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And just like that, she turned 17 months. Just like month 16, we’re seeing lots of new changes. The biggest is the talking. She’s got so many words now. And everyday it’s like she learns more. She’s repeating a lot of stuff, and requesting things by name. She’s still rocking the animal sounds (not the actual names of the animals, but the sounds they all make!) Her latest is “Owl”. Her new jammies have owls on them and she points to them and says “Owl! Owl!” I think her favorite words now are “Woof”, “Quack”, “Shoes” (prounounced shoosh) and “Bottle” (which is what she calls her straw water cup).

Her favorite toys are still her books. I catch her playing by herself in her room ‘reading’ out loud now. She stares intently at the pages and studies the pictures. I’m still afraid of leaving her with books with paper pages, but she does have some on her shelf, and she’s doing better trying not to rip pages. She doesn’t have the attention span to sit and listen to a whole book… however at story hour, she will sit in my lap and listen to other people read her stories. But she does get really excited to read at night and I love that.

She’s obsessed with pillows, blankets and stuffed animals. She loves to cuddle and hug her bears. And her new thing is ‘feeding’ them. She goes into the kitchen and digs out a spoon and a cup from her drawer and comes back to feed imaginary food to them. I can’t even believe her brain has an imagination already. I’m psyched! Grammie and Grandpa sent her a play kitchen and I’m dying to get it set up for her!!

We’ve entered the land of “no” now as well. If she’s holding something she’s not supposed to and we ask for it back, she says ‘no’ and runs away with it. That’s been fun. She’s good at throwing these mini tantrums where she throws herself on the floor (or hits us), but they’re usually short lived and can be turned around with some distractions.

Adele is drinking about 15oz of Organic Whole Milk a day still. One first thing in the morning, one with lunch and one before bed. She also drinks a lot of water. That part is easy…. but the food! Feeding a toddler is seriously the most stressful thing for me. She barely eats. I think she’s eating well at daycare, but at home at night and on the weekends, it’s nearly impossible to get more than a couple of bites into her all day. Even my ‘go-to’ foods have become a struggle. She doesn’t like to chew anymore! Things get mushed up in her mouth and then thrown onto the floor. WHY?! I’m assuming she’s not hungry because she’s still sleeping well, but I worry she’s not getting enough to fuel her growing body and mind. I’m going to try a few new things this week and see how it goes. It’s all trial and error I guess at this stage!

Adele takes one nap a day, usually from 12p-2p. She’s still going to bed at 7:30p and waking up anywhere from 6:45a-9a…but 7:30a is pretty average! (She let us sleep in til 9am this morning, you guys!!!!) She is still sleeping with her pacifier and her puppy. We recently added a small blanket to her crib as well. I am too afraid to nix the paci for good since she’s sleeping so well…. i’ll try again in a few months to see how she does without it).

Some other random things:
-She lets me put bows and ponytails in her hair now. Which has been necessary because it’s FINALLY starting to grow!
-I took the ‘baby tub’ out of the bathtub this week and now she’s just using the real tub. Probably a little late for that switch, but it was working so we just kept going.

-She now asks to put her jacket on and she’s just starting to have a preference for which clothes she wears. Not enough to really care, but she’s starting to understand it a little more.
-She sings to herself now. We’ve caught pieces of songs here and there. Most recently we hear “Happy Birthday To…” and “EIEIO” and “ABC…LMNOP”.
-She can sing “Itsy Bitsy Spider” by herself along with the hand motions.
-She definitely prefers to walk on her own rather be carried or pushed now. We found that out the hard way this week between an hour neighborhood walk and a separate 2-hour hike.
-She’s bossy now. If she wants something, she’ll go over and grab your hand and make you help her. And if you’re too far away, she’ll come push your legs til you start walking over to whatever needs your attention. The best is when you’re in bed or on the couch, she’ll try to push you right off! I can’t help but be inspired by a lady on a mission. I love seeing her come into her own.

But I have to admit, I’m a little afraid of the next six months or so. For the first time, I realized that now she’s not only relying on me to provide her with milk, sleep, food and warmth… but I have to foster her brain now (more than ever). My mom told me I should start teaching her colors, and I’ve started thinking of how I can show her shapes, letters, counting, etc. I had a moment this week where it all kind of hit me that she’s hungry to learn. I’ve always been excited about sharing the world with her, but it does feel like a big responsibility. I know she’ll learn most of that in school, but I want some of it to come from Irving and I as well. I’m trying to be conscious of learning opportunities as they come up. Instead of saying “Go get the ball”, I can say “Where is the GREEN ball?” etc. What a fun, exciting journey it is.