LIFE AS A LANKFORD: 21 Months

Dear Avery,

You turned 21 months on Saturday! I know that as quickly as these months are flying by, you'll be two before I can blink. You keep us on our toes and laughing all day long.

You seem to have gotten a little heavier this month, but we don't have an official weight. The nurse at the ENT seemed to think you would fall apart if she got too close to the scale. You seemed about 32 inches tall there, but again, the nurse wouldn't measure exactly. You are still fitting into 12-18 month and 18 month clothing, which means you should be able to wear some of your things from last summer. You've done all your growing in the height department. Your foot measures 5.5 but a 5 still fits better. You are still in size 3 up&up diapers but I've decided we're going to 4s when these are used up. You still will use the potty for Jen-Jen but have yet to do it at home. We may try harder this summer, or we may not. Right now, I don't take you regularly at all. I think it was a fun game at first and you needed to be on the potty 500 times a day.

You still go to bed between 7 and 7:30 pm and wake between 6:30 and 7 am. Sometimes you sleep longer, and you are usually happy in your bed for about 30 more minutes. Daddy wants to let you stay up later this summer, but that rarely results in you sleeping later, and you need your rest. You've had 2 short naps in the car in the last week and have gotten right back on schedule at home. You love to prove Mama's crazy sleeping worries wrong. This month you've had a few nights where you talked before going to sleep, and you 've had some mornings when you've been up early. I hope the early waking is due to the teeth that cause all sorts of things to be crammed in your mouth all day long. Speaking of teeth, you have 10 completely in, and you have 3 canine teeth slowly coming in. You are still missing the teeth beside your top front teeth, but Dr. Applewhite says not to worry.

You are doing well with your eating most of the time. Supper is usually the meal that can be hit or miss, but I don't run a buffet. You would eat a caca (Pop Tart) for every meal and snack. We are ready for the Farmer's Market to have lots of fruit, because you are loving strawberries, watermelon, and pineapple in addition to your other fruits.

You are steadily learning new words. They are not always clear, but that's perfectly normal. You also have some multi-purpose words for 2 or three objects. The fluid on your ears could have muffled some of your hearing while it was there, but your ears look great and we'll take care of that fluid if it comes back. I know speech isn't a sign of intelligence and the ENT doctor reminded me of that. We think you're just as smart as you need to be! Some new words this month include Mimi, Poppa (to call them) boat (bow), brush (bow) tractor (caca), baby, boo boo, swing (see), Bob, Croc (Coc), Dee Dee (Jen-Jen), star (ca), duck, moon (boo), push (puff), ticka ticka ticka (tickle) and pup pup. I'm sure there are some I've missed, and this may be the last month I can record them. You are now saying "Hi Mama," "Hi bu (bus)," etc. You carry on full-blown conversations with us now, although we can't understand them. In the car, you call Dada and talk to him, then call Mama and do the same. We can't wait to hear all you have to say. Your "whas sa?" is unrelenting until you get an answer. You are a curious, observant little girl.

You entertain yourself so well and stay so busy. You still have no interest in TV other than a few bits of Mickey. We all agree that it's no surprise that your mood greatly improved when you became mobile. You haven't been still since! You have enjoyed your house again this month, still love taking care of your babies, and you love to pretend to read and write on books and paper. You like to stick your treasures in nooks and crannies all over the house. Luckily, when I realize something is missing, you usually know right where you put it. You love to be outside and will cry to go out and then cry when it's time to come in. You love to swing, see Dixie, play with your car, and move and investigate. We will be moving soon, and although our yard will be smaller, it will be flat and I won't have to worry about you tumbling down a hill or set of brick steps.

You imitate the things you see, and you have a fantastic memory. You try to put on deodorant, know just what to do with lotion, throw a bag over your shoulder like a purse, and cross your arms across you chest. When you cross your arms, you want Mama and Daddy to do the same. You also know what to do with the thermometer, but it usually ends up in your belly button. I guess that's better than another alternative. You have our route to Jen-Jen's and Lolli and Poppa's memorized and know just where you should see buses, boats, pup pups, horses, tractors, and some wierd trailer you like. You don't quite understand why the bus isn't there if we're running early or late, or why it was missing on Easter Sunday.

You remain so loving and full of hugs and kisses. I love when you stop playing for a kiss hug and when you push my legs down to sit on my lap. You remain (for the time being) very easy-going. You do get frustrated if you aren't able to do something, like move something because it's stuck. We are working on trying hard and not getting frustrated. Right now you often just stand there and cry. Sometimes I have to repeat my directions or commands, but you don't often get upset because I tell you not to do something. When you know you're not supposed to do something, you move in slow motion. You SLOWLY reach for my glasses with a precious look on your face.

I say it every month, but I know there are 1,000 more things that I want to record and never forget. Each age and stage just keep getting better and better. I can hardly wait for summer and all the fun we will have together. This month will be a big month for you as we get ready to move into a new house. I know you'll do just fine and will love having a new place to explore and new people to see. We love you so much and love how incredible the last 21 months have been with you.

We didn't get any pictures on Saturday, but here are some of my favorites from the week.