20 Months Old!

Explorer. Chatterbox. Hugger. Lover of blankies. Ray of sunshine. Precious angel. So many things pop into my head when I think of my beautiful little girl. I'm a bit late with this update, but my munchkin turned 20 months old a few weeks ago, and I couldn't let it pass unnoticed.

Playing on the swings at the playground is one of Abby's favorite things! (In this picture, her attention was focused on a school bus that was driving by...)

Abigail is amazing. In the difficult times that we have been facing the last few days/weeks, Abigail has continued to bring smiles to our faces and hope to our hearts. She reminds us every day how incredibly blessed we are by God's goodness and how fortunate we are to be her mommy and daddy.

My Mother's Day present from Abby. She made it at daycare - her little hand print is something I'll always treasure, and I love the silly face that she's making in the photo!

The biggest development over the past month (plus two weeks) has been Abby's language skills. This little girl will not stop talking! It seems like every day she says a new word (or five) and I realize that her little brain is a sponge right now. Some of Abby's favorite words:

• bus (everything bigger than a car is a bus to Abby, but she gets really excited when she sees a real bus, so we know that she knows the difference)
• whee (this is how Abby identifies the swings at the playground)
• lots of animals, including duck, moose, monkey, owl, turtle, and rabbit; she also identifies other animals by the sounds they make: woof (dog), me-ow (cat), rib-bit (frog), and moo (cow)
• most of the characters from Sesame Street and Winnie the Pooh
• mo (more)
• mo-mo (tomorrow)
• hello, hi-ya, and bye-bye
• baby, book, ball, balloon
• yellow and purple
• off, on, up, and something that sounds kinda like "down"
  
• No, no, no! (Abby says this when she knows that she's not supposed to do something. Because of the computer and several breakable vases, the office is off limits to Abby. She'll stand in the doorway, wag her finger at the room, and say "Mommy, no, no, no!"

One of Abby's new friends - Eeyore. Although, she pronounces it "Aye-oh" - so cute!

This month also saw Abigail's first sentence. After her bath last week, Carey was putting on her pajamas and I was walking to the linen closet to get a Q-Tip to clean her ears. Abby started struggling to follow me and said "Mommy, don't leave!" Carey and I just looked at each other and said "Oh my goodness - did she just say her first sentence?!?!"

We're also working with Abby on her manners. She is really good about saying Please ("eez") and Thank You ("ank ooh") when asking for things like snacks and toys. Sometimes we do have to prompt her ("Abigail, what do you say?"), but most times she'll say thank you without us having to remind her. And, she'll keep saying thank you until Carey or I tell her "You're welcome." She's also starting to attempt saying "Bless You" after someone sneezes. It doesn't really sound anything like bless you - in fact, in sounds suspiciously like "thank you" - but it's so endearing to hear her try! And, every night, when we say our prayers before bed, Abby will chime in with an "Amen" - it's so adorable!

Abby is still doing really well in the eating and sleeping departments. The warm weather sometimes gets her a bit off schedule if her room is too hot, but we've finally uncovered and cleaned the air conditioner, so we're hoping to avoid any more heat-related sleep issues.

Look who loves eating with her fork and spoon! Peas and broccoli are definitely her favorite vegetables right now, and she'll pretty much eat any type of meat that we give her. (She's a meat-a-saurus, just like her daddy!)

Little munchkin is still growing like a weed. We don't have another well-child visit until her 2nd birthday, but she's already started outgrowing some of her 24 month clothes. So, we had to break out the 2T's. (Nooooooo... Stop growing so fast, Abby! Mommy wants you to stay her baby just a little bit longer...) She has also finally outgrown her first pair of Stride Rite sneakers, so we picked up a cute pair of sneakers at Target and plan to hit the Stride Rite outlet this weekend for a new pair of kicks.

Looking so beautiful in her dress from Cora's. (To read Cora's story, please go here.) All the proceeds from the sales at Cora's shop went to build a beautiful playground in Cora's memory.

Abby continues to love going to Tot Music classes with daddy every Saturday. She is getting very good about mimicking the sounds and notes that she hears in her songs, and we've noticed that she dances to pretty much any music she hears, whether its part of her favorite television show (Yo Gabba Gabba), from one of her toys, or on the radio. She does an adorable little booty shake - so, so cute!

So, that's our munchkin this month. She remains a constant source of joy to us, and her hugs and kisses have never been more welcome than they have been the last few days. Her smiles make us smile, her laughter makes us laugh, and her warm heart and sweet disposition make us feel so incredibly blessed to have this little lady in our lives. As we pray every night: Lord, we thank you especially for the gift of our beautiful baby girl, Abigail Elizabeth. May she continue to grow happy and healthy and strong and loved in Your care, and we thank You for entrusting her to our care here on earth.