Lucy at 20 Months

Dear Lucy,
Dare I say we are slowly coming out of a super fussy stretch? You have been really fun the past few weeks -- attempting to talk more and in phrases! I can't understand most of what you say, but I can make out some of it. And because of it, you seem a little less frustrated and prone to tantrums, which makes MY world a lot better. You've seemed to have aged a few months in the last few weeks! You look different, you're taller, you have all these teenager expressions -- I can't deal!

Language has been your biggest breakthrough I think. Your first phrase to me was probably "don't touch it" except it's all slurred. lol. You still don't have a word for "yes." You love saying "goggy!" You are also mastering the word "baby" recently. Speaking of babies, you are paying more attention to your baby doll and her stroller. I can see the little mama in you starting to appear in addition to a sense of compassion. You also have grown close to our stuffed basset hound, Sam, which really melts my heart. Also new is an affinity for blankets! When you're stressed out, you reach for a blanket to hold and carry around. So we've added "Linus" to your list of nicknames.

Current nickname favorites include the following: Lu, Big Girl, Baby Girlfriend, Bug Bug, Buggy, Buggah, Lil Mama.

You're all about playing games and wrestling with Daddy.

Food-wise, I've gotten pretty lax about your diet. I used to stress out over the ounces of milk you'd drink and if you were getting all the recommended servings of each food group and vitamin. Then reality hit me -- I'm now content if you eat a few bites of anything. Toddlers are notoriously finicky when it comes to diet right now, so I've had to loosen the control in that area. I still offer you most of the food groups, but I don't make you eat anything. You love snacks though, so I'll often put out mixed veggies as a "snack."

You are still the most expressive kid I've ever seen, just bursting with personality and sass. Your personality surprises me considering your daddy and I were super reserved as kids. You do really well when you're at home, but have trouble with temper tantrums in public. This is also the time you want to strike out, literally, at me. Praying that's a phase and that the more verbal you get, the better you'll be at controlling your anger.