An Interview With A 17 Month Old

Brinley Jane, you are 17 months old today! And look, your Mommy finally finished your growth chart!

Too bad she can't get you to stand up straight so she can measure you on it!

What are your favorite foods?
oatmeal, raisins, craisins, dried cherries, bran muffins, cottage cheese, cucumbers with ranch dressing, bananas, pasta, peas, beans

What are your favorite toys?
tea set

cooking tools and utensils

small plastic Elmo figurine

balls

hand broom and dustpan

crayons and coloring book
stickers (especially the ones I get when I check into the nursery or music class and the one my mommy tries to stick on the chair each month to show my age!)

What else do you enjoy?
-I still love eating! I want a solid 3 meals and 1-2 snacks per day. I will pretty much quit anything I am doing to eat.
-splashing the water in the bath, and just bathtime with Daddy in general
-walking up and down the sidewalk in front of our house and helping to water the flowers.

--pointing to pictures in books and naming the things I see

-watching Elmo or Sid the Science Kid. I have had a real thing for Elmo this month more than any other. I grin from ear to ear the entire 15 minutes that it is on. I want no part of any other Sesame Street character, just the red haired silly one.

-reading my favorite book, the Guess How Much I Love You pop up book. I ask for it every time we sit down to read!
-playin peekaboo, I just randomly break out into it often. One day my mom caught me playing it with myself in the car.

-taking care of my baby- rocking it, putting a blanket on her, putting her in my high chair with a bib
-AVA!! I say her name 10-15 times every day. I get really excited when I see her, she'e one of my best friends!

-playing at the local school playground

-drawing with pens or pencils on notepads

- "standing" on my head

What new things have you learned this month?
-saying "Amen" to tell us that we need to pray

-the movements to "The Itsy Bitsy Spider", "If You're Happy and You Know It", and "10 Little Horses"
- telling us when you are stinky-shoo-shoo in your diaper

- Recognizing more and more family and friends, and saying their names

- Noticing when things are hot, waving my hand and saying it.

- Says "Hi Baby" when Mommy comes to get me from the carseat in this sweet high pitched voice

-Understands just about every request or command, even if I can't verbalize an answer

- Saying random letters when she sees writing- its usually A or E, even though she recognizes the letter B pretty well.

- Ballet Moves (as you can see, we have the moves down well. I had a hard time catching her on camera, her leg was straight as an arrow when she first did it. Not sure where she got that! Looks like Bekah might have some competition! haha)

What are your new words?
home, football, pumpkin, leaf, remote, oatmeal ( this is getting harder and harder to document because she pretty much repeats most of what we say!)

Have you been in trouble at all?
Yes, I have thrown a few fits these days when something isn't my way. If my mom tries to pick me up to leave, and I'm not ready yet, I will kick my legs and try to wriggle out of her arms. It makes for some real graceful exits! I have started saying no when my mommy asks me to do something, and testing my boundaries a little, but so far I give in when Mommy asks again and gives me that look. :0)

Are there any things you don't like?
- wearing socks

-still don't like getting my diaper changed

Sweet and precious little Brinley, you are the light of our lives. I am humbled and excited that so many of the new things you are learning and doing are mimicing your Daddy and I in our everyday lives. I hope we can always set a good example for you, no matter what we are doing. We love you more than words can express, or as they say in your favorite book, "to the moon and back!"

Love, Your Momma