17 Months.

  Sylvie, you just turned 17 months.

  When you are 18 months old, you will become a big sister.  You will get quite a shock, I think.  You will turn all your love of baby dolls into helping me with your little sister.  You will be jealous when I have another little girl in my arms.  You will fall in love with a little person who will likely be your best friend forever.

  But for this month, this short month, you are my one and only little baby girl.

 

  Of course you aren’t so much a baby anymore.  You are absolutely toddler.  Every once in a while you do something that reminds me of your baby side, and it pulls a little at my heart to know that you’re only growing up, and not ever back down.  But every stage is more fun, and I don’t think I’d even go backward if I had the chance.

  You are such a joy.  Now that you’re not teething (temporarily) and you’re not suffering from pink eye (the never ending disease that plagued our house for MONTHS.)  you are happy all the time.  You walk around singing into your plastic microphone, spinning in circles, and giggling almost non-stop.  I feel like I can’t soak it up enough.  You bless my heart every day.

  You are still obsessed with your baby dolls.  You bring them to me to wrap in blankets and then you walk around the house bouncing and shushing them.  It melts our hearts because you sing to them and rock them exactly like your Daddy does to you at night – you’re a great little mommy. 

 

  You are obsessed with basketball.  Much to your Daddy’s delight.

  You’ve become attached to one of your blankets – the yellow one that Grandma Bonnie made for you.  You want it at nap time and bed time and randomly in between.

  Your vocabulary grows by the day.  No point in trying to make a list of all you say, because you know too many words now! (Some of my favorites: wowie for water and bayball for basketball)  You say ‘pease’ for please and ‘ank-ooo’ for thank you – and you actually use them pretty consistently!  You identify all of your animals by their sounds, and you know all of the parts of your body.  We’ve also been practicing your baby sister’s name – but you’re not allowed to tell anyone else. ;)  You’re getting much better at letting me know what you want  - and you always know just what you want!

  You’ve started pushing limits for sure.  ‘What’s that you say Mommy?  Don’t put the crayon in my mouth?  Well, what if I just hold it right next to my mouth?  What if I just put it on my lips?  Are you watching?’ 

  You are loud, and passionate, and stubborn, and strong willed, and beautiful.

You went down the slide by yourself for the first time!

  We watched your Aunt Amy get married last weekend (‘mamy’ to you).  It reminded me that you won’t always be mine – and made me incredibly grateful that it is many, many years away.  It also reminded me of the huge responsibility we have in raising you and teaching you.  I pray about it every day.  I pray we can protect you until you are old enough to start making decisions, help you make decisions until you are old enough to be independent, and then let you be independent with grace and love.  I pray that by the grace of God, I can show you what it is to be a woman following hard after God – and that His love and correction would cover where I fail.

 

   Oh, I love you so much.  Let’s soak up this month.

 

You just woke up singing a song about your Daddy.  I suppose I should go get you.

 

Love you, love you, love you,

                                 Mama