22 months of FULLness

this is the look she gives most people

we are getting so close to 2 years old. i can't believe it. then i get to officially stop aging her in months. man, people can be really particular about this. i might say, "a year and half" and they are like, "oh, 18 months" and i'm like, "well, technically 21 months." or i might say, "she's 21 months" and someone is all, "gotta be real specific there, huh?" or something like that. i mean, it make sense to do the whole month thing. but, now i say, "she's almost 2" or "she'll be 2 in november." i didn't realize people cared so much. anyway...let's get to the matter at hand...our baby is almost 2!! crazy. and she is changing more rapidly it seems. becoming a big girl. getting a little naughty. talking a bunch. and still the prettiest little patwa ever. (i would say prettiest little girl ever, but that is pretentious even if it is true)

it has been a FULL month. she is keeping us busy. we are learning about discipline on the fly at times. she is like a sponge. it's as if you can watch her learn, like actually see it happening. it's crazy and totally fascinating.

kisses from daddy

- as i said in my previous post...we are potty-training. she is officially out of diapers and wearing big girl underwear. she is good at telling us she needs to go (or has gone) pee pee. and, thankfully, she has no problem going poo poo on the potty. i've heard that can be a challenge.

cooperating while daddy traces her

- she still eats like a champ. my friend is always commenting on her "sophisticated pallet." i mean, we just give her things to try and are always surprised by what she'll eat. like raw onions, for instance. loves them. which i agree is kind of strange. she also loves to eat cereal, especially drinking the milk at the end.

LOVES to drink milk from her cereal bowl

- she is talking a ton. she is willing to try out any and all new words. that's where it's fun to watch...as if you can see her learning. and when she says a word it's so cute. like "shadow" and "work" and "picture" and "pocket" which sounds like "potchure". she's doing the whole stringing words together..."daddy work", "mommy write", "i want water", "dolly night night", "ride car" and stuff like that. she's able to communicate so much. there is still a lot i don't get or understand. i always thought when you became a mom that changed. not so much for me. but we're figuring it out. oh and she's FINALLY saying "thank you." i think she's just been playing me the whole time. figures.

first time painting

- i've also noticed her ability to get around more/better. her wobbly walk turned into a run. i have to be discreet when i go after her b/c she'll take off. i've gotten too comfortable letting her wonder. at a recent high school football game she'd just walk up to a group of kids; mostly grade school age. i felt pretty safe. i mean, it was country day. but later on i kept thinking about that i may be too comfortable and it started freaking me out. i'm just trying to give her space to roam.

doing yoga with daddy

- she's spending her first night tonight in a BIG GIRL bed. her pap pap and nana brought her new bed over yesterday and got some new bedding tonight. we set it all up and she went down fine. we just checked on her all stretched out in her twin bed. it's weird how in her crib she didn't really have covers (sheet and blanket) or a pillow and now she does. we'll see how the night goes.

i mean! how cute is that face in her big girl bed!

- she LOVED the beach and i'm so thankful we got to go this summer. she loves water. she could spend hours in the bathtub kicking and blowing bubbles. i hope we can get a final swim in at my dad's. and there is the indoor pool at the Y. we gotta do that more. she's our little water baby.

having fun in the pool with daddy

- i think she's getting some more teeth...the fangs. it just means she drools a lot and has her fingers in her mouth. it makes her moody too.

i just think she's so cute in this hat!

- we went to the Indian Festival recently for some good food. we really just went for the food which was yummy!! she wasn't afraid to try it.

enjoying a samosa

- she has got a strong will and is feisty. i love every ounce of her. but she can be naughty. she is becoming more aware of what she's not supposed to be doing. it's funny to watch her. well, not funny, interesting. recently she was drinking out of a cup in the car. i looked back and saw that she was putting something in it. she immediately pointed at me as if to say, "turn around! nothing to see here." this went on a few times. one time i looked back and she held the cup to her mouth, pretending to drink. she knew. i took the cup back and found crumbs from her car seat in the bottom. so, it's part of our responsibility to teach her right from wrong and set up healthy boundaries and not shame her and teach her about repentance and grace. phew! it can be so overwhelming. and sometimes i don't feel equipped. it makes me realize i can't do this without God and without Adam.

rocking the headband

- she started back to school last week. she's in the "young 2's" class and gets to be with her friend, desiree. she seems to love it. she's so easy about going with others and into childcare, which is nice.

so excited for her first day of school

- we celebrated our friend, Caroline's 2nd birthday with some of her daddy's yummy bbq. charis enjoyed playing with the beach ball, toy broom, playing solo and eating.

more interested in the camera than the birthday girl. sad

in light of the news we got last week about the strong possibility of not having any more kids i've done a lot of thinking about how thankful i am for sweet charis. i could not have anticipated this 2 1/2 years ago, but God could. i am trying to savor more time and moments with her. i still try to rush things or busy ourselves. but i'm remembering to soak up this time. i came home last monday, after being told we shouldn't/couldn't have more kids and that my friend Sydney had died, exhausted and sad. charis had woken up around midnight so i rocked her...as i did i wept as i thought about not being able to hold and rock other children and wondering when the last time sydney got to do the same with her children. it was incredibly sad. whether charis is our only child or one of many, i am going to enjoy the heck out of this time with her. she is a delight and a true source of joy for us. i'm so thankful for the chance to be her mom.