Autumn Makes Me Sing: 20 Months

Dear Autumn,

Twenty months means 4 months away from turning 2! It really does seem far off because it is next year, but 4 months goes quick in AutumnLand. Things seem to be going pretty well overall. Happy, happy girl!

You have 16 teeth! That is a lot of teeth! The latest on top have poked through rather nicely and the bottom two have both just started poking out. You have your fingers in your mouth a lot more lately so I can tell they are bothering you.

Over the past 2-3 months or so there has been a change in your morning routine. For the longest time you were happy to be brought into our bed after you woke up to play. We'd play and laugh and just have a ton of fun until you started getting hungry. Daddy would get you up, change you and then we'd just have fun. Now when Daddy brings you into the bedroom and tries to put you on the bed you throw a fit! Clinging to him and telling him to "Walka walka" out of the room. I don't think it is that you are really hungry, I think you just don't want Daddy to put you down and leave. So if Daddy has to run back upstairs for a conference call I have to do some heavy coercing to get you to stay in the room.

You are still enjoying Mother's Day Out but drop offs have still been a bit hard. I know you stop crying within seconds of me leaving, but you still cling to me as soon as we enter the classroom. The last time I dropped you off one of the teachers was out so there was a substitute and the other teacher, but they were both busy so no one could take you. You did cling to me for a bit, but I was able to set you down in a chair, hand you an Ernie doll, give you a kiss and leave. Since no one was paying attention to you I didn't want to leave. I figured out that there is another window that I could peak in. Fortunately you were sitting in exactly the right spot so I could see you. You looked around for a little bit, but then I saw you handing the doll to someone. That meant that someone had acknowledged you and so I left! When I came to pick you up the teacher told me that you were "happy all day and well adjusted". I think that is great! I'm happy with "well adjusted".

Eating is still bad, but we're going to a feeding evaluation on the 23rd and we should find out more on that.

Naps are still the same. Usually about 3 hours. They still interfere with your lunch because you're tired and all you talk about is a nap. "Autumn sleep?" You make snoring noises and rub your eyes and there is very little eating. It doesn't matter when we start lunch because you have equated lunch with "almost nap time".

Here are my monthly notes:

August 24
Rubber Duck!
I cook?
I fall
I jump

August 31
You went to your very first Meet the Teacher this morning. You walked holding my hand across the parking lot, down the hall, around the corner, down another hall and then you put the breaks on at the door to the room. Miss Diana came out to meet you, but you wouldn't go in, even when you saw the butterfly curtains. I had to pick you up and bring you into the classroom. You sat on my lap while I filled out paperwork. Eventually you did get down and start playing. We met the music teacher, Miss Kitty and the bible teacher, Miss Vogt. You even went to the director willingly when she mentioned she would take you outside! You did very well today, and so did Momma!

September 2
You had your first day of Mother's Day Out. And you did very well!

Hand
Dirt
Nah (nothing - as in, what's in your hand? Nah)

September 3
I fall down

Autumn has discovered what her voice sounds like when she plugs her ears with her little fingers. She'll be walking around saying, "Hi hi hi hi hi hi" over and over and then she'll walk into view and that is when I finally realize she's not talking to me...

Sept 10
Big truck. big truck, come? come?
Yellow ghool buh (yellow school bus)
Watcha George?

Sept 18
Polka
Dot (She doesn't say Polka and dot together)
Ping-gone (penguin)