Munchkin Land: 17 Months... yeah, I'm a slacker.

My little sweetie turns 17 months old today. I've been chasing her around the house shouting, "ACK! Crayons are for paper only!" My little baby is in full on toddler mode. She's testing boundaries and expressing her strong will all the time. But she's also the sweetest, cuddliest little love.

Over the past few months she's grown and developed and is so SO smart! Her little memory is working over time. She remembers where she left her juice or blanket or book and can go find them. And you can watch her little wheels turning when she sees a character in a book or on TV and she has a stuffed animal of it too. She'll go get it and point from one to the other. And she can identify animals and characters in books by pointing.

Her latest motor skills are climbing and Oh.my.goodness are the kitchen chairs fun. Up and Down all day. She loves to run and chase Mommy and Daddy through the neighborhood.

Evelynn is weighing in around 24-25 pounds and is 32" tall. She finally outgrew her infant car seat. We got her a new convertible seat that should last her until she's 65 pounds. We still keep her rear facing even though, technically, she's big enough to turn around. But it's safer rear facing and she doesn't seem to mind.

She doesn't speak very many real words yet. "Anna" is about it. But she understands everything we say and responds and she picks up new signs immediately and communicates that way. I didn't start speaking until later either, so we really aren't concerned. Her sign language vocabulary consists of: Hi, Bye-Bye, Please, Thank You, Baby, Swing, Hat, Car, Bubbles, Ball, More, All Done, Help, Book, Cheese, Cat and Drink. She's working on learning signs for: Pickle, Apple and Banana. The rest of her communication is done by pointing and pulling and "Bah-Bah"s.

Asking for a Book at the company picnic.

Her favorite foods are: Dill Pickles, Italian Sausage, Apples, Bananas, Peanut Butter, Graham Crackers, Goldfish crackers, Cheese, Tomatoes, Blueberries and pasta. She likes most meats and fish and anything with lots of onions and garlic. She hasn't had many sweets but ice cream and lolly pops rank pretty high.

Blueberry yogurt is an ever popular breakfast.

Evie's favorite activities are: reading books,

exploring outside,

going to the park or swingset,

playing with sidewalk chalk,

bouncing on the bed, taking a bath and helping Mommy and Daddy. When she spills her milk she is very happy if you give her a towel so she can wipe it up. She helps rub her lotion on after her bath and is very good about putting her books back on the shelf. She even helps me fold laundry by picking the clothes out of the basket for me to fold. And she loves taking things to the trashcan.

Evie is very happy if you give her choices. She likes to pick out her outfits each day. She picks out her jammies and her bed time stories. She picks the toys she takes in the car and her snack. She has very definite ideas about which shoes she wants to wear. Yep, she's her mother's daughter.

Not to worry, she is also very much her father's daughter. She gets very excited when she sees a large truck or road construction equipment pointing and shouting, "Bah-Bah!! Bah-Bah!!!" when she sees them.

Like most parents, we've taught Evie a few tricks to make us smile. She knows how to Call the Hogs.

She will put her arms up high in the air when asked how much someone loves her. If you tell her she has stinky toes she will smell them. It's gross.

A typical day begins with Evie waking up between 7 and 8AM. She drinks her milk while we snuggle under her two favorite blankies on the couch and I sip coffee. Then we read books for about an hour before breakfast. After breakfast it's time to get dressed. On Tuesdays we go to the library for story time. On Wednesdays we play at the park with her little friends. After lunch Evie lays down for a 2 hour nap. In the afternoon we run errands or play outside, frequently going for short walks around the neighborhood to explore and chase the neighbor's kitten.

Evie plays independently while I fix dinner and with her Daddy when he gets home from work. After dinner we almost always take a family walk together before bath time. After her bath and story Evie is in bed by 8:00.

Since my last update Evie has had her first haircut,