twenty months

My Dear Girl,

You are now twenty months old. Hard to believe that in just a few months, you'll be two. And then there will be two, as in two children. But I'm getting ahead of myself, so let's just recap the last month, shall we?

It's been a little rough, to tell you the truth. For the first time since those early weeks we brought you home from the hospital, you've had trouble sleeping through the night. Many nights you wake up multiple times, crying out for your "Mama," and you can't always get yourself back to sleep. This month we have two colds, separation anxiety, and four pressing teeth to thank for that. Thanks a lot. Add your sleeplessness to Mama's, and the two of us are sort of a sorry pair. But we get by. You, me, and the Cinderella music DVD.

Your absolute favorite things these days are stickers, princesses, and pirates (though not necessarily in that order). This month I could be found scraping stickers off the cupboards and your skin (ouch!) or singing the "princess song" (A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes) many, many times a day. We read your pirate book at least once each day and you love to point out their hooks and hats and earrings and boots. 

You amaze me with how smart you are and how quickly you learn new things. Tonight as we took a bath I said, "Where are Mama's toes?" as I hid them beneath the bubbles and you said, "There they are! One, two, three, four, five!" I joked to your Daddy that I might have Noggin to thank for your newfound counting skills. TV isn't all bad, you know, especially when one is suffering from pregnancy-related nausea or trying desperately to get dinner on the table. 

You've started calling us "Mommy" and "Daddy" all on your own, and it makes me a little sad, though I know that as long as we have our middle-of-the-night wakeup calls, I'll continue to hear "Mama!" when really needed. You are saying all kinds of sentences and making us laugh with your word combinations and the things you repeat. At night you've started to "read" to us, naming objects and animals and identifying emotions in your books. Every time we read your Cinderella book, when it gets to the part where our beloved princess cannot go to the ball, you get a tissue or blanket to wipe the tear on her face. You love to read your Bible and to hear stories about Jesus. Almost any time you hear his name, you say "Jesus...So much!" (Maddie speak for "Jesus loves me so much!") It makes us smile, inside and out.

Despite the struggles of a sleep-deprived month, you've managed to maintain your sense of humor and easygoing personality for most of the day (except when you're whining, which, in my mind, has started way too early). You love to laugh and make us laugh. In this last picture we're watching a fly buzz around the table and saying, "Shoo!" You thought it was hilarious and I was able to capture a classic Maddie face on camera. You are wagging your finger at that pesky fly, saying, "don't bother me," and cracking yourself up. Madeleine Noelle, you are one spunky girl. Thanks for keeping us on our toes.

Love you bunches,

Mama/Mommy