this is my favorite!

• Eliza is talking, talking, talking. She loves to listen to her Sesame Street music in the car (She loves this song, and this one, and this one and this one too... on repeat). She tells me, "Mommy, LOUD" I always say, "It is loud" and then she tells me "LOUDER!". Smart fart!
• She loves her Grandma Gail and talks about her all the time. It's a pretty fun name to say too!
  
• She (or should I say we) are not yet ready to start potty training. She tells me when she's about to poop and every single time I ask her if she would like to sit on the potty and she emphatically tells me, "NOOOO!" If she doesn't push for it sooner, we'll accomplish this task during the summer.
• I weighed her yesterday on a scale at a friends house and she weighs roughly 25 lbs. She is 32.5 inches tall (if I remember correctly). She wears mostly 18-24 month clothing and anything new that I buy is 2T. She is in a size 5.5 shoe and a size 4 diaper.
• She loves to build with blocks. I really need to get her a larger collection.
• She is so lovey. Sometimes when she's having a rough time I'll go through a list asking her what she might want. When I can't guess right I'll ask her if she wants kisses from me. I'm sure that's not what she wanted in the first place, but she always smiles and says yes. It's so cute. And when she kisses she makes a big mmmmmmmmwa sound.
  
• I love this age because I'm able to reason with her. She is generally very happy and can communicate her needs and wants really well. She understands when I tell her she has to wait for something. If she is whiny I can tell her to use words and she can usually articulate what she wants. It's nice. And now I will go knock on wood!
• She has become a little bit more clingy lately, but nothing like this past summer. She was going to school so willingly for a long while and last week she kind of fussed at drop-off. The thing is, the feeling is mutual. I don't want to be away from her either. Anyhow, if she cries at all when I drop her off I usually call a half hour later to see how things are going and she is always settled in just fine. For the first part of the year they had her sleeping in the main room because she was having a hard time sleeping in the baby room. This was no better and at one point she was sleeping maybe 1/2 hour. Not good. After Christmas break I asked that she be put to sleep in the toddler room where it is quiet. She is now sleeping close to 2 hours at school which is wonderful for both of us!
• Lasagna is her favorite food.
• She still has a bottle in the morning and evening. She doesn't care if it's a bottle or a sippy cup or a cup with a straw and I don't either.
• She usually wakes up so happy. She gets right in my face and says, "Hi mama!" or "What doing mama?". Even if I'm not ready to get up it makes me smile.
  
• We've moved on from Caillou to Arthur and now Frosty. Hopefully this phase will pass soon because I don't want to be hearing about frosty and Santa Claus in the spring.
• She LOVES to swim. The only problem is that even indoor pools seem a bit frigid this time of year. My mom lives in a condo with an indoor pool and we went swimming tonight. She loves to jump off the edge and go under. When I catch her she immediately wipes the water from her face and exclaims, "more under!!!!".
  
• I love this kid. I've been thinking about the attachment process for me lately. I thought I would instantly be in love. Much to my surprise I instantly loved her, but it took me a little while to feel the "in love" feeling. Or maybe I felt it all along, but it gets stronger with time. Whatever it is, I can say that I am head over heels in love with my girl. She is literally the light of my life. I can't believe how lucky I am.
  
• Oh, and, only 4.5 months until summer vacation (when I can spend every waking moment with her for 3 months!).