23 Months Down, 1 More To Go!

Well, we're down to the final stretch before the dreaded birthday. Lia has one more month to go before turning two years old. I simply cannot believe it. In some ways it has gone by so fast, but at the same time, I can't even begin to imagine a little Lia that didn't walk and talk or even sit up by herself. I do hope that she continues to be one of the most pleasant little people I know. I'm a bit afraid of this terrible two stage that is looming. We are already getting little sneak peaks of it here and there. Oh dear. And, in addition, we have the weaning of the "sucker" to deal with in a few weeks. I can't tell who's more scared: Lia or me.
Anyways, in keeping up with tradition for the second to last time (yes, I am pulling the plug on this operation after she turns two!), here is a Lia's top ten list for her 23rd month!

1. I have become a juke box. I'm not even kidding you. After the Christmas season and being introduced to Mother Goose, Lia has fallen in love with certain songs and nursery rhymes. ALL day long, she can be found requesting one song or rhyme after another, even in the middle of the night. Her favorites include "Jingle Bells," "Rockabye Baby," "Baa Baa Black Sheep," "Peter Pumpkin Eater," "Hot Cross Buns," and "Mary Mary Quite Contrary." I seriously sing "Jingle Bells" over fifty times a day. I've gotten to the point where I will refuse to sing it on certain days because I am soooo tired of it!
2. Lia has started praying this past month. She has only done it a few times, but it is one of the cutest things that I have ever heard! She first did it with Ron and will clearly repeat the words one at a time through the short, little prayer. She even keeps her arms folded the entire time. Talk about melting the heart! When she is in the mood to say her own prayer, she will often times ask to say one while playing (not eating). So, don't be surprised or appalled to ever find us praying over a puzzle!
3. We have weaned Lia from the sippy cup. Hooray! Actually, I can't take credit for it as it was her idea. One day, she just requested to have the "lid off." And, so after taking a deep breath, I complied. She has surprisingly gotten quite good at it and faithfully announces "careful" after I place down any cup of milk, juice, or water on her high chair tray.
4. Her vocab development continues to be unstoppable. She talks any time and all the time. Three, four, five, and six words can escape her mouth in a row. Although I no longer am tracking her latest ones, I want to record my favorite from this past month. Due to some pronoun confusion, Lia now says, "Help you," when she wants help from you and, "Carry you," when she wants you to carry her. If she only realized what she was asking for! I, personally, would love to be carried upstairs whenever she offered.
5. A traumatic development for the month was the falling out of the crib for the first time. It actually happened at my parents' house over the Christmas break when Lia and I were spending the night there. Since my parents' crib mattress is not as low as ours, Lia managed to find her way up and over it and onto the floor. Luckily, I happened to be down stairs on the computer and was able to quickly hear her and come rushing to her aid. I think the tears were more from surprise than pain as she stopped crying relatively quickly after I picked her up. However, it sure was confusing for me when I first walked in the room and found her on the floor! It seriously took me a second or two to figure out what had happened.
6. Thanks to my mom, Lia has fallen in love with water play. She will attempt to drag the big, kitchen chair over to the sink while saying "play in water" over and over again whenever she wants to participate in this activity. I am not the biggest fan of this new past time as she makes a bit of a mess while standing on the chair and playing in the water with various spoons and measuring cups, but it can keep her happy for several minutes at a time which is no bad thing.
7. I'm either crazy or totally ambitious, but I started the potty training process about ten days ago. So far, the stats are as follows: 3 successful pees in the potty, two accidents on the floor, and one in the panties. We have used up a LOT of stickers and spent HOURS in the bathroom discussing panties, potties, stickers, and Elmo. I'm not sure if I'm going to keep up with this much longer as Lia seems to be enjoying it more for entertainment sake than education sake. Plus, I'm just getting burned out...
8. Lia has fallen in love with dancing and requests to do it several times a day in her bedroom, the family room, or now the garage (on Ron's new workout carpet). Our dance songs range from Mother Goose's, "Baa Baa Black Sheep" to ABBA's "Dancing Queen." These dance parties can go on for minutes at a time and I often times find myself feeling like I am back in college. Where is Amy when I need her?
9. For some reason, Lia is obsessed with repeating lists. After repeating every member of my family or all the sea animals on a page or items in the house we are driving away from, she will say "again." And, again we do it. I don't know why she is fascinated with these verbal inventories, but she is...maybe her mind likes the mental organizing which I understand since she is MY daugther.
10. This is a funny one. Lia has started to request to be held when we sing her lullabies at bedtime or in the middle of the night (after a pacifier run). While being held, she will tuck both of her hands/arms into the little cavity formed between my chest and hers. It's really the sweetest thing.

That's all folks! See you next month for one more round!