20 Months Old!

Wow...Ellie is 20 months old. It is starting to be difficult to remember her age in months which I guess means I'll pretty soon just be saying 2 years.

This is a fun and challenging age. Eleanor loves to climb. Her favorite: our kitchen chairs. She'll stand on the kitchen chairs for hours if we let her. We have resorted to flipping them over so she can't climb up on them because she doesn't sit in the chairs...she stands or balances over the table or climbs onto the table...you get my point! We have a tile floor so we are really trying to work on the whole sitting in chairs bit so that she doesn't get hurt.

Ellie is really really good at puzzles. It is pretty amazing to me. She has 3 or 4 wooden puzzles and she will sit down and work diligently to get all the pieces in their correct spot. Once she gets it done she congratulates herself with a big "Yeaayy!"

We were trying to think of all the words she says right now. She is very very very into copying what you say. She did for some reason decide to start really using mama and dada. She demands my attention with mama, mama, mama, mama, mama!!! When Jason gets home from work she runs to the window and screams dada, dada, dada! It is nice to know you are loved:) Lately more difficult words have been added to her vocabulary. She is very into "elbows" right now and says it perfectly, she asked for c-rull (rice krispies) this morning, she says Sissy (Carissa) and Ceci (her favorite neighbor) and well of course she is a big user and abuser of NO! no..no...no...no. She loves like every other toddler to say no. Often she will say yes...but I guess no is just more fun to say.

I think Ellie is quickly starting to love all things baby. In general she is amazed by babies when we see them. She imitates them when they cry "Wa Wa Wa," she loves to check out what babies play with and is usually shocked that some have a pacifier just like hers! She knows where our baby is and gives her kisses, or sometimes will offer her pacifier (a true gesture of love!), lately she has been shhh...ing my belly because the baby is sleeping. It is super super cute. Hopefully she'll remember how excited she was once the little one is here :)

Next week Ellie starts preschool. It is just two mornings a week for a few hours. I think she'll have a lot of fun and it will be a great opportunity to interact with other kids and adults plus it will be a nice break for my mom. We go to "orientation" on this Wednesday and her first day will be the Tuesday after Labor Day. I can't believe it! She is growing up so fast.