Cara is 20 months!

Every month: this is the best month yet! Can't believe we're so close to 2 years old. This has been my favorite month so far. :)

Stats:

• I think she's getting close to 30 lbs
• She seems to be taller lately--34-35"?
• The week we moved, she cut THREE TEETH! And I think there is another on the way-all in mirroring positions, the eye teeth and the bottom equivalents, bringing us to 15-16 total

Milestones:

• running, climbing, walking backwards (while saying "backwards!")
• counting 1-13, 14-20 come with help
• sings Itsy Bitsy Spider, Wheels on the Bus, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and fills in a lot of the words
• says, "Happy Birthday, _____" (but usually fills in the blank with Reed--that was the birthday we really emphasized back in April)
• can point out A and R in a list of letters, occasionally C
• sits on the potty and brushes teeth by herself, helps to wash her own hair
• says more 3-syllable words
• strings 4 words together
• repeats EVERYTHING you say, nods her head with each syllable to get it right
• tries to put socks and shoes back on after she pulls them off
• can help get herself dressed a little bit (taking off shirt, putting on jacket)

Personality:

• observant, again--she definitely likes to take things in before she acts
• shy, somewhat--lately she has been saying, "Mama!" and asking to be held or hiding her face in my legs when we're in an overwhelming situation
• silly--her new favorite word. She loves to play games and laugh, especially if we can scare her or play "boo!".
• articulate--very good at saying things or expressing herself
• impatient--doesn't like to wait for anything, especially meals or snacks, and isn't good at waiting to talk to communicate
• bright--remembers things we talk about or do many days before, makes connections to things we learn or do
• loving--she is very liberal with her hugs and kisses, and often asks for them and gives them freely to everyone. This is my favorite addition to the list lately!

Sleep:

• sleeps 7:30 p.m.-7 a.m.
• Since we moved, we've pushed bedtime later for various reasons, both by choice and against our will. Even if she goes to bed at 9, she is mostly happy until then, but she will ALWAYS wake up at 6:45-7:00, regardless of bedtime. Quite the scheduled creature!
• still plays "night night" by getting a blanket and laying on the floor, or playing it by covering you up on the floor
• hoping to extend naptime, at least at home, by getting some blackout blinds for her room, because there is a lot of natural light that comes in...

Clothes:

• 24m clothes
• size 5 diapers
• size 6 shoes!!

Food:

• drinks 3 cups of milk a day
• 3 cups of water and a half-cup of "juice" at school
• favorites include: CHICKEN, bananas, BLUEBERRIES (calls them "boobies" hahahahahahaha), strawberries, apples, cheese cubes, veggie burger, French fries, animal crackers/bunny grahams
• LOVES pouches, particularly ones with apple in it ("apple pouch") or with Elmo on the outside :)
• has come to like cinnamon toast on Saturday mornings and peanut butter a lot more!
• moved from the high chair to a booster seat when we moved to the new house--such a big girl now!

Likes:

• naming her friends at school--too many to list here!
• Sophia the First in books and on Disney Junior--calls her "Sophi-toria", like her teacher Miss Victoria at school :)
• reading in "lap"
• dogs!! She loves our "dog friends" Tex, Harleigh, Maverick, Wookiee, and Kibbles
• Po!!! She loves to play with him, and giggles so much when he's around
• Bear, Lovie and Baby at bedtime
• riding in the wagon
• playing "Boo!" and getting scared
• dancing when there is music playing and singing songs
• giving hugs and "tisses"
• being tickled
• looking at pictures on the iPhone--screams "pittures!!!" or "See!!!"
• playing at school
• steps, any steps, anywhere
• "reading" her Bible--she likes to look at the pictures and flip the pages
• having mommy hold her--she wraps her legs around my waist if I try to put her down :)

Dislikes:

• having to wait for something--a snack, a book, to hold her
• facing backwards in the carseat--I think she's ready to flip around, but it's not time yet. She fusses and whines a lot, even with songs and car books
• not getting 100% of your attention, if I'm multi-tasking/cooking/etc.
• sitting still to take pictures--she just likes to see them afterwards
• the witching hour from 5:30-7ish--she is really fussy during this time until we eat dinner and go straight to bath/night night
• holding hands when she REALLY wants to go somewhere on her own

Most Challenging:

• consistency and training--having both Chance and I communicate the same things to her and keep the consistency 
• reasoning with a toddler who can't quite comprehend rational thought just yet :)
• getting Cara settled into our new house and helping her feel comfortable
• teaching her to communicate with us increasingly

Looking forward to:

• summertime!!!! Time to work, time to play with Cara, time to relax... Just a few more weeks until June 6!
• Cara's SECOND birthday! It's about to be time to start planning it--how is that possible?
• our 6th wedding anniversary in just a couple of weeks
• potty training--is that weird?