Lexi at 20 Months

It has been another whirlwind of a month, mostly because of the holidays and all our travels that accompanied them.  Nonetheless, you were a trooper through it all and hit all sorts of new milestones.  Here are some of the highlights from this month.

You are talking in phrases and multi word sentences now.  It's amazing to see the difference from one month to the next.  You are like a little Chatty Kathy doll.  We've never had any troubles understanding your intentions, but now you are very clear with saying exactly what you mean.  And there is very little that you can't say.  You are able to repeat almost everything you hear.

Lexi, it has become clear this month that you are going to be a righty.  You hold your little crayons, spoons and forks with your right hand.  Whenever I hand you things, you always grab with your right hand.  I must say I am relieved.  Some of my very favorite people are lefties, but I was a little concerned about how I would teach you to hold a pencil, write, and draw, among so many other things, if I was teaching you the opposite of how I do things.  I know many others have bridged the gap with no problems, but it's still a relief.

You have picked up a few more cute sayings this month.  Now, you say "see ya bye" when you are telling people goodbye and you also say "hiya pal" now too.  That one came directly from the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

You have also taken to holding random things up to your ear like a phone and saying hello and bye bye.  You have regular conversations with things like your shoes, your cups, and random toys (although never toy phones, though you have a few.)  You have also started knocking on doors, and then saying "hello?"  Sweet, sweet baby of mine.

Lexi, until now you have always asked for your "cup" when you wanted something to drink.  But now you are asking specifically for "water" or "milk" instead of just "cup".

You have always been a sleeper.  You were late to moving from 3 naps down to 2, and then again when moving from 2 naps down to 1.  You have slept through the night since you were literally just a few weeks old.  But now, you have started taking yourself to bed at naptime and bedtime.  You grab your little stuffed animal and your pillow and run off to your room, with me trailing behind trying to catch up as you are talking about "sleep" and "bed".  You have never fought going down.  I think you rather enjoy it.  Mama understands.  I'm pretty sure I know where you got that.

Lexi, your Daddy has taught you how to walk upstairs, which you are doing quite skillfully now.  Of course we are always right there with you and of late, he has even taught you how to hold on to the rail.   So you say"stairs", "upstairs", and "steep" now as you make the long climb.  It is a bit of a baby workout for you. He's been researching how to teach you to come down the stairs.  I'm sure that's next.

You continue to enjoy playing with puzzles.  Now you are getting the pieces into the right slots on your own.  You used to ask us to "turn" the pieces into the correct position, but now you can do that too.

Of course, we celebrated Christmas this month.  We all traveled to Lexington, KY a few days before Christmas to visit with Uncle Ryan, Aunt Lindsay and cousins Abby and Ben.  We decorated Christmas cookies, exchanged gifts, and you got to ride a horse for the first time.  You were a pro, such a big girl up on that horse.  You didn't like the helmet but after we figured that out, you were great.  You rode with a trainer, and settled in perfectly.  We came home for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  Santa was VERY good to you.  Although you are at the age where unwrapping gifts is still a bit of a mystery to you.  After Christmas we traveled to NC to see more family.  You traveled great in the car for HOURS at a time.  You slept, watched videos, and zoned out in the back seat.  You loved playing with all the cousins and all their toys.

Lexi, you have officially graduated from asking for "Minnie on the TC" to asking for "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse". 

You are requesting chicken nuggets now, and still enjoy tacos.

We have definitely noticed that you are starting to assert independence with wanting to feed yourself and in making food choices.  You still mostly eat what we feed you but you want it to be your idea. You love using a fork and spoon, though it makes a mess. 

Lexi, you are very affectionate.  You now say "love you" to us.  And you run up to us and hug us around the legs.  You hug Izzie (and other dogs too) around their midsection.

Your pillow has become your security blanket, as of very recently.  You drag it around with you everywhere.  If you don't know where it is, you ask for it.  You sit on it, snuggle with it, and of course lay on it in the bed.  You just love that pillow. 

Lexi, you are one amazing litttle girl.  We are so in love with you.  You light up our lives more and more every day!