You're twenty-one months today -- one year and three-quarters. You're such a good kid these days, at least most of the time. You sleep through the night (except when you don't, which is usually if you're sick or in pain from one of those last molars coming in). You give lots of hugs and kisses. You are crazy fond of bathtime, and water in general. Also of outside, which sadly you're not getting so much of right now, but soon, baby, I promise. Lotta is still your favorite doll, although you have fun dressing and undressing and telling stories and putting to bed all the dollies (and the bear, and the bunny, and...)
You love daddy and mama and Ellie. Sometimes you love mama a little too much, but mostly I can handle it, except when I'm not feeling well or it's the middle of the night, when your insistence on mama-only can kind of suck. But you're so good the rest of the time that it's hard to stay upset. Especially when I remind myself that you're not actually trying to make me crazy.
Compared to other toddlers, based on my friends' reports, we've gotten tremendously lucky. For one thing, you eat pretty much everything -- we don't give you super-spicy food, but you can actually handle medium spicy okay already -- better than some of my friends can, in fact. Of course, there's no guarantee that you'll eat anything on any given day, but you're pretty reliably fond of pancakes, eggs, hot dogs, cheese, applesauce, yogurt, rice, pasta, tomatoes, grapes, berries, bananas, and cookies. You get most excited about rice, proving that even though you look pretty white, you're a brown girl at heart.
Mostly these days, you talk. Talk and talk and talk and talk. We don't understand most of what you say, but we're happy to listen to the running monologue anyway. You're a little parrot, able to copy and learn almost any word we say, and you remember and can name some of our friends when they come over -- Lori and Ursa, Simone. My current favorite thing you say is "All right!" which you offer up when asked if you want rice, or milk, or tv (especially Caillou, which you still adore beyond all reason). You can also almost count to ten, although you do miss 3 and 4 on occasion. Your alphabet's a bit spottier, but you like singing it to yourself, even if half the letters are missing. You recognize lots of letters now, which makes it a little slower reading you books, since we get interrupted lots by your pointing out and naming letters. But that's okay.
Basically, kid, life with Kavi at twenty-one months is pretty grand. We hear the terrible twos are coming, and we're braced for it. But for now, we'll just enjoy you while we can!
love,
Mama
