Ella Grace {21 months}

I know, a 21 month update is a little ridiculous! (As are all monthly updates after a year...)

But...we are halfway between Ella's half birthday and her second (!!!) birthday, so I obviously needed to document. 

Dear Ella,

Another quarter of your second year down; where is the time going?! You are starting to emerge from a stage I wasn't the biggest fan of (14-20 months were fun, but very tiring!!!) and you are so animated and responsive these days! 

{showing me your doggy stamp you got at library story time!}

You are somewhere around 30 pounds and maybe 34 inches or so? You are really tall! You are pretty much solidly in 2T clothes, but can fit into 18-24 month and occasionally 18 month clothes. You are still in size 4 diapers. I am thinking about potty training you soon though. You are very interested in the potty, and can always tell us when you are dirty or wet. We will see...

You are fascinated with anything having to do with babies or Elmo. Your Bitty Baby is one of the first things you look for when we walk in the door, and you always give her the biggest hugs! And Elmo....well, who knows what toddlers love so much about him, but he is like your best friend! Any and all of your Elmo books are your favorites to read (when you're not trying to rip the pages...whoops!). 

You also love sports! You are clearly Travis' daughter because you love Rameses and can always pick out anything UNC by saying "Tar!" and pointing to it (and I am talking, finding minuscule bumper stickers on cars, etc.). You also love the Hornets and can pick out Hugo anywhere! You always ask Daddy to watch golf (even though it's um, November...not really golf season) and soccer! You love to be active; kicking, running, jumping and going down the slide are your favorites. 

You also still love various forms of transportation and identifying them as you see them around. Trains, planes, cars...but your favorite is the BUS! You love when we are in the car and you see a big yellow school bus because you start yelling "BUS! BUS! BUS!" until we drive past it. May or may not have something to do with "Wheels on the Bus" being your favorite song...

Speaking of singing, you've been taking a musikgarten class for the past 10 weeks and it is has been so much fun! The first few times, you looked at me like, "Mom, wtf have you gotten me into?!" but now, you love, love, LOVE going to "cass." You love the "Ha Ha" song and anytime I put it on in the car, you instantly smile and then scream if I turn if off. You also love playing peek-a-boo with the scarves!

You picked up the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" song super quick, complete with hand motions and we are working on your ABCs. You can sing A through G, then you forget all those letters in the middle, but can say "Q R S....W X Y and Z!" And every song always ends with a big "Yayyyyyyyy!" and hand clapping. 

You are a human sponge. I can say something one time, and then you repeat it over and over and over. And over. Apparently, when I slam on my breaks, I say, "Oh shoot!" (I'm just glad it's not another sh- word!) because now every time I break quickly in the car, you say, "Oh shoot!" 

You are also very aware of brands. Anytime you see a Ford SUV, you say "Mommy car!" and a grey sedan, you say "Daddy car!" One time you thought Daddy drove a Mercedes. We can all dream. You also love "Daddy juice" which is just watered down Gatorade and can pick out the G logo. My personal favorite is whenever you see a Louis Vuitton bag, you think it is Mommy's. :) 

Now, some not so fun stuff. Sorry. How do I put this....you are a little mischievous, Miss Ella. You definitely like to see what you can get away with. Last month, I woke up in the middle of the night to find you out of your crib by your bedroom door. I freaked out just a little bit, but thankfully you have not climbed out of your crib since then (knock on wood). You've also colored with crayon on our white couch, hit, bit, kicked, jumped on the bed after we've told you several times not to, and even have tried telling Daddy or I "No"! You are quite familiar with the time out chair, but don't really "get it" yet. The good news is that Daniel Tiger came out with a catchy little tune that goes: "Stop. And listen to say safe." So I've tried singing that to you when you're about to do something naughty, and you usually catch yourself and say, "Tiga! Tiga!" and then you will listen to me. Thank God for Daniel Tiger! We will continue to work on the whole discipline thing, but I think a lot of it has to do with your age. You are just trying to explore your surroundings! 

I can't believe in less than 3 months we will be celebrating your second birthday! You are turning into such a smart, spunky, and FUN little person! You really do bring so much joy to our lives every day and crack Daddy and me up constantly! Thanks for hanging out with me every day and letting me be your mom! It's the best job ever!