19 months today

Oh, our Rachel is rapidly leaving babyhood behind! She is:

--saying "thank you" occasionally. Drew and I always thank her when she's being helpful and thank each other when we've done something nice. Hopefully she is just imitating our behavior and that will stick. We are aiming for "please," next.

--especially clingy/cuddly. When she doesn't want to do something like take off her shoes or put on her coat, she starts crying and crawls into my lap for a little cuddle. It usually takes about 5 minutes before she rights herself, gets up off my lap and does what I want her to do, so I don't make an issue of it.

--enjoying art (making prints of her hand), music and reading at daycare. And going on the slide, of course!

--still stuck on the same couple of foods. I am trying not to be dismayed that she's not a good eater (and trying not to be jealous of her cousin, Valerie, who eats EVERYTHING, including pate). At least she's not eating junk food -- we are still avoiding juice and sugary treats. She continues to love Gardenburgers and apples. Can't wait until summer when we can expand her food repertoire!

--saying "uh-oh," all the time: When she gets up in the morning and her binkies are on the floor; when the phone rings; when Mommy or Daddy drop things. I can't even describe how cute it sounds.

--running! She loves being chased. The last couple of times I've picked her up at daycare, she's run away from me, giggling, because she loves being caught and swooped up in the air!

--giving kisses when I ask (most of the time, anyway). Her version is to stick her wet lips on my mouth or cheek. It's so sweet...

--playing with crayons. She usually dumps them on the floor, will color (i.e., draw lines on a page) for a bit, then put them back in the box.

--obsessed with neatness. She will pick real and imaginary crumbs off her booster seat before I sit her down and hand them to me. And if I put a piece of plastic or paper on her high chair, she will bend down to the garbage, open it, stick the offending item inside and then close it. She seems delighted when we ask her to throw things in the garbage and does so quite willingly (for now, at least...)

--obsessed with books. She carries them around and "reads" whenever we give her a chance. Last night at the grocery store, she said, "car!" when she noticed a copy of "Car and Driver" on the newsstand. I handed it to her and SHE STARTED LEAFING THROUGH IT QUITE SERIOUSLY. Future boyfriends, watch out -- Rachel will be able to talk you under the table when it comes to cars!

--saying a few words: "car," "bye-bye," "apple," "hi," "bee," "baby," "wow." We're hoping she starts adding more at a rapid pace.

--"choosing" clothes. If she shakes her head violently at an outfit I've chosen, I usually substitute another one. In this way she has decided what sleepsuits she wants to wear for the past two nights.

--appears to have a disdain for ruffle-edged sleeves, or sleeves that don't end plainly, with simple stitching. She fussed so much over a cute onesie I put on the other day that I said, "OK, sweetie, I guess we're not wearing this anymore," and changed her in to something else.

--is finally fitting into the pink flowered raincoat that Grandma Sylvie and Grandpa Oliver bought her months ago. For a while she looked as if she was drowning in it; now it looks almost perfect!

--likes being around older kids. She just takes in all the action around her and does her own thing. I think she likes the controlled chaos!

--still looking mostly like Drew, although at least one of his friends has kindly said that he thinks she looks like both of us. I don't really believe him.

--very attached to Ducky and Spot. She continues to show no interest in dolls.

--eating perfectly with a spoon. She's remarkably neat with squash and carrots.

--at a delightful age. She really is the light of our lives!