This post is entirely about Charlotte and is for the benefit of all those who read this blog who A) do not get to see Miss C. very often; B) those who do see her regularly but still dig stories about her; and C) for me, who thinks that little girl is the greatest and deserves an entire post dedicated solely to her.
So Charlotte turned 20 months old on Saturday, which blows my mind. I say this at every new age stage, but I think this age has been the most fun so far. She's old enough that she can walk and run around outside and I don't have to carry her constantly yet she's still little enough that she
wants me to hold her and carry her a lot and when I do she's not terribly heavy. She can do things independently like feed herself, color, play with her toys or watch Elmo for a little while, which takes a small bit of the load off me and makes it possible to throw a load of laundry in. But not fold it. Folding laundry with a toddler around is an oxymoron. She can communicate most of her needs and wants in ways other than crying, she talks up a storm, and I can take her places and do things with her where she is not only
awake but actually fascinated and excited by what we're doing. She's also at an age where she doesn't really care what we're doing--everything is fun and new and she's game for anything.
Another reason this age is so fun is that while she's very much an active, growing, learning, busy toddler she is also still very much a baby. She still has those delightfully chubby baby cheeks and thighs, and wispy baby hair. She still has that little belly that sticks out when she stands up and that baby-ish giggle. Her feet still look like adorable baby feet, just a little chubbier. And the best part--she still has that delicious baby smell, especially when she's warm and sleepy and wrapped up in her pj's and blankie. Mmmm...if I could figure out a way to bottle and sell that, I'd be a very wealthy woman.
Charlotte started talking early (to make up for walking, which she waited a solid 17 months to decide it was worth her while). She said her first word at 7 months and has pretty much not stopped talking since. I don't know how many words she has now, since I stopped counting a month ago when she got past 100. If Charlotte is awake, she is talking. Or singing. She repeats a lot of what we say, she memorizes parts of her books and repeats them, she remembers lines from songs, and the rest comes from magic, because I have no idea how she learned as many of the words she knows (and thankfully, no curse words. Though when she sings the chorus of "Ring Around the Rosie" it sounds like "asses, asses, all fall down!"). She's been putting words together and using phrases and short sentences. It's unbelievable how much her vocabulary grows each week and it's fascinating to watch. I feel like each day I am able to communicate with her better than the day before and it's a good feeling :)
We've been working on learning her colors for a few weeks now. She does pretty well with blue, green, orange and pink. She'll occasionally get another one right, but for the most part if it doesn't fall into one of those categories she simply refers to it as "not blue." Technically, she's correct.
 |
| Just cooking. In a basket. |
Charlotte's favorite things to do include art, reading, dancing, and going outside no matter what the weather conditions. If it's cold and snowing, she brings me her hat and boots. If it's raining, she'll bring her raincoat. She would probably sleep outside if we let her. Her other loves, in no particular order, are Elmo, dogs and cats, her Winnie blankie, "Bubba" (aka Howard), and emptying all manner of shelves, cupboards or bins.
Her favorite foods are bananas, animal cookies (or vanilla wafers...or cookies of any kind), and milk. She likes plenty of others, but those are her top three. If I only fed her milk and bananas all week she'd probably be happy. When I see her "cooking" at her pretend kitchen and ask what she's making, she'll usually reply either "milk" or "nanas." Mmmm.
She's a social butterfly and a complete busybody in the best possible way. She loves being around people and spends a typical grocery trip saying "hiii!" to everyone in the aisles. She's on a first name basis with the bank tellers, the mailman, three grocery store clerks, and our entire street. She is rarely shy and almost always cheerful, though when she's ticked off she is
really ticked off. She does nothing halfway.
She slipped on the ice a couple weeks ago, so now anytime she falls down, indoors or out, she says "uh oh, ice!". If she gets so much as a speck of dirt or food on her hands, she asks for a napkin or holds her hand out and says "wash!". If she falls and gets a boo boo, even an invisible one (as most of them are) she holds out the injured appendage and says "kiss!" It just about always fixes the injury, though some require more kisses than others.
Her busy-body ways and cheerful nature mean that I regularly have strangers comment about her to me. They always say nice things, but the nicest compliments I've ever received have been "you can tell she's just genuinely happy" and, my favorite ever, "she smiles from the inside out." Those are true, and while I know I can't really take credit for either one they still make me feel incredibly proud and thankful. And lucky. Very, very lucky. I don't know what I did to deserve Charlotte, but I do know that I will spend the rest of my days making sure I never take anything about her for granted.
~Stacy
