23 Months

Last week, Gabriella hit 23 months...it is pretty unbelievable that she will be two years old in less than a month.  As she reminds us daily, "I not a baby, Ella big girl!"

This month G loves feta cheese, drinking from a big girl cup, and wearing big girl underwear (more to come on that...).

Her major dislike = timeouts (normally, the threat of a time out is enough to snap her back to good behavior and declarations of "I no want to timeout" but when we have to use them, hysterics break out!).

So lets start with the big girl underwear (which I guess only actually started after her "23 month birthday"...).  On Christmas day, Gabriella was a living shadow for Michael's cousin's three year old daughter, Sadie.  As it happens, Santa brought Sadie princess underwear and upon hearing that G declared "I want princess underwear too" (as an aside, almost anything someone else has is met with the statement "I want [insert given object] too") so I didn't think anything would come of it.  Well, I was wrong.  All week Gabriella would remind me that she wanted "big girl/princess underwear like Sadie."  Since she has been using the toilet 3-5 times a day already, by Friday I broke down and Gabriella and I went on a hunt for 18-24 month big girl underwear.  Well, they don't seem to sell that size so size 2T/3T was the only option for G.  In that size, we could choose from Pooh or Minnie Mouse.  The Minnie Mouse underwear was promptly thrown out of the shopping cart with the assertion "I no want Minnie Mouse!"  SO...Winnie the Pooh it was.  I also found some cute underwear at Target with ballerinas on it and some Gerber training underwear in size 2T on clearance so I bought those too.  By Saturday her new underwear had made its way through the laundry and G FINALLY got to wear it.  She was OVER THE MOON!

She kept up hiking it up over her belly button, essentially giving herself a wedgie which was hysterical to watch.  Ultimately, G wore it around the house for about 30 minutes but let's just say that it seemed that she didn't quite "get" it.

We tried again on Sunday and she proved me wrong.  She wore them for over an hour and, on three different occasions, told me that she needed to use the potty and proceeded to do exactly that.  With the trip to Disney and a 14+ hour drive to North Carolina, I have no intention of pushing the underwear until after we are settled in to our new place, but it is so fun to watch her beam with pride as she walks around in her big girl underwear and uses the bathroom!

Gabriella's favorite things to say right now are "I like that" and "X is beautiful!" (i.e. "Mommy is beautiful," "Baby's shoes are beautiful," "the baby strawberries are beautiful," etc...).  She narrates every detail of our life and I am always in wonder of the things that she comes up with and the level of understanding that she has.

Preparing for our big move is going well.  G seems to have no idea or interest as to why everything is being packed away, but she is having a lot of fun playing amidst the boxes and bubble wrap.

Our little miss has had a bit of a growth spurt as of late, which is evidenced by increased difficulty in carrying her around (or maybe I just need to get to the gym more often...).  We have finally moved to a size 6 shoe (with tights) and 18-24 month clothing (with the help of a belt) are beginning to fit her better and take on a bigger part of her wardrobe.  Her hair continues to come in (and is pretty crazy most of the time) and G still has 12 teeth (4 on top in front 4 on bottom in front, a skipped place and then what looks like a molar).

G is still fearless and the ultimate entertainer, capable of mimicking faces and expressions with an uncanny ability!  She loves showing off her skills!  She has excellent comedic timing but pretty terrible timing when we ask her to say hello, goodbye, Merry Christmas, etc.  With almost "perfect" timing she will respond the moment the we have stepped away/closed the door, etc.  She needs about 15-20 minutes to warm up to new adults, but will be immediately friendly with kids almost without exception.

Her favorite toys are still babies, although she is loving doing puzzles and some of her new Christmas toys.  I am so excited to give her his kitchen and accessories for her birthday!!

She loves to have her nails painted and try on/get new shoes but fights me when I try to put her in a dress (seriously??  already!?!  I thought I still had at least another year).  Instead, when wants to wear her "comfy cozy clothes" which are reserved only for nap time and hanging around the house.

We are looking forward to this final month of her life as a 1 year old and the MANY events that it includes!