Clothing size: She’s mostly still wearing 18-month clothing, just because everything still fits fine, and I haven’t pulled the next size out of the closet. 2T dresses. Size 4 shoes are starting to get tight, but she’s still got some room to grow in size 5.
Eyecolor: Blue.
Teeth: Eleven! Finally, another tooth came through!
Eating: Her appetite seems to have significantly increased! She puts down pretty large portions at mealtime, and if she’s hungry at any other time of day, she helps herself to the snacks I keep in the diaper bag. Talk about being self-sufficient! Her favorite foods are cucumbers, Greek yogurt, pancakes, and pizza!
We’re still nursing three times a day… but she’s drinking about 8 ounces of whole milk per day now, and I feel like my milk supply might be starting to drop, so we’ll see how much longer we go.
New words: I can’t think of any new words, but the words she does use seem to be getting a lot clearer/more articulate lately.
Favorite things: Blue Kitty, Piggy, and basically any stuffed animal that we give her and tell her is “hers”. She just loves having something of her very own. She likes ducks (real, rubber, or in books), reading, “driving” little cars, and has recently started to love Daniel Tiger.
Dislikes: Getting her face wiped, being told no, sharing, and the car seat. The worst of all is getting her diaper changed. Seriously… it has become a battle between her and I to take off the dirty diaper and get her cleaned up without a huge mess and/or fit happening. Michael says she doesn’t fight him, so apparently, she only does this with me. Why?
Sleep: She’s down for bed around 8:30 or 9, and wakes up around 7 am. She naps for three hours in the afternoon, starting around 1:30 pm.
Nicknames: Baba, Baba Grace, KaeCakes, Monkey.
Milestones, etc.: -She has officially earned the nickname “Miss Independent”, because you better not dare to try and help her to do anything, or she immediately screams and throws a fit.
-She is pretty good at doing a lot of things on her own, like buckling (and recently, unbuckling!) her high chair straps and putting on her shoes.
-She’s mastered actually walking up the stairs now, as long as there is a railing to hold onto.
-She’s great at throwing a ball overhand.
-She’s getting so good at building block towers! She can stack several wooden blocks without them toppling over.
-Tantrums. Whew. She’s had a lot of time-outs… and this week we started “hug it out”, and it seems like it works. She’s strong-willed.
Dear Kaelyn,
You are definitely finding (and showing us) your personality these days. You are wild and crazy half the time, and along with that, you’ve got a bit of a stubborn streak. You are determined to learn how to do things on your own, and while I admire that, I do wish you’d be more willing to let us help you more often. I hope that your determination sticks with you as you grow older and take on school projects and church assignments.
You’re half-naked in half your photos, mostly because you still make a giant mess whenever you eat anything, so we have to strip you down to your diaper. I’m constantly sweeping and scrubbing the floor underneath your chair these days.
You are now the same age that your big sister was when you were born! It’s crazy to me, because in so many ways, you still seem like such a baby, but I’m starting to see you grow and mature in small ways. It also just feels like you reached this age so much faster than Kaya did! The same amount of time just passes faster when you have two kids, I think.
I’m also excited for you to really start talking so we’ll finally know what you’re thinking.
I love you, Baba Grace.
Love, Mommy