20 months

This past month I’ve  been keeping notes about some of the new and/or cute things that Raelyn does so that I wouldn’t forget. Here is a compilation of those facts & stories.

• She won't eat an English muffin if I cut it into pieces.
• She scoots herself down the stairs, instead of needing to be carried. Yay for mommy!
• She waves bye-bye to the tv before bed and naps. (And now basically to every object in the house to delay sleep.) Also to the vacuum when I say, "all done" after sweeping the floors.
• Early in the month, she waved bye-bye when the nurse came into the treatment room at Max's check-up. (same nurse who "made" Raelyn scream while getting weighed the week before.)
• She really enjoyed her first pickle!

• She likes to "help" load and unload the dishwasher and is especially good at pushing in the drawers and closing the door. I have to remind her not to climb though.
• When she sees me yawn she imitates and then she runs to get her picture book and opens it to the page with the baby yawning.
• She figured out how to use a straw! But she has a hard time getting the last of the milk and wants to tip the cup. She hands it to me and I say, “hold it straight.” Apparently she can’t hold it straight while standing up, but if she lays on the floor she’s a pro! :)

• I caught her trying to use her empty sippy cup to "feed" Max.
• She often gives Max hugs &  kisses on her own accord.

• When I say "all gone" or “all done” she lifts her hands and shrugs her shoulders.
• She signs I love you by crossing her arms across her chest.
• When Mark was out of town and I was on the phone with him she kept signing I love you over and over again. She really misses him when he travels.
• She wants music playing all day and will get the tv remote if there isn't music playing. (we keep the tv on a classical music channel much of the time)
• She is very interested in photos right now. She especially loves looking at her baby photo album and our wedding album.
• She likes looking at her reflection in the fireplace glass and waving. (And now she also looks at her reflection in all of the kitchen appliances too.)

• We had our first time of playing dress up. She loved it!

• She has started randomly pulling her pants down.
• She has a favorite book before naptime & bedtime: On The Night You Were Born. If I try to read another book she gets very upset. At naps she wants that book read and then her "bible lesson".
• One day I was doing something in the kitchen and I noticed in my peripheral vision that she was standing near Sheba “talking” to her. I turned to watch not wanting her to notice I was watching. What I witnessed was the cutest thing EVER! (Back story: since Raelyn was a tiny baby I’ve been rubbing noses with her and saying “Noses”, what some would call an Eskimo kiss.) What I saw was Raelyn put her hands on Sheba’s face and then she rubbed noses with her. After that, she stepped back and signed, “I love you.” I think it’s obvious how she feels about her dog.