I finally got smart and started a list of things I wanted to write about in the monthly update. There are so many things that happen over the span of a month and I always think I’ll remember them when it comes time to write, but I always forget, so here goes.
Savannah Jane! You are twenty two months old today! It has been a very up and down month as far as your behavior goes, but in general, the good always outweighs the bad.
We’re in a groove now with Mother’s Day Out and you tell me that you enjoy going and ‘playing with kids’, but the crying when I leave is really heartbreaking. Last week you actually looked at me and said, very sadly, “bye mama…” I was so thrilled that you weren’t crying, but then I got the report that there was crying DURING school. Ack! We’ll get this figured out.
Leaving you at Mother’s Day Out has caused you to be very suspicious of going anywhere for fear that I’ll leave you there. I’ll say “Let’s go to Music Class!” (more on that in a minute) and you’ll say “mama go too?”. You also come looking for me the minute I leave a room. Our poor babysitter. However, you do know that “mama always comes right back”.
Music Class started this month. We’re doing that in lieu of Little Gym, which I think you were tiring of. You LOVE music class! It’s taught at the Austin Lyric Opera by classically trained singers, so you are getting a dose of real talent. The first time our teacher, Meghan, sang, you looked at me like “Ohhhhhh…this is what real singing sounds like!” It’s a great program (It’s called Music Together – I think it’s a national thing) and it has really increased your musicality. You sing a lot more by yourself now and you are trying to turn everything into a musical instrument (rocks, coffee cups, rubber bands). I hear you doing the tonal exercises all the time “Bum, Bum bum! ba-ba-ba-ba-BUM! I’m really happy we’re going.
The word count continues to rapidly increase. I do enjoy how you still mis-pronounce things. Little is ‘nee-nee’, today comes out as “Tooooo-DAY”, tortillas are “too-teeyos”, and hilariously, sopapillas are “some peoples”. I also like your narration on things. We had lunch with Uncle Damian the other week and he had to leave to go play basketball. For the rest of the day, you told me that “Uncle go play bask-ball, throw ball, bounce ball”. On a related note you managed “Uncle Damian” the other day. Way to verbalize!
When you are looking for something different to play with, you’ll tell me “Savannah look for something new”.
Your sense of humor is also developing. The most random things crack you up. You were putting your head into one of your wagons and LAUGHING hysterically about it. You kept saying that you wanted Daddy to come home so you could show him “your funny thing”. You will also joke around and call me dada and Daddy mama or gaga.
You can also be a little mean. You’ll very directly tell people to go away or say “no Dada today” when it’s bath and bedtime. You always want Mama to put you to bed, which is OK, but I wish you’d be nicer about it.
On the sweet side you give your Daddy machine gun kisses at night. It’s hilarious. He’ll ask for a kiss goodnight and you’ll give him about seven. It’s very sweet and only reserved for Daddy. I get running hugs though and that’s not so bad.
You have figured out that you can make shadows on your wall when I turn on your lamp. Sometimes we’ll be in there for 20 minutes making ducks and dogs and bunnies. You do a great shadow duck, complete with quacking.
Gaga Jean got you to say “I’m sorry” the other day. I was very frustrated about that because you would do something bad on purpose and then I’d tell you to say I’m sorry and you’d just look at me like” Oh Yeah?” So hooray for manners! We will not raise a rude child.
You are still personality plus and although I imagine that the twos are going to be difficult with your iron will and stubborness, I am so glad we have such a character in our lives. I am rarely bored with your sweet self around.
We love you.