Out of the last 20 months of life, I would say Carly has changed the least between my 18-month post about her and this one. The changes are in her language capabilities and her understanding of the world around her...a theme I know we will see for the next several years. Her interests are similar to previous posts, and that BIG personality just gets more fun. She hasn't stopped moving since she was 14 weeks in utero and I felt her kick for the first time, and watching her, as she would say, "go-go," is a beautiful sight.
The most difficult aspect of our journey if stopped for a moment is trying to understand what Carly is saying. She is so good at using her words, but still has quite a few things that sound like gibberish to us. She uses these gibberish words and when we don't know what she is saying it turns into whining, which can often lead to a full out fit. It's frustrating for all involved, and we feel so bad that we can't understand what she's saying. I know many parents go through this stage, and if I've learned anything from the last 20 months, it is that this too will pass. I know in a couple months she will be speaking so much clearer, but until then we have a frustrated little girl on our hands. The other aspect of this moment in time is her STRONG desire for sweet treats. Ahh...did I say cut from the same cloth as her mama? I LOVE sweets and lack self control in that area...so naturally I wanted to share the sweetness with my child. Well, that child doesn't understand moderation and is extremely good at observing where we hide the sweets. She will walk into the kitchen and tug on the freezer drawer or stand in the pantry and point up with a strong whine in her voice at least 25 times/day. She knows there are M&Ms in the pantry and Popsicles in the freezer. And if we bring candy home and leave it on the counter...you can just forget about dinner! Brian and I are getting better about not having sweets in the house at all, but until we completely phase them out, it will continue to be a battle. Brian had the brilliant idea of buying Popsicle molds and filling them up with gatorade...so at least now when we give her a Popsicle she's not eating pure sugar. It also allowed us to sneak Tylenol in her pops last week when she had the flu!
Carly is most interested in her books when she is inside and most interested in the leaves when she is outside. She also has a true love for ducks when outdoors and a major infatuation for her stuffed animals when inside. Besides her beloved monkey, she is totally attached to a Simba plush that Brian used to ask me to Prom our Senior year of high school (precious!) and a Pooh Bear that Tiff graciously carried on a plane for Carly one of her trips here. A little girl even said to her..."look, you and I have matching stuffed animals!!" Hahaha...Tiff LOVED having a matching stuffed animal with a 4-year-old on a plane full of people going to Disney. ;) But Pooh Bear is WELL loved. In fact, Simba & Pooh HAVE to sit on my lap while we read our bedtime story and she will NOT go down until she has kissed both goodnight. Again, she's cut from that same cloth as her mama. I remember kissing EACH and every one of my animals goodnight before going to bed...and slept with a stuffed Teddy until CARLY WAS BORN!
Carly loves to pray to Jesus. She holds out her hands and bows her head before dinner and after our goodnight song will start saying, "Jesus," signaling she's ready to pray. She throws her hands up in the air to say, "Amen" and will continually ask to pray all throughout a meal. It's funny to me, actually, because neither Brian or I grew up holding hands for prayer at the dinner table, but it's become a very important part of our dining together. If we are out to eat and forget to pray before a meal, we will see ten little fingers thrust out and request that we pause in gratitude for our food. I think we are only a few short months away from really diving in and teaching Carly about her Creator and that we were made to glorify Him.
Carly is one happy, outgoing, opinionated little girl and is nothing shy of a gift to this household. Brian and I frequently call her an angel...she was truly a God-sent gift who would change our lives forever. She is the most social little person I've ever met and frequently exercises her ability to say, "no." She can run, jump, walk backwards, crawl and dance quite well and is discovering new abilities all the time. She can name almost every member of her 1st extended family and has the most expressive face you will ever see. Her blonde curls just get longer, along with that cute little body. She has the perfect sleep schedule (11 hours at night with a 2-hour nap in the afternoons) allowing her to be one of the happiest kids on the block. I'm so grateful for all the one-on-one time I get with my second favorite person on planet Earth.
20 months old. Next up...2 years! I'm in shock.
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