20 Months Old

I'm not going to try and catch up, but just post about what Cordelia is like now.

It took 20 months, but I finally forgot how many months old my child was.  There was a moment when I was questioning, is she 19 months or 20 months?  Mostly we have been saying one and a half.  But it is just another indicator that time is marching on and soon her birthday will just be measured in years and halves of years, no longer counting month by month.  It seems hard to believe that her 2nd birthday approaches in 4 months.

Cordelia is perfect.  She brings us such joy and lights up our world.

Her favorite thing to do is read books.  She brings us books and forcefully puts them in our hands, with a little push and an insistent demand of "Mama.  READ.  Dada, Dada.  READ."  When that book is finished she will go back to the shelves or the basket for more.  Or she will request the same book over and over again.  Lately though, she has begun to show her independence.  Sometimes she will snatch a book back with a proclamation: "BABY read!"  Meaning she wants to read it herself.  And read she can.  She can look through book and recite words associated with certain pages, like in I'll Save You Bobo. ("Yes."  "Snake! Ahhhh!")  She can even sit and entertain herself while we cook dinner or can't give her our full attention.  Sometimes I  think Cordelia's living a nursery rhyme.  We read nursery rhymes and mother goose stuff stuff and she loves it.  She likes to fill in words in songs and stories that she knows well.  Songs she loves include: Down By the Bay; Row Row Row Your Boat; The Wheels on the Bus; Pat-a-Cake; The Farmer In the Dell; Old MacDonald; Open Shut Them; Songs with Family names etc.  I would sing to her all day long, I guess.  I really like in her Rosemary Wells collection it comments about the benefits of nursery rhymes:  Oh you fell down?  Well, that is only to be expected.  Jack and Jill fell down too…   Life lessons.

Cordelia is a very good eater.  She eats best at home when she is eating the same food at us.  I feed her directly off of my plate.  She likes fruits, vegetables, meat, and cheese.  She even eats brussel sprouts and spinach.  She loves "Sausage. Hot."(veggie sausage).  She eats waffles and eggs and melon as breakfast staples.  She loves pickles and olives, which I am ok with because I want her to like everything.

She loves to go on walks.  She is still wearing the Stride Rite shoes, so they were a great investment.  She has a few other pairs, but especially now that it is cold, the booties are less practical.  We walk around our neighborhood, which is mostly asphalt, but still nice to be outdoors.  She likes to go down to the house on the corner and look for the cats Poptart and Tucker and go on the play structure with the big yellow slide.  It is in muddy wood chips, but she loves it.  She also loves playing in our cars.  She climbs in the driver's seat, pushes buttons (especially the hazard lights) and turns switches. Vrooom! Beep Beep!

Cordelia says so many words.  She even speaks in three word sentences.  "Dada wash berries!"  "Cats eat food!"  She likes to ask for help when she needs it.

Cordelia has become interested in the potty.  She says poop for both peeing and pooping, but frequently tells you when she has a wet diaper.  She does not like to have a poopy diaper for long!  She had a playdate with her 2 year old friend Anabelle and watched her go potty and then wanted to sit on it too.  She was so excited about it that we had to buy her a potty.  We went with a simple blue Bjorn one with a bear on it.  No need for fancy bells and whistles.  Cordelia loves to sit on it because it means she will read a ton of books.  She pooped in the potty 3 times, though they were more well timed by us than attempts to control her bodily functions.  Still, no small accomplishments for a 19 month old.  But she was scared and cried, so we are being careful not to rush things either.

C typically sleeps through the night, not waking after I put her in bed  But just to prove me wrong, she has just sat up crying.  Go to sleep, my lamb!  Ok she is lying back down…..

She still nurses before I leave for work and before bed.  I plan to nurse her until 2 years old if she wants and then start to cut back.  But she still loves her milk.  She made up her own word for it, "Nah!"  She says "Nah.  Yum Yum.  Yum. Yum."  Baby eat Nah!  Good to know it is so delicious! Thanks, Cordelia!

 I stopped pumping entirely at 17 months and promptly got my period back.  But it is nice to no longer have to worry about pump parts and bottles.  That was quite a commitment!  I made it through that transition without any plugged ducts, but I am a little nervous to drop the morning pump session completely.

I asked Cordelia what her favorite animal is and she says "Cat."  The next time I asked she said "Dog." and then "Cat" again.  I am thinking of having a Cat and Dog themed birthday party for her this year. But she loves all animals so much.  We have also set up a humming bird feeder by the play home (which I scored from a neighbor who was giving it away for free!)

Can't wait more adventures, hope to write them down more often!