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Even though after the first year the changes in children aren’t as pronounced, but I feel like SJ has actually grown a lot over the last month.
She is still learning so many new words and is generally very intersted in language. Books with only pictures have become boring, she wants me to really read to her now. This feels like such a shift. But it’s so fun!
Also, I just love how unafraid she is. At the playground she loves going super high on the swing. There is spinning table and she wants it to go as fast as possible. She climbs up climbing frames and whizzes down the slide. Generally, you can never really go wrong with taking her to a playground. When she hears “Spielplatz” mentioned she gets veeery excited and repeats it over and over.
In the last month she and I developed a lovely bedtime routine together. We have dinner, sometimes followed by a bath. Then it is time to get into pyjamas and her sleepsack. I heat up some oat milk for her, close the blinds in her room and we sit down together and read. It’s the same book every night – a beautifully illustrated board book based on Psalm 139 by Sally Lloyd-Jones. We go through it three times and then it is time for teeth brushing. Then we go back to her room, pray and then she says “bed!” and lies down. We normally have a bit of back and forth between her wanting more cuddles and back in her bed but sooner or later she falls asleep. It’s a precious ritual and bedtime has become more chilled since we implemented it.
Since March Edd has a job that requires him to spend around two weeks in England every month. SJ misses him a lot. Every morning she asks for Daddy or when she hears someone on the stairs. When I then tell her that he is in England, she repeats “England” in a sad tone.
We will travel to the UK ourselves at the end of the month so I am glad that she can form some positive associations with “England”!
SJ has a great sense of humour. When people laugh, she joins in louder than anyone else. She repeats phrases and words and imitates people’s gestures. She loves to hide and run away and re-appear.
Every night SJ and I pray together. She gets to decide what we say thank you for. Every single night it is her cousins! Recently it has also been “boat” and “bus”.
Besides those modes of transportation she gets very excited when we spot a digger, a lorry or a crane.
This weekend I bought her a bobby car at a local yard sale and she LOVES it. She is also very much into her little bike on which she can go veeery fast now. She has discovered that when she lifts up her legs while going downhill she speeds up! Fun, but kind of scary for me!
SJ loves people. Whenever we hang out with others she will say their names for days afterwards and gets very excited by visitors. Babies are a particular favourite. She brings them toys and strokes their hair and it is so cute.
20 months is also the age where SJ makes it very clear what she wants. Patience does not seem to be her strength at this time, and she has discovered that shouting and throwing herself on the floor certainly gets people’s attention… Luckily these outburts don’t happen too often and end very quickly.
She is such a special little girl. So full of life and joy and excitement. I am looking forward to the next month with her!
This is Day 76 of my 100 Day Project. You can learn more about my 100 day project by reading this post. If you want to do your own 100 day Project, I would recommend checking out the 100 Day Project website.
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