21 months

 Happy birthday Rosie!

Highlights:

• TALKING! Rosie is playing with words more and more. She's onto 2 syllable words and has started short, 2-word phrases like "I stuck" and "my daddy." We read somewhere that kids at this age learn on average 10 new words a day and I believe it! She is still in a "mine" phase but will still share. Bouts of stubbornness are usually short-lived.
• Reading. Kinda. Rosie is engaging more in books and will pretend read a little. Even though I know she's looking at the pictures it's fun to pretend like she's reading the words. She loves reading Orange Bear Apple Pear (Thanks baby J!) and Moo Boo La La La, among others. Current favorite bedtime stories include Are You My Mother? and Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock. She's joins in on the readings too.
• Singing. Rosie's starting to remember lyrics to songs and will fill in words here and there. She loves music, especially when they're interactive (Wheels on the Bus still a favorite).
• Numbers and letters: Rosie likes to pretend count and sing her ABCs. Right now all numbers are 2 (occassionally 3) and all letters are M.
• Birthday baby. Rosie loves the birthday song and pretend blowing candles. We realized she knew how to say her name when we sing the song, though it sounds something like "oh-zee".
• Car. Rosie loves playing in the car. She sits in the driver's seat and puts the key in the ignition. She's still not crazy about being put in her car seat. She always says "Chair. Buckle. Chair" making her request that we sit next to her. It's very sweet and heartbreaking at the same time.
• Tricycle. Rosie got her first trike, though her feet can't reach the pedals yet.
• Motor skills. Rosie's motor skills are developing and she managed to feed herself with chopsticks the other week. She's better at feeding herself and can drink out of a normal cup without spilling. She's a little more interested in drawing as well (and also says she's drawing a "meow"...something she learned from her Auntie N in Delaware earlier in the summer.
• Potty training update: this blog is in need for a little poop talk. We got Rosie a potty months ago but with the move, it's been stored away. Rosie showed very little interest in using the toilet but has started to let us know when she needs to go and will sit and try with varying success. And not without its accidents. Baby steps!
• Still a water baby. This little fish still loves being in the water. She will run into the sprinklers, take a 30 minute bath, splash around in a pool, and go head first into the water features at the park.

Rosie has developed such a sassy and funny personality. She loves joking around, wrestling (aka pouncing like Tigger), and cuddling. Some of the best times are first thing in the morning and right before bed when she is the most amazing mix of silly and sweet. She is so much fun!

Self-portrait

[Taking her picture is starting to be a challenge since she wants to be the one to use the camera. I got her to stand against the wall by letting her push the button in between me trying to get shots of her. Here's a gem straight from Rosie.]