ANNISTON IS 20 MONTHS

My girl is 20 months old! We are well on our way to TWO and I cannot even believe it! She is in the most fun stage and like always, is keeping us on our toes. She’s a little parrot with all her chattering and trying out new things everyday! She has changed so much since her 15 month update (here) so I had to share all of her sweetness (and sass!) with you!

First of all, she is EVERYWHERE and into EVERYTHING. Walking, running, climbing, (falling), jumping, and dancing. The girl never stays still… unless she’s cuddling. Oh thank goodness for those cuddles! She still loves to snuggle her teddy, blanky, and her mommy and daddy! And she is the QUEEN of nap time. She has always loved going down for naps, but has never napped as long as the average kid. The last month she has given mommy the BEST naps and that is all this tired, pregnant mama could ask for!

She is talking CONSTANTLY. I counted and had her at about 35 words at her 18 month appointment and in the last two months I’m pretty sure she is getting close to 100 words! She repeats (or at least tries) almost everything I say. It’s so funny to hear her imitate me. This morning the sun was coming through the blinds and I said, “Oh my eyes, too bright!” The rest of the morning she walked around grabbing her eyes saying “my eyes! too bright!” Just an example of her silly and sweet personality!

She also started saying a few sentences! “I want ____” and “I see ____” are some favorites along with her constant question, “What’s that?” We are definitely in the phase of her asking about EVERYTHING.

I am amazed at some of the words she says so clearly and then some of her own created words that she struggles with. She has words like “umbrella” and “bandaid” down pat, but then calls milk “snow”. I mean, what’s that about? Ha! I love watching her little mind work and some of her made up words are my favorite!

A few embarrassing moments have come with her chatty little personality as well. We were on a mother/daughter date at Chick-fil-a (where else?) and happened to be sitting near the bathroom. Every single time someone went in or out of the restroom she yelled “go pee pee! GO PEE PEE!”

Another night, again at Chick-fil-a (maybe we go too much?), she thought she saw our worship pastor, Matt Cole, who she ADORES. The remainder of the meal she yelled, “Matt! MATT! I WANT MATT!” Well Matt was nowhere to be found and we had everyone in the restaurant staring at us.

Last one, promise… it’s just too good. I pretty much answer Anniston honestly every time she asks “what’s that?” So no surprise that she knows a lot about anatomy haha. We were at the gym the other day and she was sitting on my lap while I put my shoes on. All of a sudden she pulled my shirt down and yelled, “Mommy’s bra! Mommy’s boobies!” YES. SHE. DID. Thank the LORD it was only women at the gym! HA!

Now she may love running around outside with her basketball and pretending to mow like her daddy, but other than that this little one is ALL GIRL. She loves her baby dolls, picking out her clothes, won’t go anywhere without a bow, and comments on everyone’s shoes. Literally, every single person. She LOVES to accessorize! She also loves Minnie Mouse more than life and dancing around in tutus. I just love watching her interests and personality come to life!

Obviously from these photos and those bird legs poking out you can tell she is still the skinniest little thing, but our girl has shot up in height! I honestly don’t know how she stays so skinny because sometimes she seems to eat as much as me! Okay, not really, because let’s be honest, prego over here NEVER stops eating, but I think she’s trying to keep up! Her hair is FINALLY starting to grow and she is obsessed with putting it in ponytails. I would have thought a child of mine (hello lion’s mane) would have a head full of hair by now, but hers has taken it’s sweet time! It’s still a lot lighter than we expected so I can’t wait to see if stays that way! She also has the most sparkly hazel eyes. My precious daddy (who passed away a few years ago) had hazel eyes so I love that she got that from him! Such a sweet gift!

So naturally, she’s the most perfect, cutest, sweetest, funny thing ALL the time, right? HA. HA. HA. Let me be honest real quick, girlfriend has some SASS. And if I’m being really honest, months 15-18 were probably her hardest yet. She was pretty much sick with something different every week of the summer and that put her in a pretty fussy place. Over the last two months she has grown so much and we BOTH are enjoying each other so much more. Now she still has her sassy moments (and days… usually Tuesdays. Weird, right?), but they are usually short lived at this point! That doesn’t mean I still don’t have to pray for LOTS of patience each and every single day. In all of the hard moments I just constantly remind myself of the wonderful gift that she is and I focus on all of the joy that she brings!

I know the next few months are going to be crazy as we get ready to welcome baby #2 before our Anniston turns TWO, but I hope and pray to soak up all of this time with her! I thank God for the gift of her life daily and for how much she teaches me about the Father’s love! She is our greatest treasure and I am so proud of the person she is growing into!