I was away in Cali for her official 17 month "celebration" so this is a few days late.
This girl is exploding with growth, maturity, knowledge, personality, and so on! It's like she is just shedding that baby-hood faster and faster as time passes. That little babe is becoming her own little person with each passing day / week / month. I just can't even!
I looked back at her 15 month update and can't believe how she has changed even since then! It has been a summer of fun and growth!
:(
yes growth is cute and exciting.
But growth is sad too
k!?
I just love this peanut so much and could squeeze those cheekers every moment if she'd let me! I just want to shower her with kisses and squeezes but... she really only allows that for a few seconds and she is off! Those sleepy moments when she lays her sweet head on my shoulder are to die for and I never want to forget the sweetness! The giggles that she lets loose when you tickle her are like music and the best sound this mama can think of! 17 months may not be monumental, but right now, I want to remember every sweet thing this girl is up to! EEEK my heart could explode!
t o d d l e r
t a l k
Her vocabulary has seemed to explode this last month! I started out keeping track of her new words as she said them but... I just couldn't keep up with it! I think her amount of words has tripled at least! She isn't doing too many sentences these days. She sticks to her old original "What's that?". However "I love you" has entered the mix. She will only say it after we say it to her... and it sounds a little more like "I wuw wuw" but... we know what she means! :)
Since I can't keep track of ALL of her new words here are a few of our favorites that came out this month:
-bubbles which have become the THRILL of her evenings!
-hummus she has a little lisp on that "s" which makes this word ADORABLE to hear.
- swimming sounds a big like "swmng" and sometimes there's a little "ls go" before it!
- amen she says this after any song you sing her or any long speech! We sing a prayer song before
meals and she will often open her mouth in excitement to say "amen!" at the end because it means
she can start eating!
-banana
- no-no for things I told her not to touch. She touches them and says "no-no"... hmmmm almost, kid.
-Jessica and Kate These were exciting happenings around here! She can identify and name two of
her aunts!
-Shirt this one was hilarious because she can't quite get that "r" so... it sounds like my child is
swearing!! (yikes!) and she will just hold onto her shirt and keep saying "shirt, shirt, shirt,
ssshhhhhhhiiirrt" I'm sure you can imagine how that sounds!
She has also started saying her alphabet with our help and is working on her colors. So far the clearest color is "purple". Her aunt Jess is really working hard at teaching her so much! And Lucy is killing it with animal sounds! You say any number of animals and with so much excitement she will imitate that animal for you!
t o d d l e r
a c t i v i t y
She is definitely a busy girl! There is so much she loves to do! Swimming of course is still a favorite! I don't know what we'll do once this (Ridiculously hot) weather stops and there's no more pool time! She even surprised us all by JUMPING into the pool on her own! (we caught her of course!) I love her fearlessness... especially as MY fearfulness grows!! :)
She is also loving to scribble! She plays with sidewalk chalk out by the pool for hours with her aunts who also love to color! And she will scribble on any paper she can get her hands on!
Her imagination seems to be growing too! She seems to play a bit of make-believe. The other day in the car she had her baby and she was just talking to it, and comforting it and saying "aw baby" and patting it's head. She also takes my clothes or hers and seems to try and wear them like a shawl and will walk around chattering away! Oh the chatter!!!! She seems to have created her own world of make-believe! It's precious!
Other favorite activities these days: brushing her teeth, bath time with bubbles, going to the park to go on the "side" (slide) and the "sings" (swings), chasing games, peek-a-boo and lots and lots of book reading!
She loves being thrown, tossed, swung, tickled, chased, held, and poked!
We are stilling doing 2 naps a day; a short one in the morning and a hopefully long one in the afternoon. Though... I think the end of that is just on the horizon, we shall see!
She is starting to stop the whole, toddler-turn-around to go down the stairs. Instead of backwards she is wanting to go down forwards like us... which is slightly heart-attack inducing as all I can see is her tumbling face first down the stairs. But she holds on to the wall and slips down on her butt... and then towards the bottom she holds the rail and steps down like a big girl.
cue the crying
from mom.
t o d d l e r
e a t s
This girl LOVES to eat! We have adjusted her diet slightly to try and balance things out for her and also to make sure she isn't getting too much of one food group over another. I think she has appreciated the variety!
Favorite foods these days:
Hummus, banana (always. always the bananas!!!), yogurt (especially the one grammy is eating!), apple, zucchini, ham, belvita crackers, apple sauce pouches, bread and raisins
t o d d l e r
g r o w t h
This girly is getting a mouth full of teeth! She has 4 or 5 molars that I can see!
it's hard to feel around in there without losing a finger!
