nella: 22 months

Suddenly, she has these long, skinny arms and legs, which make her look so much more like a big kid! She still has those baby cheeks though, and I’m hoping they stick around for a long time to come.Clothing size: Mostly 24-month and 2T things, although we’re still squeezing her into 18-month footie pajamas, only because we don’t have enough of the bigger size. She’s ready to move up to size 5 sneakers.

Eye color: Blue.

Hair: Blonde with ringlets! It’s getting pretty long in the front, but I’m not cutting it. I want it to keep growing and even out.

Teeth: Still 12, but she has a canine that’s about to pop through, and she’s definitely been showing signs of teething this past month.

Eating: She’ll eat just about anything we give her, but her favorites include: salad, Greek yogurt, muffins, mini wheats, taco salad (she loves anything with salsa on it), and goldfish crackers. She’s really self-sufficient, so if she’s hungry, she’ll just open up the cabinet, grab herself a bowl, fill it up with crackers, and sit at the table to eat it. It’s adorable and kind of hilarious.

We’ve also been regularly giving her prune juice (about 30-50% diluted) to help with some chronic digestive issues. She actually really likes it!

She also had her first Ring Pop this month. She thought it was the best thing ever!

Sleep: She still sleeps so well, with about 11-12 hours at night and a 2.5-3 hour nap in the afternoon. We’ve been running late compared to our usual afternoon schedule, so nap has been happening an hour or more later than it used to. She gets so tired that she climbs into her bed all on her own right after I change her diaper and basically puts herself to bed.

We converted her crib into a toddler bed this month, and she has been so great with the transition! She stays in her bed all night long and only gets out to play after she wakes up.

Words: It seems like she’s trying to say a lot more words. Some really cute ones lately: turtle, hamper, quack, “dogga” (doggy), “naaaah” (neigh, like a horse), “baba” (baby, but it can also be used to reference anything, really), whoa, wow, and yay.

Favorite things: Dogs (especially Scout), Minnie Mouse, and babies! She plays with those three things all day, every day.

Dislikes: Time out!

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

Milestones, etc.: -Every day when I get her dressed, I’ll say “arm!” or “leg!” when I’m putting her shirt or pants on, and she’ll copy me and say the words, too. Then, when she’s all done, I hand her the dirty clothes, and she’ll say “hamper!” in the cutest little voice.

-Just about everything she does is completely adorable. I really do love this age so much.

-She is becoming a little jokester. She’ll throw her baby on the ground and wait for us to react, and then laugh. She’ll poke herself in the face with her spoon at dinner and giggle. She throws toys out onto the floor, making the biggest mess, while laughing maniacally. She knows that we think she’s cute and that we’ll laugh at almost anything she does.

-She takes care of her baby dolls all day long. She especially loves to put them up in the toy high chair and put toy food on their tray. One day, she noticed that I had made cookies for everyone to have later, so she climbed up on the step stool, took a cookie, and gave it to her doll. Like I said, she’s self-sufficient!

-She has become a biter, never to her parents, but to her sisters. She’s the first of our kids to do this regularly, so it’s been something new for us to handle. She bit Kaya particularly hard a couple of days ago, and she was really upset to go to time out for it. She’s always very willing to give “sorry” hugs after she does anything wrong, though.

-She’s an amazing big sister already. She stops playing to say hello to Eve all the time, and loves stroking her head softly while she tries to say something in a high-pitched voice. She gives her really loud kisses, and always makes sure Eve has her pacifier.

Dear Nella,

Where do I even begin? I have so many conflicting feelings about how fast you’re growing. I love seeing you starting to talk. Your little voice is so sweet, and the hugs, kisses, and pats on the back you give us are beyond endearing. Our days have been a little different since Eve was born, and right now, I miss having more time with you. You’re acting more and more like a big kid every day, but I still see you as my little baby. I think I need to take you on a mommy-daughter date, just the two of us, soon.
I always make sure to give you extra hugs and cuddles when I can, since you really seem to respond to touch as one of your “love languages”. You light up every single day of my life, and you will never know how truly grateful I am for you. I hope you’ll always stay true to who you are, because you are wonderful.Love, Mommy