The Big 2-0

Yep..she’s hit the big 2-0. Lily is twenty months today. Where has the time gone?

In keeping with my promise, there'll be no more photos for today. I mean, it’s not like you haven’t seen any in a while. I promise, she still looks the same as she did yesterday.

For her big milestone I thought I would concentrate on her communication. If truth be told, I was rather nervous about Lily’s speech or lack there of. Most of my nervousness stems from the fact that I was rather spoilt with Byron and his very adept ability at vocally communicating at such a young age. He was chatting away in 2 word sentences at 12/13 months…and full conversations by two.

Anyway I digress – this entry isn’t about him it’s about Lily.

After a slow start, can I just say, Lily is developing into a right little chatter box. It seems someone flicked a switch in her little ol’ soul and from that moment she was off. Over the last month her speech has developed in leaps and bounds it's mind boggling really. She is a parrot, forever copying everything you say.

She is now talking in 2-3 word sentences. She uses sentences she has learned - i.e parroted - in the right context which goes to show she has some grasp of what she is saying. Her favourites at the moment are:

• “Off we go!”
• “Let’s go”
• “teeth time”
• “Night night”
• “Wub you mummy/daddy” (melts my heart every single time!)
• “Mummy do”
• “Mummy help”
• “Go away!” (What the?)
• “Beep Beep” (When she wants you to move out of her way)

She has well and truly learned how to say Byron or “Bi-won”. She loves running after him calling his name.

She can say so many other words now too. You say them and she tries her hardest to repeat them all. Some newies include plane, helicopter, truck – anyone would think I had a boy – milk, please, car, dress, jacket, socks, clip, yeah, don’t, yoghurt, move and camera (wonder where she picked that one up?).

I also love how she says "pretty" as she daintily pats her tummy when you put a nice dress (or lets face it, any clothes) on her. That stems from me constantly telling how gorgeous and pretty she looks when I dress her all up. I just can't help it!

She went through a stage a little while ago where she just responded NOOOOOO to everything. You asked her a question or to do something and she would say "NOOOO". Just the other day she moved away from that and onto “Yeaahhhh” - yeah this and yeah that. Not YES but YEAH – the kids of today! Go figure.

Like Byron at the same age, she loves nursery rhymes with her favourites being “twinkle, twinkle”, “ba ba” and “row row”. She tries her dandiest to get the hand actions happening in ‘twinkle, twinkle’. She doesn’t usually succeed with forming the diamond in the sky but man she tries which is just so darn cute I can’t help but smile. She nods her little head off in ‘ba ba black sheep’ which is exactly what Byron did too and loves to rock back and forth in‘row, row, row your boat’. I have lots of baths with her and when we do she insists I sing those songs over and over again. She never does tire of them (pity I can’t say the same).

I look at her and think there is no way my baby is 20 months. There is just no way. She can’t be that old. It was only yesterday she was born; just yesterday I was pregnant. Sigh.

This age is seriously priceless though. I’m totally and utterly in love with practically everything she does (except those tantrums – they have got to go!). She has her father wrapped completely around her fingers and her big brother is not far behind him. Whom I kidding? I'm practically wrapped around not just her fingers but those darn cute toes as well.

What’s not to love about Lily?!