She seems to have hit a bit of a growth spurt this month as she is not fitting into most of her summer clothes!
good thing it's 95 degrees in September...
I've done quite a bit of fall shopping in the 2T department! I'm hoping she gets nice and comfy in this size for awhile because new clothes every 2 months just can't keep happening!
Her feet are probably the biggest challenge! Poor thing has squares for feet so finding shoes is quite the challenge! Most sandals don't work on her because I can't get her feet into them! We have to do a shoe with stretch! Those little wanna-be toms are a favorite, plus we are stocking up on moccasins because they are easy on, always fit and SO cute!
This girly is a tall one - taller than ALL her little friends. She must get that from her daddy!
t o d d l e r
b e h a v i o r
I am seeing little improvements here and there with obedience and listening. She is seeming to understand more what mommy means by "no" and "don't touch". We are staying consistent (mostly....) on consequences and following through. She is young of course, but we want to be sure she is learning this now as she learns everything else! It's definitely working in many areas and she it is a joy to see her learn, obey and grow!
We are also working on repentance and reconciliation to the extent that she can understand it at this age. She can sign "I'm sorry" and after moments of discipline we ask if she is sorry, and she'll sign it and then give us a kiss. I know of course she does not grasp the idea of repentance and reconciliation, but I believe these things start as habits first and the deeper side of it is taught as they grow. I am encouraged seeing how Lucy is growing in these areas.
Her struggles are in the normal areas - her wants! She tends to just whine or scream at the first sign of trouble. She is like me in that she is impatient and wants whatever the problem is fixed immediately! So we are working on explaining patience, and encouraging "please help" instead of "AHHHHHHHH". It's a slow process!
She is also a bit of a tease! If she has something she knows someone else wants she will hold it out as if offering it and then pull it back with a cynical grin. Unbelievable! It shows me that these toddlers really know and understand more than we give credit for at this age!
She is getting very good at helping and listening when I ask her to do something. She'll often throw her cup on the floor and I say "Lucy, put your milk on the table please" or "give your milk to mommy" and she does it. I've even now seen her think twice before placing it on the floor and then move toward the table and put it there!
sweet celebratory mom moment!
But everything is one step forward and two steps back. We work through it. God teaches me patience while I try to teach Lucy patience. Every day isn't easy, of course. My poor friend Gretchen gets the crazy ranting text messages of "Lucy is doing THIS what on earth!?" Thankful for moms to join with for encouragement in the trenches of child training! :)
m o m
o b s e r v a t i o n s
Girlfriend, you are a firecracker! Your personality is becoming more and more unique every day! You are funny and I it appears one day you will be a jokester like your dad and also have such an adventurous side. You seem so fearless and are rarely afraid or shy in new situations or in trying new things. That independent side of you that has been present since your infancy continues to stay strong. While you can be a social butterfly you also have no problem making your own fun! Your only-child status makes it all-the-more exciting when you see someone else your size. You are curious and love to investigate new things. And your mama is pretty darn sure you are a genius. (I'm sure I'm the first mom to say that!) Your knowledge seems to growing so quickly! I am in awe of your mind and how it grasps things so quickly. I am a bit fearful as I see how quickly you imitate me and others. If I do it, you'll do it. That is a heavy thing and I need reminding that that is a training and teaching tool that can often go wrong! I'm sad my sweet girl, that you struggle with similar sins that I struggle with, like impatience. I know what that sin has brought me in my life so I of course don't want that for you. I so wish I could make it so you didn't struggle against any sin ever. I know this is what God would desire for each of us, but we struggle on. My heart is heavy on a daily basis with my desire for you to know Jesus as Lord. I can't wait for the moment when that curious mind asks me about Him and that inquisitive nature of yours explodes in question after question about God and His Word. This is my prayer, Lord Jesus!
I love you sweet girl!
I love you sweet girl!
And now....
t o d d l e r
p h o t o
d u m p
This girl loves her daddy... and dandelions!
We rounded out the summer with a great day at Hershey Park with the entire Manz Fam! Lucy, the fearless one, loved every single ride and water attraction. As usual.
This girl is always on the move. Running and playing.
And that creepy doll is by far her favorite toy!
She is mischievous and loves to get into things... like my drawers of nicely folded clothing!!
Or her bag of snacks!
And lastly, one of those "I want my way" moments... just keeping it real. :)
So thankful to end the summer and head into fall! Thankful for this big, beautiful toddler that God gave me! I am greatly looking forward to fall and life with this girly!
Happy September ya'll!
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