21 months

I guess 21 months is an odd time to do a Lydda Grace update.... however, it dawned on me the other day that with the new baby due to arrive any day now I wanted to be sure to get a few thoughts down about what Lydda Grace is like at this time! And who knows when I'll be up for a nice long info-filled post after the baby comes.

Lydda Grace is such a joy, we are really having way too much fun with her, just in the little details of everyday life!!

She has been talking like crazy lately and copies what we say ALL the time! For example, my mom was up the other day for a visit and said, "Lydda Grace, give me some sugar," and LG said, "sugah, sugah" while she gave kisses, then she did it again this morning when I asked for a good morning kiss. She just latches onto things and then repeats them on her own which makes me realize she's learning them and not just copying us in the moment.

Lydda Grace has also started putting words together. She's had issues with things being cold lately, i.e. if her juice is too cold for her liking she'll say "cold" and then throw it on the ground. We've talked a lot about how it's "just right" and now when I give her cold juice she says "jus' righ'.... pudg.... beas" Which means "This is just right, like the porridge in the story about the three bears!" haha

Going on walks with Lydda Grace is a lot of fun. We are always hunting for dogs, cats (there are a few strays around campus), birds and squirrels ("furls"). We mostly see birds and squirrels and she is always VERY excited to see them.... "furl!!!!!.... hug.... kiss" We have yet to get close enough to a squirrel or bird for her to actually hug and kiss it which is probably a good thing!

We talk a lot during the day about the alphabet and numbers and Lydda Grace can say most of her ABCs and count to 10. She often asks me to play some games we've come up with about letters and numbers and shapes. She's also doing well identifying different letters and numbers as she sees them. This also makes walks very interesting, especially around campus where there are lots of signs, and she is constantly saying, "ABCs!!!!" and pointing when she sees letters.

We're working a little bit on potty-training, but I've heard so many people say that older kids often regress in this area when a new sibling comes along so I'll admit my efforts have been rather half-hearted. She is very patient when she does sit on the potty though and is content to sit there while we read.... hopefully this will keep working.

Other things Lydda Grace likes to do these days: sing, dance, color, read and help. Any time I can find a little something for her to help with she is very happy to do so and I find myself trying to translate the things that need to get done throughout the day into tasks that she can be a part of.

Overall Lydda Grace seems to be really excited about the new baby. A few times people have asked if she wants a brother or sister and she has said, "dog." But I really don't think she understands! Mostly when we talk about the new baby she says, "rock" and "hug" and "kiss" and wants to touch or kiss my belly. Since I've been having OB appts. every week lately she has been going with me which has been really sweet. She has learned about waiting our turn to see the doctor and she knows that when we go we hear the "beat" and that the doctor will "meas" mama's belly. I love how her eyes get wide and she looks so serious and excited at the same time when I tell her we're going to hear the baby's heartbeat.

I realize that in previous posts like this I would do updates often in the form of lists, i.e. what her favorite foods are, what she's saying, what she is doing, etc.... and it seems we've come to the point that she likes so much and does so much and says so much that we're beyond making lists.

I guess our baby girl is growing up.... (and yes I'm crying right now!)