bottles & blunders: 20 months

Life has gotten in the way of a lot of things lately. We moved again to a bigger place which we didn't think would be that bad of a move, but oh it was.

You never realize how quickly you can collect ridiculous amounts of, to put it nicely, "stuff" until you have a kid. I can't even imagine if there were more than one what it would be like. The move took way longer than expected with way more trips up and down many flights of stairs carrying armful after armful of baby gear that is too big and awkward to box up.

Then when it came to unpacking we suddenly realized it would be much harder with a little munchkin who's into everything and needs constant surveillance, especially in a new place. Thankfully we've become settled and have pretty much gotten unpacked over the last two weeks.

Now for Adly. I skipped 19 months so that means there's been quite a bit of growth....sometimes these days a month just doesn't seem to have a lot of changes.

Here's Adly at 20 months:

-She has begun saying phrases and small sentences. This has been really exciting to see happen, especially the first time she figures out a sentences. She kind of says it slowly as you're waiting on edge to hear what words going to come next. She loves the book I Went Walking where a kid takes a walk and a lot of animals join him. The longest sentence I've heard from her came repeated from that book "I see a lot of animals looking at me!" So cool.

-Speaking of repeating, she does this A LOT. Sometimes it's beyond adorable, like when she started saying "mmmm DELICIOUS" and "immmmmpossible!" Both from her favorite TV show. Pretty much anything you ask her to say these days she will say and usually quite clearly. However then there's the downside. Her other favorite word she's learned to repeat is "damnit". And the worse part is, she uses it appropriately. I tried scolding her and telling her that's a mama word not an Adly word. Now she says "Damnit!......(sits then nods her head knowingly)....mama word!" Oh well. At least I tried.

-Her favorite TV show is still Peppa Pig. I was always kind of against TV for toddlers (what soon-to-be-idealistic-head-in-the-clouds parent isn't?!). This was until I realized we could get an actual break for 20 minute periods. I won't admit how many episodes she watched while we packed and unpacked but I am so grateful for that show!!!

-She's an up and down eater these days. Some days she mows down what we offer, other days it's an awful battle. I hate those days. There really is nothing worse than whipping up a healthy balanced meal for your child only to have them refuse to take one damn bite. For the most part I like to think she's beginning to realize she either eats what's offered or she goes hungry, but I'm not going to say that's easy by any means. We usually end up trying to get something in her stomach, even if it's not the best choice.

-She still has no interest in the potty. I know this task is looming ahead and I also know none of us are looking forward to it. That's all we have to say about that.

-Our new place has two bathrooms which is amazing, however they are both with standup showers. There is a jacuzzi tub too, but that would take a quarter of Lake Michigan to fill a few inches so we've transitioned Adly to just using the stand up shower. This was not an easy task considering a month ago, my child was one of those screaming and crying if a drop of water touched her face. Every shampoo rinse was a teary-eyed battle. Before we moved, we randomly threw her in the shower with me, knowing we'd need to transition her. Over a few showers she became used to the water falling over her and actually started to enjoy it! What's even nicer is this has combined our shower times, saving me some time in the evening. However these toddlers are fickle beings, so of course I can't say she LOVES shower time every day and is just the easiest toddler ever. Some days she decides she hates the shower and we have a 10 minute coaxing and bribing session to get her in. Other days she walks right in no problem. One other thing I didn't realize would happen is she sees mama shaving her legs in the shower. Of course, even though she doesn't look like me, she is definitely my mini-me. So she has to do everything I do. Now every time we shower I hear "Mama shaves you!" She points her little leg out just like I do, rests on her big toe and I flip the razor around and "shave" her legs.

-Adly and I picked up a new "baby" while shopping a week ago and she has since become obsessed with her. She's exactly the same as her first baby but in a different outfit. Either way, she has completely taken to her, feeding her, changing her, carrying her everywhere she goes. It is so cute!!

-My child is also a diva. She gets this from her dad. In the last few months she has grown to dislike having her picture taken. At least when mama does it. Now I get a straightfaced stare and a "Nooo! No picture!" almost every time I whip out the camera. I either do it deceptively or have to dance around like a raging idiot to get a small, distracted smile from her. However if SHE is messing with my camera (and turning it every wrong way of course) she'll smile and say "CHEESE!!" while happily clicking away and taking pictures of the ceiling.

Smile for you?!? Hah! Yeah right.

I think that's about it for now. She's turning into such a big girl. I notice the way she now lays on me and wraps her legs around my waist has changed. Her body is so much bigger now, like a little girl, and definitely not a baby anymore. It's those moments when you stop and realize how fast they are growing and changing, that you just want time to slow down.