21 Months

Talking and understanding are definitely the biggest changes this month. You can say your name, and other kids names that are easy to say. You are saying a few more words in Russian. I am slowly figuring that out. You say "Upal" when something falls down on the ground or when you fall down yourself, which means "to fall". You repeat and understand so much more than I realize. You often nod your head when we are talking to you and you many times give us an answer when we ask a question.

You're a good helper lately, if we ask you to bring something to us, you will usually do it. Another time you helped me unload the dishwasher by handing the plates to me. You love to move things around in your play area. Take things out of their boxes and then put them back. One of your favorite toys is a Russian nesting doll called a "matreashka", you love taking it appart and putting it back together. We haven't gotten you to clean up your play area yet, but you do help put things away when we involve you in the process.

You have fallen in love with Mickey Mouse. We have a stuff animal that we bought for Aaron at Disneyland 5 years ago and somehow we ended up with it, and now you drag it around the house, saying "Mickey". Recently daddy showed you a few cartoons with Mickey in them and now when you see the TV on, you ask for "Mickey". So now we've started to record the Mickey playhouse shows. Funny how downstairs you will ask for Mickey but upstairs you will ask for "Baby" which means to show you the baby signing time dvds that we sometimes put on in the morning while you have your milk and while we get ready for work. A few days ago, I was in the kitchen cooking when you and daddy came home and you started asking for "Mickey" again, and I said "no, not right now" and daddy went upstairs to change. I got busy getting dinner ready, only to turn in a few minutes and notice that you are up on the chair watching Lion King... I didn't even know what to say. I have no idea how you figured out to switch the mode to DVD and play it (it was already loaded). I guess you got what you wanted afterall!

Tantrums haven't really started just yet, but I am noticing more and more that when you don't want to do something or go someplace you will start wining and saying "Net" and lay down on the floor. Lately it's difficult to leave places like the park or someone's house... you don't want to leave and you start crying. I suspect this may get worse with the terrible two's coming. :)
You have definitely been testing us lately. What can you get away with? Well we introduced the corner/timeout, and although we don't keep you in the corner very long... you certainly are not happy to go there. Very often you will come over and deliberately do something that we just told you not to do. For example you like hitting the standing fan, sometimes you hit it lightly, other times you push it so hard I am afraid it might fall on top of you. The other reason we've put you in the corner was when you don't want certain food and it's placed on the tray, you start refusing it, by saying no, and you want to get it off the tray immediately. If I don't take it away, you've started to throw it, and now you throw it much harder than just dropping it on the floor like you used to, sometimes it ends up on the other side of the kitchen. So I guess the disciplining starts! I've contemplated if it might be too soon, but most people I talk to tell me that it's not... so the fun of parenting begins. :)

We've also noticed that your behavior completely changes once I am around, or when first get home from work. You start to get very winy and every little thing can set you off into crying. Not really sure why that is.

Things are the same at the daycare, you are doing well there. You only have an issue with one girl named "Nicky", not sure what your issue is, but as soon as you see her, you run up and push her. I've told you so many times to not push and be gentle, but for some reason you keep bulling this one little girl for no apparent reason.

Other times you are gentle and cute. Most of our friend's babies are boys, and so you're always surrounded by boys. Just recently we were at a friends house and you were the only little girl there. When one of the boys Maxon was leaving, his mom asked him to give you a hug and a kiss.

Usually when we ask you to give a hug, if you're up for it, you start moving forward sideways and give us the shoulder and also lean in sometimes with your cheek or lips for a kiss, it's very cute. Seems like you didn't mind getting hugged and kissed by Maxon and here is a picture Jill was able to grab with her Iphone.

Two little curly heads

21 Months @ the beach