babyj: 21 months!

It's hard to believe little "babyj" is now 21 months old. She's so big and tall, super strong and coordinated, and very chatty. She now counts to 12, can put on her own pants (most of the way), socks (one foot is easier than the other for her), and shoes (though they are often on the wrong feet). She has figured out a neat way to put her own coat on, and we think she picked this up at school (because neither Mom nor Dad has demonstrated this for her): she lays the unzippered coat down on the floor, sticks her arms in the sleeves, then flips the coat up over her head. Sometimes this results in the coat being on upside down, but we're working on that. Creative and clever! We like it!

She says things like "where Abby go?" when looking for the more elusive of our two cats, "no like it" when she is trying a new food that she's not thrilled about, and "not working" when a pencil's tip is so worn down it won't write anymore. She has very clear understanding and use of words like help, stuck, mine, and she says "My turn!" and "I hold it!" many times a day. She loves to sing "Wheels on the Bus" and "Baby Beluga" and other songs that they teach hand motions for at school. In the evenings, when she is more clingy and wants to be held up where all the action is, she sometimes points to the stereo and says "Dance!" So that's what we do!

Here are some photos of Jadyn enjoying her sleeping bag. The weather is perfect now for crawling into it and snuggling up. Thanks to Granny Pat and Grandpa Jim for this warm and fuzzy gift!