I’m later than late on this due to being sick… but this cute little girl makes up for it, right? And look at those long, lean, toddler-like legs she’s getting!Clothing size: I packed up her 18-month stuff since the majority of it was long sleeves (and it was a little sad to do, since most of it was so nice and new), and took out the 24-month onesies and pants, although they are a little big on her still. As it turns out, we have only one pair of 24-month footie pajamas that we saved from the other girls, so I ended up pulling her 18-month jammies back out (they fit better anyway)! Most of her little shorts are size 2T, which is unbelievable to me, but great for the added length. She’s still in size 4 sneakers and size 5 church shoes.

Eye color: Bright baby blues that melt my heart and probably let her get away with more than she should…

Hair: Her hair is WILD! Hands down, it’s the craziest of all three girls. She and Kaya have the same curly texture, but Nella has a lot more than Kaya did at this age, so it’s just all over the place. She really could use conditioner and a wide-tooth combing every morning, but she’s so busy that usually I just grab her and make a little ponytail as fast as I can. We always get it nice and tame after her bath, though!

Teeth: Still 12 as far as I know, but she isn’t a big fan of letting me look long enough to count. She loves brushing her teeth, and I can even persuade her to crawl up the stairs just by asking her if she wants to. We still have to keep tabs on the toothpaste though, because she’ll do whatever it takes to grab it and try to suck on the whole tube. Bleh.

Eating: She’s still an eating machine! I even gave her lemon Greek yogurt today (which I thought she didn’t like), and she ate it. She is getting so good at using a spoon, and she can eat her entire yogurt cup in about 5 minutes flat. She also really loves shredded chicken with cheese and salsa on top, and she enjoys a salad with Italian dressing every day for lunch, too. She begs for a cup of milk several times a day by going over to the refrigerator and whining… we’re still working on using words.

Snacks (usually crackers, grapes, or apple slices) make her world go around (and this crazy, goofy smile makes mine)!Sleep: She’s still a great sleeper, and honestly, I’m really grateful she has her own room, because I know that her sisters’ shenanigans would most definitely keep her up. She sleeps for about 12 hours at night and seems the happiest when she gets a 3-hour nap in the afternoon, although sometimes Kaya and Kaelyn are a little too loud and wake her up too soon. Also, she always sleeps with Beagle on her face! Her crib is full of puppies, and I love it.

Words: She’s getting really good at making animal sounds (moo, roar, horse lips, meow, ruff, tweet, hoo [like an owl]) and vehicle sounds (choochoo, brum-brum [vroom-vroom]). She also says “eyes” which is one of her clearest words and so adorable. She is suddenly obsessed with the word “uh-oh” and says it (very loudly) at just about everything.

Favorite things: Puppies and babies are her WORLD! She pretends to feed, bathe, and change any baby doll she can find all day long. Sometimes, she even pretends to drop the baby and then acts concerned. I have no idea where she gets this stuff from!

After I took the picture of her in the chair above, she got down, grabbed all these animals (and her sippy), and sat down for another picture. This one is SO her!She loves her Daddy more than ever, and she even begs Kaya to pick her up sometimes. I love how much she enjoys being with all of us. She also loves to read books, be bounced up and down by her Daddy, and hear us all sing to her at bedtime.

Dislikes: She hates to be told “no” to anything and will sit down and throw a screaming fit about it. Pretty normal for an almost-2-year-old! Otherwise, she’s a pretty happy girl.

Nicknames: Nellbells, Nels, Nella Bella, Nellie Belly, Nellie, Nella Sunshine, and Troublemaker.

Milestones, etc.: -She tries to be a big helper by putting things in the trash (thankfully, she can’t open the lid unless we help her, so nothing goes in there without our approval), putting her laundry in the hamper, and pushing the broom around to “sweep”. She also loves to pull all her cloth diapers off the drying rack and bring them to me in a big pile… which isn’t exactly helping, but she seems to think it is.

-Kaya usually gets her out of her crib after nap time, and if I’m still asleep (which is every day at this point in pregnancy, let’s be real), she runs to my room, pushes the door open, and comes right up to my side of the bed saying, “Mama”. She’ll lean her head in for me to scratch it or play with her hair for a minute.

-She definitely has touch as one of her “love languages”. She’ll come over for a cuddle, or just put her arm around you and scratch your back for no reason at all. I love it and hope she stays so snuggly forever.

-She discovered the guinea pigs this month and is now obsessed with going downstairs to visit them. She’ll climb up on the step stool and just watch them. When we hold them, she gives them tons of gentle pats and kisses.

-She also tries to yell at Scout when she thinks she’s doing something she isn’t supposed to. Nella was in her crib, just about to take a nap, when Scout started barking. I could hear Nella screaming “Ahhhhhht!” (which is how she tries to say “Scout”) from her room.

-If she just has a diaper on (which seems to be happening a lot lately because it’s been hot), she pulls on it so much that it practically falls off. She’s also sometimes started indicating when she wants a new diaper, so potty training is probably not far away (although I am in absolutely no hurry).

-Also, her lip is busted open in so many of these pictures because she fell in the driveway. She was holding her snack container, so when she tumbled, it spilled all over, and she started crying about that instead of the blood coming out of her lip. Snack-crazy baby!

Dear Nella,

This might be my last letter to you before you reach another huge milestone- becoming a big sister! I just know you’re going to be amazing at your new role, and I can’t wait to see you hold your newest best friend. I’m guessing you’ll probably scream, “Baba!” over and over again, and maybe even try pointing to her eyes, nose, and mouth. It’s definitely going to be a big change, and part of my heart aches to think that you won’t be my littlest anymore. You have given so much joy and love to our family.You’re wild, you’re crazy, and you make the biggest messes, but I wouldn’t change a thing. You’re looking so big to me lately, and although sometimes I wish I could freeze time, I’m excited to see the person you’re becoming. You have such a big personality, and I know that with your zeal for everyday life and your sweetness, you’re going to grow up to be one amazing girl.We love you, Nella Joy. Keep on smiling.

Love, Mommy