I'm 17 months and very independent!

Sorry this is sooooo long!

Swing low, swing high...

As I walked in to my classroom this morning, it dawned on me that Drew and I have a 17-month-old and another one "in the oven". For some reason, that just blew my mind! ME is not a baby anymore, she's on the verge of being a little girl! As my mom says (every single time she sees her by the way), "ME is so funny." Although we make fun of LaLa telling us that every time, it's so true. From the "words" that she mumbles, to the screams that she makes, and the tricks that she does, Drew and I are always on our toes and constantly laughing with/at her.

I think it's interesting how girls learn how to be so girly, while boys learn to be so boyish, at such a young age. All that ME really hangs around are boys, but she is still so prissy. She still insists on putting on my makeup most mornings and carries two purses around with her. Plus, she's so loving. I know that boys can be loving, too, but man this little girl loves to share give hugs and kisses. She's even sympathetic when I sing "the babies on the bus go wah-wah-wah" and hugs me while singing that verse. We are so lucky to have such a sweet-spirited little girl.

Give me a little time, I know I can do this. Check out that concentration! A signature serious look inherited from me and her Grandy while trying to unhook the swing. Priceless!

Try keeping me out, but I'm still going in to swim with the duck-ducks.


Ha! Try to catch me!

Things that she's doing now:

We go for her Well-Baby checkup next month, so I don't have any stats.

• According to Uncle Bebo, though, she still hasn't said anything. He says that she's just mumbling or making noises. Drew and I, on the other hand, know differently. She's saying a bunch of new words and has started signing for water and saying "wah-wer".
• I'm trying to get rid of the paci, although they still give it to her at daycare. So every morning when I get her up for breakfast, I tell her to give or throw her paci to George (her stuffed Curious George from Grandy).Usually, she's pretty easy-going with this, but sometimes she'll just tell me "No" and sit in her crib because she knows I won't let her take it out of the crib. Then, when she's not looking, I have to hide it because she reaches through the slats and tries to pull George and her blanket until she can get her paci back.
• As I said earlier, she's such a loving girl with such a sweet personality. She is starting to realize where Mommy's baby is and hugs my belly as well as almost anything else that she can hug, especially "woof-woofs"! She's been trying to love on our neighbor's cat everyday, but Ty isn't too fond of her yet. I love that she's animal person like me!

Pictures from the Travelers' Game that I was talking about:

I need a delivery made to my box.

Bring me 4 fried chickens and a Coke.