23 months!

Oh my goodness, I can't believe that in one short month you are going to be TWO YEARS OLD!!! Where in the world has time gone?!? I feel like we were just celebrating your first birthday. This last month has been so.much.fun. I feel like you have changed and learned so much in the last month. We've also had so much fun...now don't get me wrong, it isn't always rainbows and butterflies. Yesterday you were in timeout four times for getting so frustrated because your "determined" personality was not lining up with the answers that I gave you, and you hit me-all four times. So, somedays are tough and others are lots of fun-but on either kind of day, I love you still and think you're the absolute best.

because good mama's take pictures of their kids having meltdowns, right?!? 

You love singing. Two of your favorites-Let it Go and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. We will catch you singing numerous times throughout the day. Sweetest little singing voice I've heard. You've recently added your ABC's to the list of songs, but somewhere in the middle of the song it switches to Twinkle, Twinkle.

Twinkle, Twinkle

...and Let it Go while playing the guitar

{excuse that crazy mess on the bed in the background}

You started the month definitely knowing the color pink. It has quickly become your favorite. And when something isn't pink, you will sometimes insist that it is simply because you want it to be. Your bow often has to be pink, regardless of whether it matches the rest of your outfit or not. We thought it might be the only color you actually knew until your dad started playing a game with M&M's with you-if you got the color right, you got to eat it. If not, he did. Suddenly you knew a lot more colors than we thought you did....you little stinker. ;) You now know most of your colors really well (white, pink, green, blue, orange)...yellow and brown pretty well...and you struggle with red. But you'll mess with us and tell us the wrong color to try and be funny.

M&M game with dad

You know some of your shapes: circle, star, and heart. AND you can even draw a circle. We had no idea that you knew circle until I was playing the M&M game with you and you were trying to distract me away from asking the color by saying "circle" and then you would move your hand in a circular motion. I think Mrs. Stacey might be responsible for teaching you that. You also like to draw circles.

We were having craft time and you painted this and said "circle!"

New favorite word/mom's least favorite word: mines. I dislike it for 2 reasons. First off, it is grammatically incorrect and when people say mines it drives me totally bonkers. Secondly, I just don't think it is a sweet word. You insist that anything that you like is "mines." We try to counter it by letting you know who it really belongs to and that they are just sharing or if it really is yours, we encourage you to share. So now when you pick up my phone and insist that it is yours and I let you know that it is mommy's, you tell me to share. Oh my goodness, the first time you told me to share I about died. Too much to take.

You communicate really well, but it is mostly one word at a time. You love to retell us things that happened one word at a time. For example when you fell down at the pool and the lifeguard had to give you a bandaid, for the rest of the day and the following day you kept pointing to it saying booboo {me: Yes, you got a boo boo}, pool {when you were at the pool}, life {Yes, the lifeguard gave you a bandaid}, Ankita {Yes, your friend Ankita has a booboo on her knee just like you.} ....over and over and over for 2 days. You struggle a little when we try to get you to put a few words together-they end up just getting mashed together. Like yes, please was pe pease for a long while...but with some concentration and a pause in between, you'll now give us a cute yes, pease or a no....tank tu.

You can finish sentences in books because you know them so well. We'll start the sentence off and let you finish it. You can also do this with the Frozen song, "For the First Time in Forever." Here's a clip of that...I may hate myself for posting this because unfortunately it is mostly me singing.

Some other random things from the month:
-You love playing hide and seek with us.
-You give this adorable sideways wave and sweet little hi when you are doing something that you're not supposed to. :) ...or as of late when you're going potty-but you deny that you're doing it.
-You like to shake your "hiney buns" before getting in the bath. And just recently you made all of your animals shake their hiney buns before going to bed.
-When asked what you would like at your birthday party, you respond take (aka cake). When we ask who you would like to invite: take. What you would like to do: take. The only other request that was made: that Anna and Elsa would be invited. Ohhh goodness, maybe we can convince your Aunt Laudie to dress up as Anna?
-You have a sudden fascination with princesses (I think that Elsa visiting you at Mrs. Stacey's and getting to try on her crown has a lot to do with this.)

I feel like these next two things from the month are big enough for their own post.

You may have asthma. You haven't gotten an official diagnosis of it, but we decided to take you to the doctor after several days of hearing you cough nonstop during the night to the point of gagging. We knew you had allergies, but we were doing everything we could (Zyrtec in the morning, Benedryl at night, humidifier, air purifier, pillow) and this was still happening. We found out when going in to the doctor that you also had a double ear infection, so we left with 3 new prescriptions. Poor girl. You are now on Singulaire at night (and we've been able to stop the Zyrtec/Benedryl). And you also now have an inhaler. It is to be used as needed, but for the first week we did it each night before bedtime because that is when you were worst. ...and it worked! I mean you absolutely hated the inhaler for the first 2 days and then were a big girl with little tears in your eyes for a few more days after that...but it did what it was supposed to. No more coughing, and we haven't had to use it for the past several days. Praying that this is something that you will outgrow, but thankful for the time that we have answers and are able to help you.


