Well we definitely have a toddler! Brie is full of personality and is becoming a little person. It is so fun to watch her grow up and develop her little (well, actually not so little) personality.
She understands just about everything it seems like. She does a lot of 'talking'. She tries to say most words you ask her too, and says many words well. Some of her favorite words are: no, Elmo, Osky (Oscar), Mama, Dada, shoe-shoe (shoes), go-go (dog), yes, ball, and bebe (baby). She is constantly jabbering.
She plays really well, often times by herself too! It is not uncommon for me to be in the kitchen and her playing in our rec room by herself. I love it. I love she has a huge independent streak to her. She definitely is a spirited child. She has no need or desire to stay near us in public places, if you let her go she is out of there and off to explore. I may need a leash for her....... She has been very into playing with her toy kitchen recently. She puts things in the cups and pots and stirs them. Brie also loves to play with her babies. She feeds them and gives them kisses all the time.
It has been great being able to play outside more! She loves this pink Hello Kitty ball I got her. She basically plays fetch with herself. Otherwise she just toddles all over creation, pushes her lawn mower, or tries to throw the tennis ball for Josie. I can't wait until I have more to do outside, like hang laundry and work in the garden. She's asks to go outside allllll the time, "ou-side?!" And she'll just scream it louder and louder if you say no. She's definitely a girl that knows what she wants!
Still not a great eater. But I've also become more flexible (aka gave up) with what she eats. So what if she only eats graham crackers, yogurt, applesauce, and cheese sticks. She's doing well and is for the most part healthy, so we must be doing something right. She is about 25lbs, her appointment is this week so I'll know more where she falls on the growth curve then. She drinks milk 3x a day from a sippy cup with a soft top (kind of like a bottle). Her milk has to still be warmed up in order for her to drink it, I've tried giving it to her cold but she just takes one sip then hands you the cup and says "here go". Oh well, someday we will break this habit. She loves having a 'nack' (snack), which is kind of a DeKruyter thing, to not eat big meals and graze all day long. She still drinks the smoothies I make her, which makes me feel better about her lack of other nutrient rich foods.
Brie goes back and forth between two naps a day and one nap. Just depends on the day and what her needs are. I almost prefer the two nap because then we can go away mid day and not be stuck at home while she sleeps. She will sometimes nap from 10-12ish and then take a snooze late afternoon. But it's nice because we can go out right after lunch and do stuff. I am not a get ready and go in the morning person, so we rarely are ready to go anywhere before 10/11am. She sleeps great at night still. She love love loves her crib, when she wakes up from night or naps she usually hangs out in there for 15-30min! Just happy as can be, does not want to be gotten yet. She'll call for me when she is ready. "MAMA!"
Her mood flips like a light switch. One second she'll be playing nice and happy, the next she is throwing herself to the ground screaming. She does NOT like when she doesn't get her way, and it honestly can affect her mood for a few hours afterwards. Oye. She is getting less easy to distract, I think she's catching on to my tricks!
Alec and I are both really enjoying this stage though. She's so fun and interactive. She points to things when we read books, she understands so much of what we tell her, and she is starting to communicate with us more and more. It's like having a real live person here with us! We love her so much and are so thankful for our big girl.
