Amaliya - 20 Months

Amaliya,

At 20 months old, you are truly a little person and no longer a baby at all.  I've loved all the stages you have passed through but... dare I say it?  The last few months have been my absolute favorite so far.  You are so active and energetic now.  You communicate.  You play.  You know me and love me the same way I know you and love you.  We have little conversations that go something like...

You:  "Hi, mama!" 
Me:  "Hi, baby!" 
You:  "Eyebrow!" 
Me:  "That's my eyebrow!" 
You:  "Mole!  Face!"
Me:  "Yep, I have a mole on my face!"
You:  "Banana?"
Me:  "Not right now"
***cue hysterics***

It's pretty magical.

You have so many words now.  Over 60!  You say Abby, arm, baa, baby, bag, ball, banana, bang, "beep beep," belly, bite, blanket, blueberry ("boo-bah!"  Adorable), bra, Buddha, bye bye, car, Daddy, diaper, door, "down please," egg, Elmo, eyebrow, face, fish, flower, hair, happy, hat, head, hello, hi, ice cream, keys, kitty, Mama, meow, mole, more (always said twice, eg. "more more water!") mushroom, Nanny, neigh, Nemo, no, nose, oil, owl, pants, Papa, peepee, poopoo, potty, puffs, puppy, remote, rice, "see ya!" (also adorable), Sheldon (as in, the Big Bang Theory; pronounced "Shasha"), shirt, shoes, socks, toes, "uh oh," "up please," wall, water, "woof woof", yes, and "one, two, three!" (with the "three" proclaimed loudly, and with no actual understanding of numbers).

I am keeping track of your first hundred words, just because.

You are an incredibly loving child.  You want to be held and hugged and kissed all the time.  You come over and throw yourself into my arms for no reason.  Making dinner is always difficult since you are wrapped around my legs or tugging at my skirt.  Every day starts and ends in the rocking chair, snuggling and singing songs.

Speaking of singing, it's your favorite thing ever.  You sing along (in fluent, nonsensical Toddlerese) to the ABC song, Row Row Row Your Boat, the Wheels on the Bus, If You're Happy, and Old MacDonald.  You know all the little dances and hand motions that go along with the songs.  Lately you want to be sung to instead of read to before bed, so I rock you and sing either Disney songs or the Les Miserables soundtrack (please, Amaliya, have a better singing voice than your mama does). 

Your most dreaded time of day is hair-combing time (which, too bad for you, happens every morning and evening).  You throw the most horrible, back-arching, tear-streaming, floppy-limbed shrieking fit every single time, forcing me to clamp you between my legs so I can get the job done.  I try and make it fun for you, I really do, and I try not to be rough.  We need to work together a little more effectively on this, Amaliya, or else we are going to have some very long years ahead of us.

You really are an easy child, though, and such a good girl.  You bring me things when I ask, you voluntarily throw your tissues in the trashcan, and you are extremely well behaved in public and at home.  Fingers/toes/heartstrings crossed that this never changes.  You are stubborn and strong-willed, determined to do what you want, when you want to, and not follow anyone else's schedule.   You are active and energetic, running around non-stop all day long, finally starting to climb on things and embrace some of your daredevil tendencies.  And yet, you are still cautious, scared to be tossed too high or to swing by yourself.  You are messy like all toddlers, but never destructive.  You get upset if your books are not neatly arranged on the shelf before bed. 

Checking the mail.

You are still a great sleeper, conking out for 11-12 hours at night and 1-3 hours during the day.  You eat everything, almost.  Tonight you had wild rice stir-fried with carrots and mushrooms, and a huge portion of salmon.  You are a big fan of breakfast, and all fruits, and whatever your Daddy happens to be sharing with you from his plate.  Blueberries, hummus, guacamole, and ice cream always make you smile.  Asparagus and other types of meat you can do without.

Your imagination floors me.  Watching you swaddle and rock your stuffed animals, patting them on the back and calling them "baby," then saying "shhhh" as you lay them down for bed, I am just amazed.  I am aware that this is normal toddler behavior, but still.  How do you know how to do this?  Imagination is something we're born with, it isn't learned, which makes seeing yours blossom all the more thrilling.

You love bath time, the swimming pool, and being outside.  You hunt for wishing flowers and make me blow on them for you.  You chase the neighbors' dogs down the sidewalk screaming, "puppy!!"  You wave bye-bye at other kids when we leave daycare.  You like to say "bye, mama!" and run in the other direction, only looking back occasionally and laughing at me before continuing on.  Nothing makes you laugh like bouncing on the couch or playing hide and seek.  You do a dozen totally mundane yet completely astounding new things every week.

You are starting to seriously annoy the cat.

It is impossible to capture all the moments I want to, all those instances where I am cracked wide open with my love for you and the beauty of who you are.  How can you really capture the essence of a person in a blog, anyway?  You are silly and ticklish.  Reserved and observant.  Adaptable yet determined.  Eager to please and so, so smart.  I am incredibly proud of you, baby girl.  I can't wait to see what the next few months bring.

Love,
Mama

My silly beast