20 months

Dear Scarlett,

Happy 20 month birthday!  It's been an eventful month and I've loved toting you along to all the places we've gone.  A wedding, a marathon, trips to the grocery store and birthday parties.

We turned your car seat around so now you're facing forward, and you are fascinated with the buttons on the dashboard.  On the drive to Eugene, you liked it best when your baby doll took the wheel, and pretended to push the radio buttons.  "Buttons" you would demand, pointing to the buttons, and "knobs". 

You've started talking so much that now, we can have real conversations. Right now you're in the other room with your daddy, saying "Daddy do it". 

Most popular phrases of the month:

• "Tiny more" as in 'I'm going to eat a tiny bit more of this"
• "Doing?" as in, 'What are you doing?'
• "WHALES!"  Your love for whales and dolphins knows no boundaries
• "Mini backpack" Daddy took you to the zoo, and you both had your backpacks.  Now you like to talk about daddy's mini backpack, even though yours was smaller.
•  "Happy birthday Ivan" and then, after his birthday passed, "Happy birthday Aunt Sally"

You've also started learning to misbehave.  If we aren't giving you the attention you want, you reach for knives on the counter, or hit the laptop keyboard, or turn on the water in the bathroom- all things you know you aren't supposed to do.  It's a very, very effective way to get noticed.

A few weeks ago we noticed some ripe figs on the tree, a few doors down.  So each day after work, we walk up there and pick a few figs- they're so ripe, the juice drips all over our hands- then we come home and you eat them as a pre-dinner snack.

At nighttime, we do the usual bath and pajama routine.  Then, I sit next to your crib with a flashlight and read a few books. Then we kiss through the bars of the crib, and you give me a gnome kiss- touching noses. 

And you've expressed an interest in potty training- HALLELUJAH.  You sit on your little potty, you call it the mini potty, and starting out we'd sit next to you and read books.  But you're starting to get the hang of it, and sometimes afterwards we reward you by letting you pick out big girl underwear to wear for a little while.  Your favorite part is washing your hands after.  "With soap" you say.

We've had so much fun with you this summer.  I love you!


Mama