22 Months

In such a short period of time, we'll reach that 2 year mark. Do I have to stop measuring her age in months after that?? Or do I have to say '2 years, __ months'. Sigh.....the little heart breaks of being a mother....

For the most part, 22 months is a fantastic age at our house. It means non stop chatter and the discovery of multiple new words every day. I have BEYOND lost track of all the words my daughter can say. Maybe if I was a better mother, I would carry a pad of paper at all times to write them down, but I'm not and I don't mind it one bit.

Let's see....Kalaya can repeat back the entire alphabet (and requests 'ABCs!!!!' about 50 times a day) and count with someone to 10. I've caught her saying around 10 letters in a row on her own. She can identify M and N out of context and sometimes O. She knows square, circle, triangle, rectangle, diamond, oval, heart, and star out of context. Yesterday this child even said octagon, which literally left me speechless. She repeats back almost everything you say to her or around her. (We are being VERY careful with our language these days) She is saying 3-4 word sentences about absolutely everything!

She has the funniest interests. She is still SO into Elmo and everything associated with Sesame Street, which I don't think is going to change any time soon. It is crazy how Elmo attracts this age. She's had some books with Elmo and other characters for a long time. She learned the word Elmo from these books awhile back and it totally stuck with her. Then, my GENIUS husband decided one day to show her this video and she was forever hooked. What is it about him?? I mean, I like Elmo as much as the next gal, but it is amazing how toddlers are drawn to this little red monster with the cute little voice. She started demanding Elmo at the computer at all times, which quickly had to end. We compromised by downloading the song on iTunes, which still lead to a demand for Elmo at the computer. If you look at the amount of times that most songs are listened to on our computer, it's around 30 or so for the most listened to (mainly Glee songs). Elmo's Song has been played 2083 times. I am not making this number up. We just put it on repeat and ignore it.

Anyway, I had always said my kids wouldn't watch TV before 2 and I still think that's a good rule. However, she LOVES him so much we decided she can watch the "Elmo's World" section of Sesame Street once or twice on Sat mornings and not back to back. (it's about 15-20 min long) We figured, at least it's educational, right? (see, this is why you NEVER decide things about parenting before you have kids!!!) Anyway, the obsession has only increased and now includes Abby, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Grover, etc. She can seriously spot Elmo in stores from 50 yards away, it is incredible. He has been a saving grace for distraction and motivation though: when we or she have been sick, watching Elmo has saved the day. We have him on her toothbrush and a stuffed Elmo for bed time, both of which have made those activities much easier. She has Elmo big girl underwear waiting for the right time. For our trip on the plane next week, I raided the dollar bins at Target and got TONS of distractions featuring Sesame Street. I also reserved several DVDs at the library to watch on the portable DVD player on the plane. And, thanks to family members, she now has plenty of clothes and toys that have to do with Elmo.

It is so neat to see her become her own little person with her own interests. Currently, bunnies are at the top of the list. Her favorite books all involve bunnies. She is especially a fan of Goodnight Moon and I Am a Bunny. She loves all things bunnies that we see, which is really fun right now with all of the Easter stuff in stores. I'm especially looking forward to her Easter basket and maybe a trip to meet the Easter bunny. She also really likes lights. That sounds so strange, but she's so interested in lights turning on and off and gets SO excited and squeals when either one happens! We went to the Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner last night and all she did was point out all the different types of lights and fixtures. (they have a LOT of different styles and colors) She loves to color and I'm excited to start doing more crafts with her. She loves balloons and gets so excited if she sees one. The lines at the grocery store are almost too much some times. : )

She is so independent these days, I can't believe it some times. It's usually pretty easy to redirect, just ignoring a no or practicing saying 'yes' instead. She does get stubborn and 'no' is definitely the way she proves her independence. It's often when I know she doesn't mean it, so it's fairly easy to ignore. And it's usually only when she's getting tired or hungry. And, it's usually only around the house. She is SO well behaved when we go out and about, whether to play dates, out to eat, or to a store. We get compliments every where on how sweet and friendly she is, how cute she is, how well behaved and amazement at all the words she says.

Bed time has become SO much better. Daylight savings may have helped, but it was getting better for a couple of weeks before that. We really try to stick to our routine and now she's going down around 8:15 within about 20 minutes and more often on her own than with one of us. She sleeps well through the night and still will sleep in most mornings. (please, please, don't let me just have jinxed myself) She takes about 6 friends to bed with her, plus a very specific blanket and pillow. Our bed is now crowded with 2 bears, 2 babies, Elmo, a 'quack quack' (penguin), and a snowman.

Favorite toys these days still include books, hats, cars and Little People, all stuffed animals, babies, her tool kit, play food, her kitchen, anything Elmo, and mirrors. She will talk to herself in the mirror endlessly, it's hilarious!