17 Months

17 Months Old: 01/19/14

Miss Beans

If a genie granted me a repeat of any month of your life to date, it would totally be this one. 

It was so fantastic. So special. 

And then we blinked and you were 17 months. 

We really feel like you have grown up overnight.  

There was no easing into it.  Just bam - little adult. 

I think a big part of the change to insta-toddler is because you went so long without being mobile. To the point where I would often dread the sympathy Oh, she'll take off in no time or the silent She's not walking yet? glances. And though laced with a smidgen of fear and concern, we were still confident you would eventually walk in your own timing. But it was still a bit uncomfortable {on our end only} when we would have playdates with your little friends. Because only then would it be made blatantly obvious that you were behind the others with your gross motor skills. 

But now that you've mastered walking over the last couple of months, we can't keep up with you! No one would ever even know you started crawling 3 months after your cohorts. You can keep up with your two year old friends, you're practically running, and your new favorite pastime is climbing up and down stairs. 

And that's all it took.
You have so much more confidence with your new skills. 

And just like that, you grew up.

Other factoids from the month:

• You are a girly girl through and through. You love combing your hair, "putting in" your hair bows, playing with Mommy's shoes, rocking and feeding your baby, and having tea parties with Samson. That being said, just because you're girly doesn't mean we don't encourage blocks! and cars! and science-y things! {I'm quite passionate on this topic. Post to come, I'm sure}. But I love when you do things that show off your genius-ness, like when you match shapes in your shape book and puzzle. Or when you put lids on things. Girls can be smart too!

• You have opinions, and you're not afraid to express them. And of course the ones you choose to express are those of distaste. You do not like diaper changes. You are not a morning person. You sure as heck do not like brushing your teeth. And food? Forget about it. I have no idea where in the world my non-picky, exotic-food-loving baby went. It's a guessing game every day. Which makes it incredibly difficult when you have about a 3 second window of patience before you begin pacing, pointing to your mouth and yelling EAT, EAT!

• It still amazes me at how well you follow directions. And it always catches me off guard because you get so frustrated when we can't understand what you're trying to say. But you sure understand us. You are able to point to just about every body part when I quiz you. You come toddling out of a room when I tell you to come here. You shut the cabinet doors when we ask, even when you're desperate to explore inside. And you give me whatever it is I ask you to hand over - Lyla, give me those toe nail clippers, please. 

• There are a few things you do at this phase that are so cute I could scream. Like when you are really tired, you just lie down in the middle of the floor and start sucking your thumb.  Or how you see yourself in the mirror or in a picture and proudly say La-La. Or when I ask you to give me a hug and a kiss, and you walk straight over, squeeze me really hard, and plant one right on my lips. Ahh. I die. 

• I have finally *and happily* accepted that you are a homebody. Nothing makes you happier than quiet time at home. Of course you love your little friends, going out and about, and music class, but you just really love some "you time" too. I've finally found the answer to your toddler melt-downs. Just a few minutes of quiet time by yourself and you immediately calm down. Or like last week at music class. I was so sad because you just weren't yourself and didn't seem to enjoy yourself like you usually do. But the moment we walked in the door at home, you were an energetic maniac. Running through the house giggling and squealing. An introvert, perhaps? 

• My favorite developmental skills to watch {or hear} is your expanding vocabulary. Some words you repeat after I say them, but most you say out of the blue after you've mastered them. And some words you say once or twice, and then we won't hear them again for a month or two. But your favorite word far and beyond this month is eat. A few others include poo poo, boots, cracker, bow, GiGi, head, happy, hat, achoo (from a song in music class), and amen. And you started saying phrases like bye-bye poo-poo and Hi Zeke (Pops and Gigi's dog). And your new word for words you haven't quite mastered is consistently da-loll-lello. ???

• You sure do love Sunday school. You start kicking your legs and dancing when we walk in. And I'm always relieved to get your little "report card" that tells me your mood was "happy". I'm admittedly nervous every time we drop you off because you are still - yes still - taking two naps during the day. And Sunday school is smack-dab in the middle of your morning nap. And sometimes they serve Cheerios. And you hate Cheerios. {What kid hates Cheerios, you ask? Mine. That's who}. Oh. And you have started folding your hands during dinner and bedtime prayers followed by the sweetest amen {ah-meh} I ever did hear. I can't even handle.

• And a Few Fast Facts: No clue on your weight and height, but you're comfortably in 12-18 month clothing, size 3-4 shoes, size 4 diaper, you have 12 teeth. 

Next month, you will be one and a half years old.

And I don't want to talk about it.