Letter to Greta: 19 Months

Dear Baby Grets,

You’re marching on to two years old at an alarming pace, gaining opinions and preferences with every step. And feistiness. You may be the baby, but you are determined to have a say in this family, and you know how to get our attention. A forkful of food that isn’t the exact bite you wanted is met with a “NO!”—and a fork flying through the air. You throw tantrums when something is taken from you, or when we refuse to give you something or let you do something—screaming, tears, boneless or kicking on the floor.

Fortunately, you are ridiculously cute right now. You are trying so desperately to talk; you are trying to jump. You love to dance, and when your favorite song comes on (“Jimmy Crack Corn”), you stamp your feet and give a face-splitting smile. You like to “sing” and spin and clap. You love when Lucia holds your hands so you can dance together.

You are back to eating well (sautéed red peppers are a new favorite) and—knock wood—sleeping well. You tend to wake up early, around 6 or 6:30, but I’ve been able to get you back to sleep, and we’re finding ourselves heading downstairs at a much more respectable 7 these days. Of course, this morning you were up at 5:45; when I tried to rock you in the rocking chair, you clambered out of my lap and strode purposefully (in your sleep sack) to the door of your nursery, where you stopped, turned around, waved at me, and said, “Bye!” Downstairs we went.

You like to give kisses to your animals and Bibi with a loud “Mwah!” You often reach out for hugs.

You’re down to one nap now, two or so hours in the afternoon. Sometimes less, sometimes more.

It’s bedtime, but you are currently screaming your head off because you didn’t want to relinquish your toothbrush. We’ll see how long this goes on.

Favorite toys/activities: tea parties, riding (being pushed on) the tricycle, puzzles, playing doctor, dancing, chalk, sandbox, bubbles, drawing at the easel, rice table

Favorite books: Take Care, Good Knight; A Cold Winter’s Good Night; Charlie Harper’s ABC; Brown Bear Brown Bear; Bark, George; Goodnight Moon