My growing girl

 

I have a toddler.  It's becoming more clear to me every day.  She is no longer a baby, though she will always be my baby.  Her little brain is learning more and more and developing more and more every day.  It never ceases to amaze me.  The words she says now - More, please, down, Momma, Dadda, baby, milk....oh and her name.  That has to be the sweetest sound ever. Of course it comes out more as "Aubwee" but I love it. 

 

 

Every day we're learning things she has picked up at school, but the tough thing is she cannot always tell us what she learned.  Like apparently the having us lay down on the floor face first so she can put herself between us and pat our backs is what they do for them to take a nap.  And apparently Miss Aubrey pats everyone on the back at daycare.  And she does not just pat.  It's a little harder than a pat, but she means well.  I guess she almost put a little boy to sleep the other day when he was laying down by patting his back and rubbing it.  She's also learned the songs of "Bah Bah Black Sheep" or "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" and "If you are happy and you know it."  The funny thing is we cannot really figure out what she's doing.  She'll do the motions for the song, but we don't always know what song it is until we ask the teachers.  And then it's like an "aha!" moment for Mom and Dad.  However, once we figure out what she's doing we have to do it over and over and over and over....

 

 

She's picked up on blowing zerberts on our stomachs, too, which has to be the cutest thing ever.  She's also picked up on her surroundings.  We changed the family pictures in our living room, and she noticed and points it out every time we come home.  It's hilarious.

 

 

She's entirely too independent for her Mommy, too.  She used to walk holding my hands out of the daycare but now she runs ahead.  I've been told this is just like me when I told my mom "Mommy, I can go inside by myself" my first day of preschool.  God help me.

 

 

Of course, we have the toddler phase.  She's taken to smacking.  I don't like it.  She didn't get her way the other day, so she smacked me the other day resulting in time out.  She did it again but this time to T, and she ended up in time out again, which is her pack and play in the den.  So we hear her screaming her head off, shaking the pack and play and throwing an all-out fit.  I go up there, open the door and just give her a look.  THE look.  No raising my voice, just stern voice and the mom look.  And man did she change her tune.  No more screaming, she could barely keep me eye contact.  I said "No hitting.  Do you understand me?"  And she just looks up at me with this "oh shit" look in her eyes.  I told her to apologize to Daddy, and she hugged him.  Man, I didn't think I was going to be the disciplinarian, but I should have seen that coming. 

 

 

But she's growing up so fast!  Slow it down!

 

 

I should note that as of today, the little girl is officially 18 months old - just six months away from being a two year old.  Whoa, whoa, whoa!