You're 21!

I was laying in bed with my husband...a rare and wonderful occasion and realized that Reina has just turned 21 months yesterday! She totally acts like she is at least 2 1/2. I am hoping she already went through her "terrible two's" when for about three weeks she was into saying NO and hitting mommy in the face. By the way, this was during our Finland trip (although 48 hours and VERY little sleep can do this to most people, even 19 month olds). Since that bout of being hit in the face and told NO, she really has been a sweetheart! She still goes to her Mummi's childcare center and LOVES the action! Some of her best friends are 2-4 year olds: Abigail, Peyton, Ethan, and Trevin. Just yesterday they did some leaf imprints with paint to welcome the fall. When they have music time she takes center stage and really gets big and loud (definitely takes after me in this area). One day they were running back and forth in a race and Reina has learned that if she doesn't go all the way to the end, she can turn around and have a head-start to reach the finish line first! She has always been very coordinated, but since our Finland trip her vocabulary has really taken off. She understands everything we say, and can say many words. What's funny is that she kept saying "No fat, no fat." Paul and I could NOT figure out what she was saying for the longest time, then realized she was saying "No that, no that." Mummi reminds the kids "We don't do that," instead of "No" so she was just interpreting that phrase. We haven't been pushing potty-training but if we remember and feel like it, we ask her to go potty and at least half the time she does make something! In fact, grandma Guinn was getting Reina ready for bed one night and Reina told grandma "potty" and put herself on it and actually went! And last night we put her on (thinking it was just for fun), and much later when we got ready for bed realized there WAS pee in the potty! We didn't even realize it to congratulate her on her achievement! I'm thinking she will potty-train herself (knock on wood). So she has really increased in her vocabulary, molars, and sweetness! She gives scrumptious hugs and kisses, and always wakes up in the morning by talking and singing with her books. Some of her favorite things are shoes, especially boots, doggies, Dr. Laura soup (family joke), music and dancing, books, wrestling with mommy and daddy, coloring, anything outside. She still doesn't have enough hair to get into a ponytail, so she always seems to have a ball of fuzz at the back of her head. We think she is just perfect! Here are the most recent pictures of our "Sweetstuff" (20 months old):