Sirena’s Monthly Photos: 23 Months Old

Dear Sirena,

We are blown away by the little-big-kid you are becoming each and every day. You are so independent–wanting to do things on your own (like putting on and taking off your clothes, combing your hair, bathing yourself), but at the same time you are also so clingy with mommy lately–needing her at sometimes the most inopportune moments, demanding her attention and that she pick you up righththismoment (and with that quivering lower lip and those tear-filled eyes, it is sometimes so hard to resist!) I have to remind myself (a lot) in those stressful moments that these days will be over in the blink of an eye and one day I will long for your constant need for your “Mommy.” <3

You have got a BIG personality that shines ever-so-brightly. Here are some of the fun things you’ve been up to lately:

You order your big sister “Lalo” around, telling her to go outside or get her ball or stop biting herself (just like Mama and Daddy, haha!)
You want to tell us stories so bad, babbling away, making up words and using hand movements to share all of your wild thoughts with us
You have become quite the jokester: huge belly laughs after something funny happens, you love it when you make us laugh (and continue to do whatever it was to try and get the same reaction from us), and your Nani taught you some fun tricks that you enjoy doing:
- High-Five fun: “High-Five,” “Down Low,” “Cut the Pickle” (putting the tips of your index fingers together and having someone “cut” down the middle with their finger), “Tickle, Tickle!” (tickling yourself instead of tickling the other person, haha!)
- Lil’ Trickster: Pointing to someone’s chest and asking, “What’s that?” then as they look down you run your finger up to their chin and nose (and then you proceed with cracking up because you always get a good reaction out of people doing that!)
You sing all the time, from sun up (we hear you signing to yourself in your bed over the baby monitor as soon as you wake up) to sun down. Your favorite songs lately are “Happy Birthday” (you know all the words!), “Itsy Bitsy Spider” (with hand movements), “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” and your old standby, “Old MacDonald.”
You’re a true dancing machine. You really feel the music and get down with your bad self and you rocked out with your friend Sadie at your Aunt Sarah and Uncle Rob’s wedding this past month, tearing up the dance floor!
Your favorite activity still is changing your baby doll’s diapers but nowadays as soon as you put a new diaper on you say “Eww!” and proceed to take it right off saying “Poo poo” each and every time. I think we may need to take your baby doll to the doctor for the amount of diapers she soils in any given sitting…
On a similar note, this past month we started potty training! You love your big girl chonies (Elmo and Dora designs that you picked out yourself) and you love the concept of using the potty (even taking your babies to the potty and reading to them like a good little mama)

Less than a month before your second birthday… It’s so hard to believe but you are most definitely a little big kid now and I know that 2 is going to be a ton more fun!

Love,

Mama

New words: “Chubbies” (strawberries), “Rella” (Cinderella), “Yeah” (You don’t say “Aye” anymore!), “Lola” (this is what you call Dora, but yet you call Lola “Lalo,” ha!)