17 months old

Dear Ingrid,

I am so proud of you. We have turned your world upside down and you are handling it like a champ! We've definitely had a few bumps in the road these past three weeks, but all-in-all, you are adjusting to having a baby in the house quite nicely. You seem even bigger than before. And I think I'm more amazed at all the things you can do. You are talking up a storm. You put together 2-4 words to make sentences and phrases. One of my favorite phrases you say is "Love you mama, morning" when I tuck you in at night. You telling me that you love me and will see me in the morning melts my heart into a giant puddle. I can hardly wait to see your face again the next morning. You love the Christmas decorations so much. You are always telling us "Lights ON!" You want the lights on the tree and in the windows and above the stockings on at all times. You also like to say whatever Liv is doing at the moment. "Liv sleeping. Liv bouncing. Liv swinging. Liv crying. Shhhhh--no cry Liv. Liv's eyes open. Liv's eyes closed. Liv poots. Excuse me Liv." It is such a joy to hear your little voice saying all these words. You are fiercely independent at times and want to read or do puzzles by yourself. And other times you want me to hold you and carry you around. You are strong-willed and stubborn. When you get something in your mind, there's no stopping you or steering you in a different direction. You absolutely love music and songs. You like to sing your ABC's. You can sing the entire alphabet. We've been trying to get it on video for two months. But it's just like trying to get a posed picture of you right--impossible!! As soon as you see the camera you just want to sit in our laps and look at the pictures or videos on the screen. You can count to 12 consistently. You know most of your colors: red, blue, green, yellow, orange, purple, and white. You will say pink, black, grey, and brown sometimes but not every time. You are still a great eater. For instance, this morning you ate an entire blueberry muffin from Neighbor's Mill, part of a lemon muffin, and a little bit of a cinnamon roll! You can down four chicken nuggets like it's nothing! You have 10 teeth. Four front ones on top and bottom and two top molars. I am LOVING staying home with you right now. There is nothing better than getting to see you all day long. We play, laugh, and talk. You are such a joy to me. I'm so happy I get to be your mom.

Love you with all my heart,
Mommy

Telling a big story about bumblebees. I love your curly flip in the back! Blonde-hair, Blue-eyed Beauty!