Confessions of a Blogaholic

So I thought I'd share some of the neat things rylee does now that she is 22 months old...

She talks, a lot. I don't always understand her, but she's pretty demanding when she wants a certain thing (insert joke about her being like her mommy!). She says tons of words...apple, orange, nana, moo, coat, brush your teeth, scratchy back (scratch my back), brush your hair, mommy help me, yes, no, why (new as of a couple days ago), no way, cry baby face (lol), everyone's names/titles, truck, choo choo, etc. she pretty much repeats/tries to repeat everything I say. Today, I even got her to try saying "mommy is exasperated," and she gave it a pretty good go!

She likes certain foods, but will try about anything. She likes ketchup on everything (including waffles). She asks for the food she wants, unless I'm not giving her an option. She's not the best eater in that she doesn't always eat a lot of food, but I also don't force her to eat and operate under the assumption that she will eat when she's hungry.

She copies everything I do. She follows me throughout the house. If I'm in the "potty," she's in the potty. If I'm doing makeup, she wants makeup. When my alarm goes off, she's immediately in my room. If I'm cleaning, she will help. Today, I was getting together her old clothes and boxing them up, and she brought all the clothes to me to be folded and packed. When I throw clothes down the stairs to do laundry, she gets her clothes and throws them down. She picks up her toys most nights, and she usually carries in a light grocery bag when we go to the store. She's amazingly helpful!

She likes to read and be read to. She doesn't sit still very long, but when she says, "mommy, read a book," or "no, different book," we read.

She's a little bossy (again, not sure where that one comes from!). She just recently started telling me "mommy, you nappy, too!" when I put her to bed at night. When I put her coat on in the mornings, she's says, "mommy, you coat, too!". If I'm eating or drinking, she says, "I want some" or "I have some too." when stopped at a red light in traffic, she says, "mommy, go!"

She's a smart cookie also. She can tell you each person/animal at everyone's house, including Terri's, even though she's only been there once. She can said "a, b, c, d" and "1 , 2, 3," and blue is by far her favorite color to identify and ask for.

She wears 3t shirts and 2t pants.

She's very playful, and a bundle of energy that can wear me down most days. She likes to play "come get me" now, and I like to use her as a bench press (hey, two birds, one stone, you know?).

We've got a nice nighttime routine that works 90% of the time except when I'm rushing her off to bed 10 minutes early because mommy is ready for he alone time.

Let's not pretend she doesn't throw the tantrums of any other two year old, but I think I've watched enough nanny 911 episodes to feel like I handle them pretty well. Actually, since having left the classroom and Nathan's departure, I have the most insane amount of patience, so she gets every bit of my calmness. Plus, I'm as stubborn as she is, so when I ask her to pick up her toys and she looks at me and says, "no way! No! No way!!". She WILL end up picking up the toys, even if I have to calmly place them in her little hand and walk her to the toy box--always giving her lots of cheers once the task (and episode) are done. In public, though, my reaction to the tantrums is a totally different story. They are SO EMBARRASSING!!!! But, I let the flush of purple fill my face while I try to figure out what the freak out is about.

Rylee is, though, a really well-behaved, awesome kid (where's the wood to knock on???). I now enjoy all my time with her.