Update on Kate

With my recent posts on depression, illness, and such...where did Kate go?

Kate is 23 months old now, meaning that she's almost two years old! As cliche as this sounds, where did the time go?

At nearly two years old, Kate can:

• Talk A LOT. I know, I say this every time I write a Kate update, but I swear she is learning at least one new word a day. She also repeats things, which means we have to be careful what we say around her. She is also using sentences and phrases like "I chase you!", "Mommy, come in", "get out", "Mommy, where are you?", chocolate chip cookie...etc. She can also answer questions. 

• Remove her own clothing. She has only done this twice--her shirt at the library and part of her onesie at home. Yeah, I thought keeping her in onesies would keep her from stripping, but alas. She hasn't done it again in the last few days...*knock on wood*

• Has become obsessed with dinosaurs. I don't know how, but I see no reason to not encourage it. She enjoys our local dinosaur museum. It's so cute when she "roars" like a dinosaur. Maybe we have a little paleontologist on our hands..

• Enjoys Curious George, Sesame Street, The Lion King, Lady and the Tramp, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. 

• Likes to "help" me with housework. Yesterday morning, just after I scrubbed the toilet in our hallway bathroom, she decided to scrub it too. Unfortunately, she did start scrubbing the lid after scrubbing the bowl. Ew. 

• She also follows instructions. She'll put things in the garbage can if we ask her to, help us pick up her toys (usually), etc. Sometimes she'll even lie down on her changing pad for a diaper change...sometimes. 

• Loves going to Grandma's house to play with her cat and chickens. 

• Can say all of her cousin's names. Of course, it helps that she only has four :) She also talks about her friends in Nursery. 

• Of course, not everything is all rosy in toddler-ville. We are in the midst of terrible twos. Tantrums, drama, defiance...OH MY!!!

• I've introduced her to "go-gurt", if you will. It's the Stoneyfield brand and I freeze them. She loves them and asks for "oh-gurt" when she wants one. Hey, they're a source of Vitamin D, why not?

• Read aloud to herself. She has some of her books memorized in baby-speak. I'm anticipating an early reader, though it does run in the family.

• Gets into EVERYTHING!!!!!!

• Favorite foods: cheese, graham crackers, yogurt, quinoa (no joke), pasta, Mexican casserole, apples, pears, quesadillas, salmon cakes, Annie's bunny crackers (or whatever they're called), and sometimes she'll eat vegetables (still working on that one). 

• Acts like we're trying to torture her when we're rubbing the eczema cream on her after her bath :( Yeah, it would just be easier to not do it, but if we don't, bam: eczema flareup. 

• Is generally a sweet, darling little girl who gives us lots of hugs, kisses, and loves!!!!