Annnnnnnd in other big news, you have been sleeping in the BIG BED! We're on day 6 now, and you are doing awesome at it! T Leigh, you have always been such a champ with any big transition. I realize that we are super lucky-and while I hope for it, I know it is not something to expect of your siblings to come. We tried this earlier in the month, but it ended up being a fail because you had a random high grade fever-and this was right before we took you to the doctor and got your inhaler, so we had the coughing until gagging going on as well. We ended up moving you back into your crib around midnight after a coughing spell. We just felt with the fever and cough, you'd be better off where you were most comfortable. So a couple of weeks later we tried it again. You were great up until the very last minute when you realized that we were going to leave you in the big bed and asked for demanded the "ahhh bed" which means other bed (aka crib). We told you that if you were a big girl and you slept in the bed all night that you could have a prize in the morning. And that word has recently become magic, so it ended up working for this too. You did great-never got out of bed and we never had to go in there. You still slept 12+ hours and called for me when you were ready to get up. Each time since, you haven't stayed in the bed but crawled out of bed and sat in your chair at the end of the bed waiting quietly for me-sometimes you call me, sometimes not-so I just have to watch when I don't see you on the monitor anymore. We're still on the prizes-now, not because you are demanding the crib but because as we lay you down you will say to us with a sweet smile, "prize....big bed." We'll have to figure out how to transition out of this "prize" thing and into more of a "it's just what we do" thing. Our intention is to take the crib out of your room and set up a fun little reading corner for you...but your daddy is out of town and your preggo mommy shouldn't do it on her own. I would, but I think I might get in trouble.
{Side note for future reference/anyone that is curious: we ended up not doing bed rails. Instead, we chose to put pool noodles under the sheets. Someone had told me about this trick a while ago-it is supposed to give just enough of a barrier that they don't roll off. So far, so good with us. I was just worried about the rails being something higher for Teagan to climb/fall off of...so this option worked for us. The big bed has always been in her room so she knows how to climb up and get off of the bed easily.}

First try... 

We watched the monitor constantly that first try when you were sick...

First "real" night

after your nap the next day waiting on me quietly

Getting a prize after your nap with one of your new favorite words allllright! I didn't catch it on video in time, but when I pulled out the basket of prizes you were just staring in it saying alllllright, allllright over and over. 

Here's a video of you "counting." You refuse, absolutely refuse, to say the number one. In fact the only time you ever say it is when you ask for "one more." We're practicing your counting, but nothing solid yet. You did count to 10 yesterday when we were going down the stairs {I'm pretty sure we have Nana to thank for this} but you aren't consistent with it quite yet. 

And some other pictures of the fun this month...

You love to help me make tantakes (pancakes) in the morning. 

First popsicle of the season...love both of your faces here. 

Ohhhh, your sense of fashion. 

Taking over the yogurt that we were supposed to be sharing.  

Princess day at Mrs. Stacey's. {It was more a fairy day for us...we might need to get your some princess gear.} 

I was cooking dinner and your dad wasn't home yet. The neighbors rang the doorbell and I told them we could come out as soon as your dad got home. However you thought the reason was because you didn't have shoes on, so you brought me your shoes and insisted that I put them on. I finally did and I guess since we were still not going outside, you assumed the reason was because I didn't have my shoes on. I'm in the middle of cooking and feel these little hands lifting my foot up to try and put on my shoes for me. Sweetness....and persistent. 

Oh sweet girl, you ask to sleep with your Bible sometimes. 

I brought you to school on one of the last days when the kids were having their economics store. You got to spend some paper money and pay for a manicure, 2 bracelets, and a lipgloss. You loved it! 

When mommy makes homemade cookies, you gotta find a way to get closer to them. {note: until this, you had never done this before}

just getting a closer look

finally! 

You decided that since there were two plates, one was mommy's and the other Teagan's. Oh, how convenient. 

first Food Truck Thursday of the season...complete with King of Pops!

Last day at Mrs. Stacey's before summer! She.is.the.best. The BEST, I tell you! 

The pool is open for the season...ice cream social!

The start of many days at the pool!

Showing off your teeth like in Frozen. 

Memorial Day fun with the dads

little tired this morning...

hiding! 

This was a first! You asked me to close the door and when I came back in to check on you, you were passed out! This was well before nap time {and after the above picture of you laying down on the bathroom floor}.

Eating imaginary eggs that you made in your kitchen...yum! 

helping your dad learn how to flip 

Ohhh, the power of Teagan Leigh. She had everyone flipping-grandparents and pregnant people included.

Cooking with Pappy!  

Uncle JoeJoe came in town and you love him! 

You thought the water was too cold and wanted to eat a snack by the pool instead. 

Booboo that the lifeguard helped fix up. 

Our first story time at the library! I'm not sure who had more fun: me or you. We'll be making this a weekly tradition. 

Been seeing a lot this recently....ohhhhhh boy! 

Nana and Papa took you to the zoo when you were staying with them for a few days {and Mammy joined too!}. They said you loved all the different statues of the animals and labeled each one as the mommy, daddy, and baby. 

Family date night to get yogurt after mommy and daddy got back from our trip!  This was the first time you got your own cup...with pink yogurt and sprinkles!  

First swim lesson....you HATED it! You screamed the entire time for me-I had to hide out in the bathroom in hopes that you would calm down after I just disappeared. But I could hear you screaming for me the whole time. It was terrible. I'm hoping for a better experience next week. 

...and a visit from your aunt Hea to finish out the month. You love her! 

reading to "ee-ee" and "hops" after your nap. 

See what I mean...big month! I love being your mommy and getting to watch you grow and learn.