One and Three Quarters

Dear Jenny,

This week you turned the ripe old age of 21 (months), and you're acting more and more toddlerish every day.

You've gotten taller (some of your dresses are now mini-skirts) and your hair's gotten longer (though I still have no idea what to do with it - it hangs in your eyes and drives your grandpa crazy). I think you have a full set of baby teeth at this point, though it's hard to tell. You don't really let us look in your mouth, and teething has never bothered you much.

The biggest changes I've seen in you though have been in what you're doing these days. We hear new words come out of your mouth every day. (You just said your sister's name yesterday - much to our surprise & delight!) Some of the words are probably only intelligible to us (I defy anyone else out there to figure out what "cof-cof" is.) But it's clear that you know so much and are working so hard to express yourself. And you are so proud when you point to something and name it correctly. You do still think everyone's name is the same as yours though.

You're also doing lots of other things. You can stack blocks to make towers. You "read" books to yourself. You can do your wooden puzzles (though you prefer taking the pieces out to putting them back in). You've discovered the world of coloring, though sometimes you just like to take out the crayons and put them back in the box one at a time. You dance. You sing. You try to jump, stretching out on your tiptoes, though your feet never leave the ground.

Basically every day I'm with you I fall in love with you a little more. Each moment, good or bad, entwines us a little more tightly. I don't always feel like I'm doing a good job of being your mom baby girl, but I'm doing the best I can. And I can't express in words how precious you are to me, and how much I want to be the mom you need.

Love always-

Mama