Addie was 20 months yesterday.
Lots of stuff is changing with her. I'm so spoiled that I have a baby who was low maintenance. She is definitely making sure that we know she's there, that she's not going to be some go-with-the-flow kid. Well that's all relative, compared to what Lily was at this age, she is very go with the flow.
While Addie's vocabulary is increasing, she'll repeat a form of most words you say, she is also increasingly frustrated with knowing what she wants but is not able to tell us. Oh, but when you finally get it, she couldn't be happier. She loves her vitamins and toothbrush, ketchup and bear bears. The bear bear has almost become an appendage sometimes, she can do almost anything with those in hand. She has a keen sense of awareness about what is around her, and if she spills something she knows it without looking. She's a very good cleaner upper and will pick up each and every cheerios or banana chip if she spills. She thinks fruit snacks are pretty much the best thing she has ever tasted and practically glares at me when a package is somehow empty before she was ready for that to happen. She likes me to put "pretties" in her hair and will pretty much shove Lily off the stool to get her turn, but immediately pulls it out and asks me to put it in again. Makes for a very productive morning. She loves cooking in the play kitchen as well as playing with pans out of the drawer under the stove. Lawrence has let her help cook a few time with milk free ingredients, and she loves that of course. The work station is shared and soon we'll have to make it a double wide so no one gets pushed off during meal prep.
Last night she kept saying "baby baby baby". I realized after quite a while that she was asking me to sing "Rock a bye baby" to her. When I said it, and started, she was beside herself giddy and laughing as she laid back down to my chest and listened to me sing. It was so sweet. Speaking of Rock a Bye baby, that is what I sing to Lily every night. I started singing it once with the words and then humming it once, then putting her down. Once I accidentally sang it once and started to sing it again. Instead I sang, Rock a hm hm hmmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmmmm. Now she has me sing the second time as "rock a hmm hmm hmm" and that's what she calls it. This has been going on for months. I swear that girl will start a routine out of ANYTHING. Funny enough, I did it with Addie out of habit, and while I was humming she sat up saying "baby" again. She didn't recognize the song if she wasn't hearing the words. Sometimes when you look at the odd monotony of the things you do for your children, it is amazing to think that some day without writing it day, I might not remember "rock a hmm hmm hmm" when now it is almost second nature, like a thing that you just do.
Addie threw her first tantrum a week or so ago while my mom and Jeanine were here. We were getting ready for dinner and she didn't want to sit in the booster seat or wear a bib for our spaghetti dinner. When I decided to take off her shirt so I wouldn't have to worry about a bib, she went nuts and threw her first real unalterable full on fit. It was kind of hard not to laugh, she was so mad and her little red teary face screaming at me then running to the other room in rage didn't make me mad at all. She was cute. I had to hide my face and my smile as to not encourage it, but there was something so sweet about this melt down, just like there is something so sweet about this little girl.
20 months = 20 pounds
Sitting at the table is sort of a non stop battle with Addie right now. She wants to sit at a "big guy seat" as Lily calls it. Lily thinks it is hilarious, and each morning when Addie chooses a regular chair over her own booster seat, Lily laughs and laughs, still amazed every.single.day. Sometimes, when the meal is non messy, I allow it...but it really doesn't work. She gets on and off the chair, and doesn't eat much. If anyone has to get up from the table (obviously a common occurrence if you've eaten with small children anytime recently) then Addie does too and she's done eating.
Eating has been a battle. I'm encouraged and reassured to hear from many of my friends having these same battles with their 20ish month olds.
Today I had an appointment with an allergist so I could discuss my concerns about soy, and to talk about some options to get her more protein from other sources besides soy, and milk options. This was our first time meeting with an allergist for Addie's milk allergy.
I was hoping to come out of the appointment today to find that I would be able to give Addie a PB&J for the first time. Um. No such luck.
The pediatrician/allergist felt that since we'd only done a blood test for Addie at 8 months, we should go ahead and give her a skin test today. The blood test last year showed she was only moderately allergic to milk, but the welts on her back showed today that she is severely allergic to milk, peanut butter, and mildly allergic to soy, wheat, and egg whites. No allergies showed for almond, cashew, or tomatoes. He said for the milk and peanut allergy that it was possibly life threatening, giving the vomiting she's already had. Yikes! Life threatening? He said that we don't have to stop giving her eggs and wheat as long since she has tolerated it with no reaction. He gave us a precription for the EpiPen and told us it needs to be with her at all times. He also prescribed us some special formula called EleCare. Expensive, tastes gross, and prescription only. Great!
When the nurse stabbed the "trainer" EpiPen into Addie's thigh to show me how hard I'd need to jab it into her leg if I were to need to use it, I sort of lost it, Addie screamed and I didn't realize that "trainer" meant no needle, it freaked me out. I was not expecting her to show me by jabbing Addie with a real-looking Pen. So I started to cry a little. I didn't know what "trainer" meant. I'd been at the dr for 2.5 hrs by this point. With a 20 month old. Need I say more? It had been a long exhausting morning. I got done JUST in time to pick up Lily from school and got home at noon in time to get lunch, but no work done.
I took a half a vacation day so as not to feel guilty and do the right thing. I was feeling pretty uptight for the rest of the day, but went to 24 hr Fitness with my friend Carrie after putting Addie to bed, and that was just what I needed. I felt MUCH better. I used a guest pass today, but am getting a 2 week free trial from them next time. I'm NOT getting a membership, since we have a free one in my office building, and a treadmill and weights in the garage at home, and plenty of pilates and yoga vidoes. But Carrie and I hope to motivate each other to get in the routine over the next few weeks. It was so good to catch up with my friend too. We've *sort of* been trying to hold each other accountable, but mostly we just complain about how hungry we are and try to make each other feel less bad about coffee, diet cokes, donut holes, and girl scout cookies. (You know, you've GOT to indulge once in a while). Anyway, if we go to the gym, her gym for 2 weeks together we think we might be able to ACTUALLY hold each other accountable in better ways than an IM message.
Well I realize this wasn't the most fascinating post. I have a picture of Addie's test on my phone, so once I figure out how to do it, I'll post that.
At 20 months, my baby is more spirited and opinionated, though still very sweet with a wonderful disposition. The sisterly love between the two girls grows exponentially on a daily basis as Addie can actually "play" with Lily and it makes them both laugh uncontrollably at making the other laugh.
Ahh...the belly laughs that come from my two girls might possibly be the sweetest sound my ears have ever heard.
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