Month 21 and 22

Skylie,

You are getting to be such a big girl. I love the phrases that come out of your mouth! Saying, "Good girl, Mommy," when I agreed to read you more books seemed pretty cute, but later when you told Daddy, "Good girl, Daddy," that one topped the charts! You are now well aware that you and I are girls, but Daddy is a boy. You remind us of those facts often. Sometimes if we are lucky, you still praise us on being a "good girl" or a "good boy". Thank you.

You're quite the song bird. Dora is your hero and you will belt out part of the theme song, "Do-do-do-do-da-Dora!" at random. The other day you were playing with your hair bows and flowers (a favorite activity of yours). Once you'd emptied them all out of their container, you proceeded to sing "Clean up. Clean up." while you tossed those accessories back in their box. You are surprisingly good--on occasion--at helping clean up your toys.

You are quite the opinionated little lady and want your voice heard. You care about everything from wearing the "blue flower" to demanding a "big cracker" (the entire graham cracker as opposed to half) or drinking from the "Dora cup". It is treacherous territory we walk, when you don't get precisely what you want.

When I invite you to play with chalk, play dough, the blocks, or color, you'll often say, "Mommy do it", to ensure that I have just as much fun as you. That trick of yours, as well as pleading to sit on "Mommy's lap" while you watch a show or eat are two sure ways you work to get virtually every moment of my time while you're awake. I may indulge your requests too much, but soon my time with you will be shared with your sister (and during your teenage years you might want to do anything but spend time with your mom) so I figure I will enjoy my one-on-one time with you as much as possible.

You spent eight days with your grandparents while your daddy and I took a vacation. From what we hear, you handled the separation well. When Dad and I arrived back you were sleeping. When you woke and we excitedly greeted you, your only request was to "read books". (That's what you ask for every single time you wake, so I'm not sure why we were surprised.)

We moved from Iowa and are now living in Indianapolis, Indiana. Between driving from Iowa to Utah and back to Indiana, you rode over 40 hours in the car. Thanks to a portable DVD player, you handled the car better than we anticipated!

We love you so much!

Love,
Mom