one and three-quarters

How did that happen?! Squirt is already one and three-quarters old, meaning there's only a quarter of a year left to go to the terrific twos! These last few months, since her half-birthday in October, have been very exciting (read: hair-raising). Her language continues to boom, as has her non-verbal self expression. Her sense of self is growing stronger, as has her independence and will. That can sometimes make things a little hard on momma, but are the exact traits I hope to encourage in the long run.

She continues to want to "help" around the house, and has come up with ways to participate, whether we like it or not. She pushes chairs around the house to get to tall objects - like the counter top - and happily climbs up to do whatever important task it was she had her mind set on. I have turned my back on her for mere moments, only to turn around and find her sitting in the sink trying to wash some piece of cutlery, or on the counter trying to put a scoop of coffee beans in the grinder. She's figured out how to balance on the edge of the toilet in the bathroom so she can reach the sink. She'll turn on the water and wash her own hands, which is pretty neat.

As I mentioned, language is booming. She's starting to use phrases like "thank you" and "please," which is both unexpected and nice. She sometimes says she loves us and is always eager to give giant, noisy kisses (especially to the cats).

With only three months to go (!!!), I'm starting to wonder what special thing we should do to celebrate her second year on this planet. Definitely another hike! But a party? A trip to the zoo? I don't know. Good thing I have three months to figure it out...

Trying to surprise Momma with some freshly ground coffee.