Rachel turned 21 months this week!

and so in honor of her ever-increasing chattiness, I offer this blog in her words (as interpreted by her mom, of course):

--LOVE purple! Anything purple! Toys, forks, spoons! Purple! Purple! Let's hear it for...PURPLE!!!!!

--I choose my own clothes every day. Dig those wacky color and pattern combos...dots and stripes! Green shirt, brown pants! (Daddy says it makes me look like a tree!)Socks that don't include ANY colors or patterns I happen to be wearing! Mommy sighs and tells me she's got to apologize to St. James for the way I'm dressed but I DON'T CARE...

--Best friends: Ducky and Puppy. (Puppy used to be called Spot, but Puppy definitely suits him better because he's covered with dirt. NO WAY am I going to let Mommy launder him...)

--Favorite foods: Gardenburger. Pata! (pasta). Sweet potatoes. What? There are more vegetables in the world that sweet potatoes? Are you NUTS?

--Speaking of nuts: Newest favorite food. Macadamia nuts sprinkled with sea salt and pepper are a must-buy for the properly nourished baby.

--Sentences. They're great! Mom is so happy when I say, "I LAV you!" She makes me say it over and over until I get bored and start drinking my water or reading books. I also say "books" a lot because I'd rather read than do anything stupid like playing with dollies or stuffed animals. Or even with Blankie.

--However, Blankie is teaching me lots of useful adult skills like folding and re-folding a blanket, laying it out carefully on the floor and then snuggling onto it and saying "nie-nie." Although I rarely go to sleep. I just want to fake mommy out.

--Social skills: I like that nice kid at daycare named Sloane although she can be kind of overwhelming the way she toddles up to me almost every day and tries to hug me. Like, has she ever heard of personal space??

--I do lots of useful things around the house. Put away my shoes. Bring mommy her slippers. Try on mommy's bracelet from Guatemala then throw it on the floor and forget about it. Build structures out of blocks then knock them down. Use the napkin Mommy hands me every night to wipe off my binky. That's because I have no idea what Mommy thinks I should use it for.

--I like scaring Mommy and Daddy with how old I'm getting. I've started to say, "OK," "oops," and "sorry." Mommy says my "OK" sounds like a Valley Girl, more like "Ah-ky."

--I'm almost ready to read on my own since I can identify 18 letters. If you visit I will proudly point to all the letters I can read and I will say them quite insistently until you acknowledge how smart I am.

--I finally figured out how to eat with a fork. But sometimes I still scoop up my Gardenburger with it, using it as a spoon.

--I'm totally annoyed at Mommy for ignoring me when I say NO NO NO! NO I don't want a bath, NO I don't want to wear my jacket, NO I don't want to get in the car and NO I don't want to stop playing. Doesn't Mommy understand English??

--When I'm hungry I want to eat RIGHT NOW! And I'll start crying like my heart will break until food is put in front of me. And then it better be something I like, like cha-cha. Yes, I still love challah!

--Don't tickle me anymore. It's not fun.

--I'm perfectly willing to kiss Mommy whenever she asks, but she needs to stop making faces every time she gets a wet one from me. And I always kiss Daddy right away because I don't want him to be jealous.

--At school I love playing with pretend food and looking at the big kids dance and ride bikes. I also don't need Mommy's help walking up the stairs, I can to it ALL BY MYSELF!

--After school I like getting a big hug from Mommy but I also like running away toward "Mommy cah." I know what "Mommy cah" and "Daddy cah" look like.

--I have so much to do during the day that it's hard to fit in cuddle time. But whenever I'm mad or sad, Mommy manages to sneak me onto her lap and suddenly I calm down and feel better. Plus I love snuggling into her chest at night!

--Mommy and Daddy better get me some more advanced toys, since I've outgrown most of the things in the toy box. I'm not a baby, y'know!

--Once again: I am NOT a baby anymore. I am a TODDLE. All pictures of little kids are BABIES unless they are standing up. Then they are TODDLES. But only if Mommy says so. I still think they're all BABIES.