19 Month Old Teenager

Well, the tantrums are teen-like in their angst. The teething, though, is pure baby, complete with drool and fingers in the mouth again. But 19 months later, I definitely have a little kid on my hands, not a baby!

Reading: Munch Bunch, Seuss, Little Critter, Max and Ruby, and the FP Lift the Flap books.  She still enjoys her Christmas books, the Toddler Bible, Usborne Little Book of First Experiences Treasury, Max and Ruby Treasury, and a few Mr. Men and Berenstain Bear books.  Little L has been memorizing the text, which explains why she sometimes wants us to reread the same page over and over again, and can now recite phrases and lines from certain pages in each book.  She also loves talking about what is happening in the pictures, which is a great reading skill that I hope she continues to develop.

Eating: There is still some serious hate happening for veggies, although Little L discovered a love of dill dressing on romaine lettuce the other day, and she also likes kale chips now.  We haven't been terribly experimental with our eating so exposure to new foods has been limited, but my girl did show an affinity for Viet salad rolls and ham/cucumber/cheese sandwiches the other week; she has also developed a love affair with peaches and white nectarines.  One of her new favourite junk foods has been goldfish crackers, first served in Sunday School during snack time. She also speaks fondly of ramen noodles and dumplings.  I guess she *is* Asian after all! :P

Little L is also officially too big for part of her high chair! We removed the shoulder harness straps from her seat and also stopped using its food tray, since that was starting to push into her little tummy. Now we just bring her chair right up to the table and we let her from bowls and plates directly off the dining table!

Saying: Her language development continues to amaze and astound us.  I was reading one of those baby center articles that describe how kids her age (19-24 months) should expect to be using two-word phrases (mostly a verb and a noun), up to 4-word phrases.  A vocab of about 200+ words, and using pronouns, generally happens between months 25-30.  Well, Little L's vocabulary far exceeds 200 words at this point, and the other day she said, "Compromise!" when we were negotiating something.  She often uses "I" statements, especially "I want to play!" and "I like ____."  The other day, after hearing some kids sing at church, she chimed in with, "Everyone did a good job!" And I am noticing that she is drawn to big words, like chameleon and broccoli and alligator and operation.  She also likes to participate in conversations and answer questions.

Little L has recently begun to really *love* kiddie songs.  Her favourites are Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Baa Baa Black Sheep, ABC (same melody for all three!), Head and Shoulders (Knees and Toes), Mary Had a Little Lamb, Wheels on the Bus, If You're Happy and You Know It, Jingle Bells, and London Bridge.  Her favourite church songs are This Little Light of Mine, Jesus Loves Me, and He's Got the Whole World (in His Hands). I love it most when she sings along, or "fills in the blank" when I sing part of a line and then let her finish it; I swear she has the voice of an angel. ;)

Playing: Little L really really loves her stuffies right now, as well as her little animal toys.  She cuddles them and squeals at them, and says things, like, "Silly Jed! Silly bunny!" I can only assume that in her imagination, they are doing some seriously amusing things.  She is also playing a bit more in her kitchen, and starting to figure out her alphabet puzzle without guidance. Her sticker books continue to be a good source of entertainment; sometimes she prefers looking at the stickers rather than applying them!

Little L also likes to just run up and down the hall in a game of "chase" with herself or one of us.  At the playground, she sometimes plays unorganized "chase" with another child; I'm not sure how toddlers agree on the "rules" (what rules?) but it seems these kids always figure it out somehow.

Little L is starting to play some of the apps on the iPad and iPhone, although they don't hold her attention for too long.  What *does* hold her attention are videos and pictures of herself on these devices, and she can spend a good 15 minutes just scrolling through the images or replaying the videos, which she has also recently learned to load herself.

Oh, and climbing! Little L has become adept at climbing the stairs on the toddler slides (without using her hands sometimes), so she goes up on her own now, and comes down on her own as well.  She also likes to make her way into the empty tub to play with her tub toys, and into the ottoman to sit inside (not sure why).  She climbs onto rocking chairs and dining chairs and sofas and ottomans and her car seat, and derives great satisfaction from moving her body in this way.  Little L also likes to do pseudo-handstands where her legs are up high against the wall and she is hanging nearly upside-down, with her arms outstretched above her head on the ground.

Wearing: Her feet do not stop growing. It's an expensive endeavour, keeping her feet covered! Size 23/24 in Pedipeds, 7-7.5 in toddler shoes, and 2T/3T in most of her clothing.  Some of the items I've bought have been 4T and have fit her though, so I'm thinking that after 24 months, toddler sizing is as random as grown-up sizing!

Other New Things: Yeah, not much on this front. Little L was recently introduced to "fingerpaint" (the Crayola no-mess kind), which was sort of a fail.  She tried to eat it, of course, and threw a fit when we wouldn't allow it.  So now it's back to yogurt + frosting flavouring until I get around to mixing her some Glob paints, and/or I pick up some pre-made Clementine Art Paint.

Every day is a new and more amusing adventure with my little monkey.  Though it continues to be a challenge to be her mommy, it also is the greatest delight.  She really is my sunshine, toddler angst and all. :)

Ps - all images courtesy of Miss Bee, who takes Little L out to play, rain or shine.  We love Miss Bee!