This morning, when I told Suri we needed to take her picture before we go to school, she walked over to her chair and waited for me while I got my camera ready. She sat down and said " cheeze" almost immediately. I didn't even have to stand on my head this time trying to think of ways to entertain her for milliseconds as I rassled with the camera trying to capture a "good enough" photo to post as I have had to do the past couple of times. Suri is growing up. She is catching on. She is becoming more of a little girl than a baby.
As I mentioned, this past month seemed to fly by and I am not sure I can find just one word that summarizes her month accurately... We have done quite a few new things this past month such as ending Gymboree and beginning swimming lessons, visiting the splash pads at Desert Ridge and the Scottsdale Quarter and visiting the cabin. With the weather now officially "HOT", Suri has enjoyed spending time in the water. She has graduated from her infant swimming class to the toddler class and is becoming more and more proficient at maneuvering her way on the iPad. She has a few games that she likes to play over and over again and of course she enjoys her videos while we are doing her 20 minute breathing treatment. She is still a fan of Dora and occasionally Mickey Mouse but her new love is definitely ELMO. She adores that red fuzzy monster and sounds so cute asking for "elmo". Suri's vocabulary continues to expand and her attempt at sentences are more apparent. It is so intriguing to watch and listen to her communicate what is going on in her little mind. . . She continues to make me laugh and there are things she does that absolutely melt my heart. One thing I wish I was better at is capturing her little voice on video. I know I will look back someday and wish I had more of her voice recorded so my vow is to try harder to capture her little voice on video so it will forever be able to be heard. She tries to say absolutely everything. Some things are crystal clear and others are clear as mud but all in all her attempts are frequent and precious to her momma's ears.
Suri's likes of the month:
Elmo, her lovey, shoes... shoes... shoes! Attempting to dress and undress her self, trying to put on and take off her shoes (definitely mastered the taking off part!), applesauce, broccoli, and of course cupcakes! She loves to read book after book and especially likes to read the one her Grandpa recorded for her. Suri still loves to swing and she loves being outside. Suri is deeply in love with her gigantic stuffed Zebra, she loves her dollies ( We now have a family consisting of: Baby Dotty, Baby Kate, Baby Ava, Baby Sarah, and Baby KiKi) She knows which one is which and plays with all of them differently : ) Suri loves to pat the floor and ask me to "sit" next to her and play, or eat or whatever she feels like doing on the floor.
Eating:
Suri's appetite is still fairly down from how she used to eat when she was younger. She will still "taste" almost anything you give her but she clearly has her preferences as to what her favorites are. I must admit, she is a great vegetable eater. Some of her favorites are green beans, broccoli, corn, snap peas and edemame (she LOVES edemame!) She has always been a fruit/ berry eater so that hasn't changed much. I am having a tough time getting her to eat meats. She loves bacon and eggs and chicken nuggets on occasion but other than that, meat and fish are always remaining on her plate after she has declared herself as "all done". As for drinks, a sippy cup of water or milk and she is content as can be. She does enjoy some juice on occasion but it does not make or break the day thankfully. Suri is perfecting her skills at drinking from open water bottles and open cups, practicing when Mommy has the patience to clean up spills (wink, wink)... (she is actually very good at it and as long as the cup isn't too full to begin with, there is minimal spillage, if any!)
Sleeping:
Suri is still falling asleep in my bed and then I transfer her to her crib. This has been our routine for quite some time and I am now entertaining the opportunity to clear out my garage (and save by back) by setting up my old queen bed for her in her room and taking down her crib. . . my only hesitation lies in the fact the Suri doesn't make all "transitions" smoothly, especially when it comes to sleeping. She has never been one that I can "deviate" from our normal routine too drastically without it affecting her. Visiting the cabin this past weekend was a prime example of how new situations inadvertently effect her, especially her sleep. She tossed and turned and moaned and groaned throughout both nights we slept at the cabin. Even her first night back home in her bed was a bit rough on her. I know she eventually adapts and therefore I feel making the transition will be just that... a transition. Fingers and toes crossed that it will go smoothly if and when I decide to make the leap of faith!
Naps are anywhere from 1.5 hours to 5 hours long! Yes, Suri does take 5 hour naps on occasion but the norm for her averages about for a 2 hour nap.
