21 Months

And just like that we went from "1 1/2" to "almost 2".

Madeleine is now 21 months.

She's around 25 pounds and is now starting to wear 2T. 

She still wears size 3 diapers, though lately she's been using the potty to pee. I ask if she needs to go and she'll look at me and run the potty. She'll then patiently wait for her chocolate chips that she carefully lines up on the bathtub rim and then eat them while reading her books.

Everything she does is deliberate and funny.

For example, if I tell her it's time to go, she grabs her stuff and stands by the door waiting for me. If I take too long, she'll grab my shoes and give them to me. Then when I open the door, she puts her dolls, blanket, and an extra binky in the seat next to her (we have a double stroller because of Baby X). She carefully props her dolls up just right before climbing in the stroller and buckles herself in. She'll sit there and wait for me to get my things together. If we have Baby X, then she carefully moves her dolls and binky in the basket underneath before cuddling back in the stroller with her blanket. 

Lego tower she made instead of napping

The blanket, her binky, and Sophie are her very favorite things. She flexible though. She has four other blankets that we can bring along too, and three or four extra dolls that she doesn't mind us bringing instead. Some of her other favorite toys are her green hotwheel cars, legos, and balls. She's lately fascinated by trucks, airplanes, and trains. She points them out every where we go. She still hugs trees and lights.

She loves picking out her own clothes lately. She picks most of what she wears and then accessorizes whatever I put on her. Baby X often has hats, necklaces, shoes, and purses put on him when Madeleine's best friend Be isn't around.

Running over to give me a hug

She's usually very conscientious of other people's feelings. A few weeks ago Madeleine was picking apples on Matt's shoulders. Sometimes she would accidentally drop apples on Matt's head. Each time after she did it, she would say "uh oh," before patting his head and giving him a hug to make it feel better. Another time, we were at baby store and there were a few babies were crying. Madeleine ran over to a pile of stuffed animals and started handing them out to the babies. 

She also is so good to Baby X. They are getting a cute little friendship. She's has become very concern with his well-being and lets me know if he cries. When he starts crying, she'll bring him all the essentials - his blanket, his binky, and his bottle. Then she'll sit there confused if he is still crying and gives him a hug before coming to me.Yesterday he was crying before his nap, so she crawled up next to him and laid next to him patting his belly.  

They also started to play together. Madeleine is so excited to see him most mornings and she'll chatter at him and try to get him out of his carseat. I often find her sitting across from him talking and trying to show him how something works or pretend playing with her doll.  She doesn't hit him or hurt him, so frequently I can just let them sit on the floor together and play. He'll throw the ball and she'll giggle and bring it back to him. Other times they play with bells and musical instruments.  I really love it.

Like all toddlers, Madeleine is so active. She runs, jumps, screams, kicks, climbs, and throws. She is careful but pretty fearless. She has no problem tackling most playgrounds. She spends at least an hour outside a day. I can let her out in the backyard alone and she'll stay near the house exploring. She often brings me back small treasures she finds - sticks, pinecones, you know, the usual. 

She loves chasing squirrels and throwing balls. Sticks are the currency among the kids in the neighborhood. The more sticks you have the cooler you are. Madeleine has her own little stash of sticks that she pokes and splashes puddles with.

One thing that I think is a bit unique is she adores grocery shopping. She sits in the cart and puts everything in the basket. She like touching each food as she puts it in, and every once in a while we'll find bite marks in some of the wrappings. She  unloads everything onto the conveyor belt (when she's not in the cart, she has no problem standing on her tip toes to push it on the counter) and then swipes the credit card and signs her name. She then takes the receipt and holds it until I buckle her in and trades it for her treat. She usually jumps up once or twice to bring me a fruit or veggie that she picked out. She usually will hold it the whole time and snacks on it on the way home.

I'm really loving this year of being a mom. It's been so much fun. She still doesn't talk much but she's a great communicator. She gives hugs often and still loves to be held. I love watching her learn and just interact with her surroundings. I never know what she's going to be up to next.

Apparently she needed to rearrange her furniture

I guess I should do these updates more frequently. There are so many little things I love about her right now that I don't want to forget.