ryleigh the roller coaster

Twenty months is a roller coaster. Ryleigh is up and down by the minute and we're just along for the ride. She's adorable even when she's pouting during a time out. She's stubborn, persistent, and knows what she wants when she wants it, and wants it now. I don't think we'll ever be able to accommodate her demands fast enough, but I'm glad she keeps us on our toes.

She's growing tall, and her vocabulary is insane. We just stare at her in amazement at all of the things she's saying and how she's beginning to put all of the words together in order to tell us what she wants, or what she's doing, wants to do, or did. Some of our favorites are:

"I did it mamadaddy" (She often puts us together as if we're one word)
"Milk, please, have it" (She really emphasizes the "have it" and uses this with just about everything else she says, it's pretty funny)
"Daddy/Mama are you?" (She asks this as she is looking right at us and when we respond she belly laughs, it's the cutest!)

She is a little sponge and repeating EVERYTHING. So we have to be very intentional about what we're saying, careful about some of the things we say, and listen more intently when she's trying to say something new. Jason seems to speak Ryleigh better than I do:)

She's busy. Very busy. Always running, always dancing, and always wants to go outside and "fwing" She is transitioning to the older toddler room at daycare and we're thrilled because it has seemed to really help with her biting episodes. Yes, our child was "the biter" in the classroom. The teachers expressed their concern that she was getting bored too easily and needed new/more stimulation so with the transition in full effect we're hoping that she takes to the new teachers and kids and we can put the biting behind us.

Things she used to love have become less than desirable. She used to love bath time, not right now. She used to love certain foods, and now she throws a fit if what I put down in front of her is not what she is asking for. (Sorry, Ry, I'm not feeding you ice cream for breakfast!) So sometimes we just have to try, try again until she'll eat something we deem worthy. So one night it was oatmeal with raisins for the main course, followed by a brat with ketchup for dessert. Yum.

Some new things we've done recently are a visit to the John Ball Zoo, dingy rides in South Haven, bike rides, and watercolor painting (which inevitably led to face painting thanks to Daddy) 

We're excited to see what else the summer will bring!