21 Months Old

Ellie Tsion is now 21 months old! That seems too close to "two" for comfort. Well, she's already acting two (if you know what I mean) so I guess it's all relative. Here are 21 things that clearly paint a picture of our girl:

1. She's loud. L-O-U-D, loud. As in, louder-than-her-brother-loud.

2. She prefers to use a rich vocabulary: NO! NOOOO!!!! NOOOOOOOOO!

3. She is quite the dare devil. Just tonight she jumped over the back of the couch. She climbs up the jungle gym and prefers to try and flip herself over the side.

4. She has finally given up her nap time bottle.

5. She continues to eat like a house. Her most frequent request being "DEESE" (cheese).

6. She loves to mimic anything her momma does: iron, cook, applying make-up, putting on lotion, etc.

7. She has a standard way of greeting new people: she holds up her leg and points her shoe in their direction and says "SUE" (shoe). And, she WILL remember those who make a big deal about her shoes and stalk them repeatedly each and every time she sees them to model her "sues".

8. She has a strong affection for Elmo, dolls and Jack (from Jack's Big Music Show). And her Daddy obliges her. Wrapped. Around. His Finger. Already.

9. She is quite opinionated about her clothes. If I pick out something that doesn't suit her, she will chant "UP, UP, UP" for me to hold her up in her closet and SHE will tug on what she wants to wear. Heaven help us now.

10. We often refer to Ellie as Sassy, Miss Priss, Belle-Belle and Belly Girl.

11. Brushing teeth is one of her favorite past times. She screams bloody murder when we take her toothbrush away.

12. We promise she still has an Ethiopian accent some times. Like when she say okay ... it sounds like "Ahhh-kay". Just yesterday I had walked into the other room and heard her behind me saying "Ahhh-kay" and really, really thought for a second it was Tegist, the director of the Baby Home where she lived.

13. When she's really, really elated she'll shrug her shoulders up, shudder with excitement and purse her lips. It's too, too cute.

14. Ellie is fascinated by the big boys her brother plays with on our street in the afternoons. We take out girly toys so that she'll have something to play with, too, but most days she is content running after them, trying to get on the bikes and digging for snails. Tomboy?

15. She now cries when we fix her hair in the mornings. And lets big crocodile tears slide down her cheeks. I can't decide if it really is hurting or if she's practicing for her teenage years. I think it's the latter.

16. Ellie had her first day of Mother's Day Out this week. She jumped right into her teacher's arms and never looked back. Not even once. Kenny and I had to pick our chins up off the floor. The teachers said she didn't cry all day. Not at all. She did ask for her Daddy at nap time. And, she is quite proud of her lunch box ... carries it like a purse!

17. Belle-belle girl is sleeping through the night but really enjoys giving the house a wake up call around 5:50 or 6 a.m. which provides perfect Daddy-daughter bonding time. ;)

18. She prefers "Top 40" music - you know, Beyonce, Britany, Kelly Clarkson, Taylor Swift and the like. Throw in a little rap and she's really bouncin'.

19. Girlfriend is wearing a size 18-24 months or 2T in most clothes. I think she is nearing 30 lbs as her last well baby check-up was at 18 months and she weighed a little over 28 lbs. However, we think she's loosing her baby belly. And that makes me sad.

20. Her disposition, albeit spunky and sassy, is still the sweetest and most agreeable of a toddler I've seen in a long, long time. She smiles, she laughs, she knows how to give others a hard time in a joking manner. She is the exact amount of joy we needed in this family.

21. Some day, this sweet daughter and sister, will make one, wonderful little servant. Maybe a mommy. Maybe a wife. Maybe a teacher or nurse. But it's so evident she enjoys helping others.