Coming up on the big 2...

I can't believe...this time last year, I was still making Annie baby food, and we were wondering if she would EVER walk, or if she would EVER talk....

At 23 months, Annie is off to a busy start this summer.  She LOVES going to the park and thinks nothing of climbing up nearly any stair or ladder and heading for the biggest slide she can find.  She usually narrates the entire visit with "Annie big slide!"  "Go go go!"  "Yay Annie!" "Annie swing" --  and an always social, "Hi Kids!" to anyone shorter than Mom & Dad.

Her vocabulary and speech picked up around 18 months, but lately it has just exploded!  Some of the things she's started saying to me regularly:

"Need hug"  "Pick up Annie"

"Scratch back"

(not her, no, she wants you to turn around, and she'll scratch YOUR back...pretty sweet deal.)

"No Milk" and "No Cheese" and "No Ice Cream"

(music to my ears...she really is paying attention!)

"Sorbet is good"

"Avie (cousin Ava) & Annie drink same"

(meaning they both drink formula vs. milk)

"Great Grammy sleeping there"

(with the loss of so many great grandma's this year, came many cemetery trips...now whenever Annie sees a cemetery, she tells me that's where Great Grammy is sleeping.)

"Peas, bike ride! Bike Ride!"

(we have a new bike trailer and have been going out almost every day on our bikes, Annie LOVES it)

"Peas, cook!, Peas see!" -

Annie loves cooking, and wants to be up on the counter to watch whatever is going on in the kitchen.

"Thank you Grammy, Thank you Bonnie" -

Annie remembers who gives her things.  If she's playing with a book that Aunt Bonnie gave her, she'll say "thank you bonnie" while she picks it up...or if she sees a picture of herself eating cake that Grandma made for her, she'll say "thank you Grammy"  Such manners! (and memory!)

"Peas, roses"

(means she wants to play ring-around-the-rosey)

"Read a boogame"

(read a book to me)

"peas, Signingtimdotcom"

(she says it really fast, but that's "Signing Time dot com" ;) She's wants to watch Signing Time)  (Can we get a little commercial credit please?)

*peas = please

She's also started singing little bits and pieces from songs she knows and has been doing a lot of dancing :)  We actually have conversations now, and she's no longer just pointing out things she recognizes, but telling me what she wants to do, or how she feels.  It's incredible, incredibly fun! :)