June 2014 – Peanut Smiles

Dear Lexi Lou,

Sweet girl, I can’t believe you’re half-way to two. You are growing up so quickly and am enjoying every moment and each new milestone you reach. You are a cheerful, smiley, sweet, analytical, chatty and content little peanut and you have your mama and dad absolutely infatuated with every piece of you.

Favorite Moments

Because I leave for work before you wake up each morning, I always look forward to bed time. It is good quality mama-Lexi uninterrupted time and this month brought lots of extra snuggling time. We usually read a couple of books sing songs and then I lie you down in your crib to fall asleep on your own. For whatever reason (I think it was teething) I got in the habit of letting you fall asleep with me in the chair and just cuddle. Deep down I know this isn’t a good habit to form as it is difficult for you to fall asleep when I’m not there and it is just good for you to fall asleep by yourself, but I so rarely get cuddle time with you, I just couldn’t resist the peacefulness of the way you would nuzzle your head against my chest and the sounds of your deep breathing. I would look forward to that moment when there weren’t any distractions of the TV, my phone, you being busy and I could truly enjoy the moment. I was also known to fall asleep once or twice with you.

While discussing sleeping, you’ve really come to love nursery rhymes this month. You love tongue twisters with Peter Piper and Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater being two of your favorites.

After the busy weekend at Leech Lake over Memorial weekend, I was a little hesitant to take you swimming when Auntie She-She called and asked if we wanted to join her at the outdoor pool at the gym It was a beautiful day and we hadn’t been swimming in awhile so I said sure. Oh my stars alive, did you love it. You were laughing and giggling and loved singing songs (Motor Boat, Wheels on the Bus, and Row Row Row your Boat). You were having so much fun, and kept saying ‘summon’ while the lifeguards were taking a break that we had to go swim inside until the break was over. It is so fun to share your joy over some of the simplest things. And you and that hat, is just too cute. (if I take it off, you ask where it is and demand it to be put back on your head.)

While playing with your foam letters and numbers in the bathtub one night, you were repeating many of the letters or numbers I was sticking to the wall, so I thought I would just see how many letters of the you could repeat and was astounded that you could say them all. You won’t say them by yourself but when I ask Can you say ‘A’, you respond ‘A’ and repeat 26 times with each letter. Way to go Lexi!

I’m a little fearful of this next milestone as I’m nervous it indicates a problem we may have in the future. You love to wear my shoes, well really, any shoes, and love to look in my closet, pull clothes off the hanger and demand to wear them. Sweet for an 18 month old, but terrifying for 15 years from now.

Oh sweet girl, I love to see your nurturing side show through. Currently, you love to push babies (or really any object) in your stroller and insist that they come outside with you so you can take them for a walk. I know feminists may cringe at the thought of this, but I sincerely hope this is a trait you never loose. Male or female, the need to want to care for others isn’t something that everyone has and it is an asset that I believe will take you far in life, whether that it is caring for your own children if you so wish, me and your dad in the later years or life, sticking up for others on the playground or in the workplace. Going the extra mile to help others is always appreciated.

Notes:

At your 18 month check up you were 33.5 inches and 28 lbs, putting you in the 90% for both.

You use a spoon or fork at every meal. You’re successful about 50% of the time of getting food on the utensil and into your mouth, but eventually resort to using your fingers (while holding the fork in the other hand). Yogurt tends to be a messy one.

Your two bottom eye teeth popped through at the same time at the beginning of the month. You were a little crabby, but overall not too bad.

You continue to be a chatter bug and I have completely lost count of the words you say, but you’ve started putting sentences together. You’ve been saying ‘what happened?’ and ‘What’s that?’ for a couple months now, but have started other phrases like ‘Where go?’ and hi dada (hi dago). You also can now say bankie, which for some reason is absolutely adorable when you say it.

You love playing ball, whether it is throwing it or kicking it. Your favorite thing to do is roll it under the cars and see where it gets stuck.

Your hair is getting thicker and longer! Makes your ponies much easier to put in! You’ve also got some curl to it. I’m not sure if it is the length that it is at, but almost everyday, the back part just naturally curls out! There aren’t many things cuter than a little girl with curls, and in my biased opinion, you are not an exception!

You have an obsession with patty cake these days. You want to listen to it over and over and over in the car and want to play it at home and in the cart in stores and pretty much ask for pat-a-cake 24/7.

There have been a handful on tantrum’s that we’ve seen out of you. They mostly occur when you’re tired, haven’t seen me all day and I’m telling you no to something. You fall to the floor and start whining, but usually it is over as fast as it started.

You got to meet one of your new cousins Brian, not sure why you look so grumpy here cause you kept saying Baby over and over again while we were there and on our way home.