21 Months

The end of September means that Janie is officially 21 months old and this will be the last post before she turns TWO at the end of the year. Janie is a spitfire and totally lovable and we just adore her so much. She is a great little girl and loves her big sister so much. We are continuously surprised at what she can do & remember!

Cutie Janie! We did visit the doctor because she got a croup virus, 

so I know that she is about 26 pounds.

Janie has been in the Early Preschool class at her school since August and loves it. She is not nearly the disaster that Nora was at drop off for her first couple years. She usually goes willingly into the room and although she does try to pout, it's totally a game and she is just fine. She has brought some things home with her (songs, routines) so that we can tell she is learning new things!

She is incredible with names and remembers all the kids in her class. She called the director Sheila one day (his name is Josh) and I corrected her. The next day she knew and remembered his name when she saw him. She is generally very agreeable and will say "okay" to just about anything you explain to her. She loves Cinderella and doughnuts and newly her stuffed bunny and "blankley" (since that's what Nora calls it...). She is doing some great communicating which we all love!

Updates since her half birthday:

Eats meals & snacks with the family Janie has been using utensils a bit more lately during her meals and snacks. She really likes to use a fork whether she needs to or not. Janie still loves food but she has become increasingly picky about what she eats. There have been some meals where Janie has eaten only ketchup. The child could live on french fries and she refuses to eat most vegetables. But she could probably eat four whole eggs if we let her. We can use just about any cup with her except for a true cup without a lid. She still tips a cup with a straw but she really likes to use straw cups because that's what her sister mostly uses while we are out and about. Unlike her sister, Janie will tell you when she's hungry and eat a snack rather than wait until it's too late & get super cranky. We appreciate that!

So excited about that cupcake!

Takes one nap a day Janie is still a very good sleeper. She goes to bed around 7 (a little later on weekends) and if left alone, she would sleep until 8-9:30. She also always needs a nap. She will sleep anywhere from 2-4 hours in her afternoon nap. We went through a recent phase where she was waking up and calling for mommy to come rockabye her, but that was mostly because of a bout of croup that she was going through.

Sucks her thumb & rubs her head I haven't seen a single bit of change here! Sometimes she will snuggle up with her bunny instead of suck her thumb, but for the most part, still sucking her thumb & rubbing her head. I can't put her hair up if we are going anywhere because she ALWAYS takes it out in the car.

Rock-a-byes before bed Janie continues to be our snuggly babe and we will keep it that way as long as we can! As long as she is going to bed, it's working. She is getting pretty big and harder to fit on your shoulder, but we make it work.

Drinking "coffee" with daddy!

Snuggle time with Pops!

Climbs up & down stairs Janie wants to be just like her big sister, so she will (with help) try to climb the stairs on her feet. She is pretty trustworthy going up and down on her own, but hasn't caught on to the fact that she cannot sit on the stairs or turn around and chat about something while she is climbing up or down.

Has 14 teeth I need to count them, but I think she has 16 now. All of her teeth essentially until she gets her next set of molars. She has been chewing on her hands more often these days and I'm not sure if that means she is teething a bit or if she is just starting to do that. Nora does that too, especially when she gets upset.

Strings words together Janie is using little mini-sentences when she talks. Some times we cannot understand her, but other times she is clear as day. She will tell long, elaborate stories where we can only pick out a word or two and then use an entire sentence that we can understand. A lot of her sentences will start out with "I want..." as she has learned from Nora, I'm sure!

Repeats most everything you say to her Janie will repeat a lot, so we still have to be careful with what we say around her, but she has words of her own now so she doesn't necessarily just repeat what people around her will say. She does more responding, which is great!

Plays everything with her big sister When Nora is around, Janie wants to play. She adores Nora and wants to do everything with her. They also will argue pretty well if they both want the same thing (i.e. the broom, the hair brush, a doll, a blanket, etc.) which usually ends up with some loud screaming and grabbing on both ends. And then usually a time out of some kind!

Loves dancing & music Janie is such a lover of dance! She will ask you to get up and dance with her. She will grab your hand and expect you to bounce around with her. She gets a big goofy grin on her face and will squeal with delight if you've done a good job dancing around with her! She also sings songs on her own: Twinkle, Twinkle, her ABC's (she can do just about the whole song on her own!), the weather song, Let It Go, etc. She is hilarious & totally in her element with music.

Singing the weather song!

Some separation anxiety I don't think she is upset with separation as much as she is playing shy these days. She puts on her best pouty face and lays her head down on your shoulder, and sometimes sucks her thumb. We're not sure where it's coming from but are working through the best way to address it, which for now is ignoring it as much as possible! It's only happening around other people, not when we're just at home with our own family.

Sister love.

Janie at 21 months:

Speaks using simple sentences 
Plays make believe & dress up with her sister
Loves reading books

Sucks her thumb
Requests music
Sings songs

Loves dancing to music
Loves her big sister

Loves cinderella
Generally agreeable (says "okay")
Eats a lot, but only what she likes
Uses a fork
Has 16 teeth

Janie giggles!

Playing with big sister. 

We will visit again at TWO!