21 Months

Sabine seems to be in a constant growth spurt these days. She's taller (which means she can now reach the countertops, as well as a host of other formerly-out-of-reach things, so we're re-child-proofing), her hair's longer, and she's talking more (and singing! See post below) and eating less. I don't quite understand how that works, but she seems to have no problem growing despite the fact that she's only eating a little mac & cheese and zucchini these days. She also doesn't turn down ice cream when it's offered.

The language is fun, Sabine is now speaking in 4-5-word sentences, and can say things like "Go sit on the potty?" and "Mommy get the train book."

I spoke too soon on the sleep though, she's had a rough week, waking up a couple of times a night, and often we need to go in to comfort her before she can get back to sleep. We're guessing it's her top canine teeth coming in. We can't see anything yet, but since the bottom ones are in and she's drooling more these days, those are both good signs that the next set could be coming.

We're also seeing the beginnings of the terrible twos. There's a lot more whining, and we've had to institute time-out for when things get too chaotic, although right now it's more of a game. Somehow screaming "TIME OUT!" and gleefully running to the corner of her own volition isn't exactly how I read it's supposed to work.

Otherwise, though, Sabine's a happy kid with a big imagination. She likes making tea and pastries with her tea set and serves it to whomever's available, including Tatum.

We've gotten some good time in with family recently. Grandmom and Grandpa continue to come down on Fridays, and Sabine is always happy to see new faces at the house. I often get told "bye-bye, mommy" and pushed out the door. At least she doesn't seem to suffer too terribly from separation anxiety....

We've also been down to Denver to visit Aunt Dani and cousin E. Sabine occasionally visits when a nice nurse is on duty, and she gets to come to the door and blow E kisses. Otherwise, she waits out in the waiting room and entertains everyone out there.

Baby (doll) and Bunny are still her favorite toys, and they sleep with her every night, but a lot of the other stuffed animals have gotten a lot of love recently. She usually asks if one can go with us when we go for walks or to the store.

Sabine also likes to watch Sesame Street clips on YouTube (when Mommy is catching up on email) and she really favors Snuffy these days. We've also branched out from strictly-children's entertainment, and she likes to watch clips of ballet dancing and songs from musicals, as well. Daddy's really been encouraging the sing-a-longs, and I think we are both looking forward to taking her to the theater someday.

It's really been a fun summer so far, between all the play dates, dance classes, longer days, ice cream, and fountains to play in. It'll be interesting to see if we can keep up this pace when the weather gets cooler. Fortunately, it's not showing any signs of doing that any time soon!