Therapy:
Suri continues in her physical therapy with Jacki. Jacki and Suri are continuing to work on weight shifting and increasing the strength in Suri's core and upper body. We continue to monitor Suri's walk ( My little Nugget definitely walks with a "purpose" she has a bounce in her step and swings her arms as she strolls!) I have to smile and laugh as I watch her as she is so darn cute even though I know it is so darn WRONG! Poor Jacki, we keep her on her toes ! I am contuning to frequent Hanger Orthotics in order to adjust and re adjust her SMO orthotics that she is still wearing. Suri has decided she now likes to walk on her tip toes which is a therapy nightmare ( I laugh that we are keeping Jacki ON her toes as we are trying desperately to keep Suri OFF of hers!) Suri does fairly well at keeping her heels on the floor when she is wearing her orthotics and her shoes but as soon as she is barefoot, she walks around like a little ballerina, on the balls of her feet (sigh). Occupational Therapy may also introduce itself into our lives in the near future in addition to her Physical Therapy as I (as well as her teachers and Jacki) are noticing Suri struggle more and more with sensory integration, which require an OT approach to therapy in conjunction to the PT side. I will have to elaborate more on Sensory Integration in a different post as it is a big hairy monster with lots of arms and legs (aka, it is very complex and has a multitude of different factors that contribute to the diagnosis and therapy). Thankfully Suri adores Jacki and seems to look forward to showing Jacki what she can do. She definitely is a workout for Jacki first thing in the morning but I try to compensate by buying Jacki her Starbucks coffee : ) wink, wink. Jacki's hour long workout with my daughter is my hour long time to rest... ha.
Clothes:
20 months and officially in a size 3T. Suri weighs 33lbs and is 36.5 inches tall. I am repeatedly faced with the same questions/ reactions of strangers. . . .
Stranger "how old is your daughter... 3"?
Me: "Nope, she is 19 months"
Stranger: as they peel their jaw off the ground... the proceed to say "wow! She looks so much older" Then they chuckle as they rub their chin and slightly shake their head from side to side, staring at her in disbelief.. Luckily Suri is still oblivious to these comments although I am preparing myself for the day she questions her height and how I can help her embrace it as opposed to challenge it.
Oh the joys of being tall... been there done that. I remember my Mom telling me I started to lie about my age when I was very young as when people would ask me my age and I would tell them, they would say "naawh, you have got to be older than that.. you are so tall...
I therefore began to say I was older than I was and my justification for my dishonesty was because I felt I needed to say I was older because if I told them my "real" age, they wouldn't believe my anyway!
I never liked being the tallest one in my class and I can relate to struggles children can have if they are "different" from their classmates in any way.
I know one thing for sure, if Suri decides she wants to wear "high heels" she can wear high heels! ( I will jsut have to derfer her to her Aunties in helping her to pick them out as heels are few and far between in my wardrobe still to this day...) ( chuckle chuckle).
Behavior:
Hmm, where do I begin... Suri is most definitely a sweet and caring little girl who has a tender heart and loving spirit. She is also a little girl with a fire within her that sometimes drive her past limits she is able to manage appropriately... the hitting, pinching and hair pulling that she has pretty much done since she was 6 months old or so, is becoming more and more concerning ( more due to the fact that she is perfecting her swing and her grip at each attempt!) Her triggers are still somewhat fuzzy however I hope and pray that these outbursts decrease as her vocabulary and communication skills increase. Frustration, as with any toddler, is the driving force of outbursts and frustration in toddlers is practically unavoidable. Suri seeks reaction in people. She loves to be praised for her accomplishments and she doesn't seem phased by peoples negative reactions when she does something to them that might hurt. Suri also has an extremely high pain tolerance as demonstrated in many ways. This past month Suri has been bitten multiple times by her little classmates ( an issue we were having at the daycare for quite sometime that seemed to decrease for a while however is now on the rise again... rrgh). Her teachers repeatedly remark about the fact that Suri never cries when she is hurt. I too have noticed this in Suri and contribute a lot of it to the struggle she is having with proper sensory integration. Aside from her wild side (wink), Suri is a pleasant, extremely smart and funny little girl that definitely is stellar at keeping me on my toes!
Suri, I often sit and wonder what God's plan is for you. What you will be when you grow up, what your favorite things will include, what your fears will be. Who will be your best friend and what things will you excel in? Life is a precious gift indeed and I still feel so under qualified to have been chosen to be your Mother. This world is so full of challenges and yet so full of beautiful things. I want so badly to protect you from experiencing hurt, if only the worst thing that could happen to you is that your granola bar falls in the dirt...life would be so easy. I hope and pray daily that your journey throughout life is a happy one. That you believe in yourself and pride yourself in the abilities God gave to you as those talents and strengths are extraordinary. You are the source of my strength Suri and although I feel at times, under qualified, I am so eternally grateful that God has chosen me to be your Mommy. You are definitely, without a doubt, the apple of my eye! I love you Suri Rose ~ Happy 20 Months!
And the fun continues...
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