18 months

Dear Sydney, 

Hey girl.  Today, you turned 18 months!  I took you and your crazy brother to Olbrich Gardens to celebrate.  

You explored, climbed and tortured your mother together.

You are such a little person these days.  With clear likes and dislikes.  Unlike your brother, you have much more likes than dislikes:)  And you are more easily distracted and redirected than he was at 18 months.

Even though you two are as different as night and day in so many ways, you have a special bond.

He helps you and you help him.  He loves you and you love him.  He annoys you and you annoy him.  Its perfect.

Everything he does, you want to do.  Monkey see, monkey do.

Your vocabulary is huge.  You will try to repeat anything we say.  Currently, my favorite word that you can't even come close to saying but you try super hard is "brother."  And any word ending in "k" or "ck" is said with a hard "CKKK" sound.  It is hilarious!  A lot of German in you:)  Your first two word phrase was, "HI Turbo!"

Your personality has completely blossomed into the silliest kid I have ever met.  You enjoy "dressing up" with beaded necklaces, crowns and hats.  You even pretend to "go bye-bye" by slinging a purse of bag over your shoulder while waving and saying "Bu-bye!"

In the morning after I dress you, you look down, pat your belly and say, "Pretty!"

You eat like no kid I have ever seen.  Sometimes, you have 3 dinners.  It's crazy!  You are our little garbage can.  You also enjoy sharing your food, typically after you have licked it or had it in your mouth.  You offer it up saying, "Bite??"

At 17 months, you took up the Nuk.  I think it is comforting for you since we are weaning off of nursing.  I can't help but think it is adorable:)

You have been and continue to be such a joy in our lives.  You are the perfect piece we were missing without knowing we were missing it.  You shower us with love- continuous hugs and kisses and back pats.

I can't get enough of you and am always wondering what you will do next.  I am having so much fun being your Mama:)  Here's to more adventures together!

Love,
Mama