20 and 21 months

Sophia is getting so old! She is not a baby anymore even though she refers to herself as, “Baby.” When you ask her name she will say “Baby Fia.” Well, Baby Fia, Daddy and I have been trying to get out of the house as much as we can between snowstorms. The highlight of the last two months was in January. My friend had extra tickets to Sesame Street Live so Sophia and I went with her and her daughter Sarah. We had front row seats! The show was amazing and Sophia had a blast. Some of the Sesame Street Muppets came down off the stage and dance right in front of us and Sophia thought that was great…as long as they didn’t try to give her a high five! She was so well behaved. She stood on the seat between my legs and danced the whole show. When a song would end or Elmo would go backstage she would turn to me and sign “more.” It was so much fun! I can’t wait for next year!

Valentine’s Day was a special day. Mike and I decided to spend it home with Sophia.

So, we bought some steak tips from our favorite butchers shop and cooked them on the grill. While Daddy was outside cooking dinner, Sophia and I set-up candlelight dinner with candles, romantic music and dimed light. After dinner Sophia and I took turns slow dancing with Daddy. Sophia’s favorite parts of the night were setting the table, blowing out the candles, and having Daddy twirl her on his finger when they danced. My favorite part was making another special memory with my family.

During last week’s beautiful weather, Sophia and I went to the Franklin Park Zoo. She loved it! I was surprised that they were open during the winter months but more surprised that they had most of the animals out. Sophia’s favorites were the gorillas, ducks, and zebras.

We will be going back in April… this time with Daddy, since he was very busy the day we went. Then on Sunday she stayed outside with Daddy from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. I had to wrestle both of them into the house for dinner. Having Daddy home has been great this winter because Sophia’s has been able to stay home from school with him one or two days a week. It breaks up the monotony of the winter.

On days that Sophia stays home with Daddy she has playdates with her friends Nicholas, Cameron and Ava, takes extra long naps (in my bed), and plays outside in the snow. Daddy and I try to get her outside whenever the weather permits. In the warmer weather her new activity is puddle jumping. She loves to splash in puddles!

Developmentally she is doing great and becoming 2! She is beginning to talk in small sentences stringing 3-5 words together. A lot of the time she will try to make longer sentences and will sign the words she struggles saying. She is really good at signing. She has begun to sign songs that she knows the words to. As long as she continues loving I will continue teaching it. She is really good at whining too! Mike and I have been on it from the beginning so it isn’t that bad for an almost 2 year old. It mostly happens when she wants to be carried around the house. She is too big to carry when you are also holding groceries, laundry, or books. So when she starts to whine we tell her to go to her room until she is done. She will either stop or she will run into her room. Within 5 seconds she starts to slowly make her way out.

Her skills blow me away! She is able to count to 12, say her ABC’s all by herself, and knows all her friends names at school and who’s mommy belongs to who. She also knows all her animals and the sounds they make. She can identify a backhoe, a crane, and a bobcat. She can run without falling, skip and jump with 2 feet off the ground (it is the funniest thing to watch.) She can climb up stairs independently and knows to go down stairs on her bum. She can almost work the DVR and can use the remote to turn on and start the DVD player and TV. She has begun showing a lot more interest in coloring on paper with crayons instead of writing on paper with pens. She loves playdough and cooking. She makes her own french fries for dinner. She loves to help me with the housework. She helps load the silverware in the dishwasher, start the microwave, empty the bedroom barrels, put groceries away in the fridge, carries things to the table for dinner, feeds her fish, changes over the laundry, puts clothes in the hamper, wipes water off the floor and will even vacuum (we rent her out of a fee). Cleaning has become so much more fun since she has gotten older.

Sophia still loves her babies. She welcomed her friends Cole and Cayden’s little sister Cora to her friendship circle. She also celebrated her friend Jake’s 1st birthday.

Eli was over in January and Sophia was all over him. She wrapped him in a blanket, held him, and bounced him in a bouncy seat. She wanted to put him in her doll carriage, but that is where Rachel and I drew the line. At school she helps in the infant room in the morning. She is in charge of replacing pacifiers that pop out of the babies’ mouths, starting and stopping the bouncy seats, talking to them when they are playing on the floor, wiping their tears with tissues when they cry (she appointed herself that position) and she has tried on a number of occasions to get them to blow their noses…gross. She is very maternal. My sister, Adrienne, is 6 months pregnant and so is Sophia. If you ask her where the baby is she will tell you in Auntie’s belly and then she will lift her shirt and show you that, she too, has a baby in her belly. When my “NEPHEW”….yes I said nephew…..Adrienne is having a boy…is born and we go to the hospital Sophia will have a baby waiting for her too!

As for her medically… all is quiet (I hope I didn’t just jinx myself.) Ear tubes are amazing! We started her on soy lethicin and soy oil, both are protein free, and she doing great on them. At the end of April beginning of May we start up again with a lot of specialist appointment, tests, and trials as we start to introduce new “forbidden” foods to her diet. My motherly instinct is that she has overcome these allergies and that everything will be fine.
The next time I write Sophia will be 2! Can you believe it? This time 2 years ago I was finishing up her room, having my baby showers, and cleaning my house from top to bottom for the arrival of my new baby. What an amazing 2 years it has been!

Love to all! Stay warm!