The Flergers!

Beautiful Starfish Girl,

So many changes in your life since your first birthday and we are amazed by all of them! You are still an amazing eater, a good sleeper (though there are times now when you cry at bedtime because you don't want Mommy to leave), and you are still super-strong (not just physically, but your will is strong too.)

You clap your hands, wave,  blow kisses and pull yourself up on side of the couch. You have a whole new vocabulary and you are even making some two-word phrases. Some of the words you've said: Hi, (also, Hi Mama) kisses, cracker, shoes (sounds like choose), baba (your name for brother), baby, Mama, Dada, banana (na-na-nuh), bye-bye (and sometimes bye-bye Dada), outside (ow-side), popcorn (pawco), and a bunch of other words that Mommy can't remember right now. :)

You can point to your tummy when asked where to locate it, you attempt to make a quacking noise when asked what sound a duck makes, and you hold things up to the top of your head like they are a hat. You put on my sunglasses and pretend to talk on the phone if I let you hold it. You give me kisses (when it is your idea but rarely when I ask) and you love to pull my arm close to you and snuggle against it when I'm sitting near you at the table. You recognize your family in pictures (you point and say Mama, Dada or Baba)  and you adore your brother (often following him around even when he wants to be alone.)

You army-crawled for about a month before you figured out how to crawl in the typical fashion, though you often still army crawl from time-to-time. We had to put a baby gate up in the livingroom at the bottom of the stairs because you are a very curious girl and figured out how to climb the first three stairs to the landing one morning. You love to follow your Baba up the stairs and he will wait for you to climb up with him.

You are so close to walking but aren't quite there yet. You pull yourself up on the side of the couch all the time, scale the walls and sides of the kitchen cabinets, and I've even seen you lunge to get from one place to another without having to take any steps to get there. For brief moments you can stand unsupported (until you realize you are standing by yourself and will promptly sit down.) You will walk if we hold one hand and you are getting more confident when we make you walk from one parent to another.

Your curiosity and desire to know everything about everything around you is amazing to watch. You love to put things into a box only to pull them all out again again and start over. You love to poke and prod and toy with everything that you can get your hands on, and stick them in your mouth.

We are so in love with you and we relish each smile, giggle, point, kiss and snuggle!