Day 249- 17 Months Old

Well, hello there beautiful baby little girl with the million dollar smile.

Oh, how I love chasing you around the house and listening to you squeal with delight as you try to get away from me. Even better is when you squeal with delight and then run towards me, wrapping your little arms around my legs in a sweet hug.

 And how we love watching you so joyful whenever one of your favorite Sesame Street music videos appears on the computer or Ipad screen. You expecially love the Ipad. I read recently that some people are referring to your generation a the "Touchscreen Generation", and I can easily understand why.

I love listening to your raspy little voice talking on and on about only you and God know what! There are a few things you say clearly, though: Dog, Dada, Mama, Uh oh, Yeah, Yes, What's that? Your favorite word that we have not yet figured out is "Oosh". You usually say it while pointing at something, so my best guess is "Look!" I know you get frustrated sometimes when we don't know what you're oh-so-clearly trying to tell us. I promise it will get easier for all of us soon.

You can point to your head, nose, ears, mouth, belly, and feet, though you sometimes get nose, ears, and mouth mixed up. And you will never do it when you have an audience other than Daddy and me. That's ok. We know how smart you are, even if you don't like to show off in front of others.

You love to hand-feed your dogs, one little kibble at a time. One for Brandy, one for Bailey, one for Copper. You make sure each pup gets a treat. You are so sweet and thoughtful. They especially love when they get a "real" treat from your very own dinner plate, and you're happy to share with them.

You've recently started trying to eat with a fork. Sometimes you shovel an empty fork into your mouth over and over, either nonethewiser or not concerned because using a fork is just that much fun!

You still love reading, and you've recently started "reading" out loud as you peruse the pages of your favorite books. I hope this love of books carries with you throughout your life.

Tomorrow, your Daddy and I celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary. We've been together for 10 years in all, and while you've only been with us for 17 short months, we can not possibly imagine our lives without you, our greatest gift, Elinor Catherine.