20 Months

Today my baby turned 20 months old!  Yikes!!!  The last couple of months have been so fun!  Mallorie's vocabulary is expanding daily, and I just love hearing her talk and use expressions when she does.  She is VERY opinionated and will let you know what she wants.  She must have gotten that from her Aunt La La!!hehe (also her obsession with shoes--Kim and Lauri, I will definitely be putting a budget on ya'll for future shoe shopping adventures!)  I just love this baby girl more than I can put into words! 

A little bit about Mallorie at 20 months:

 

- around 20 lbs and 29 in. tall

-wears 12 month clothing

-size 3/4 diaper

-loves to EAT!!!

-becoming quite the sweet eater as well (she LOVES MnM's and Oreos)

-loves being outide

-loves playing with her babies (still plays "night night" all the time- she will lay her babies down and pat them to sleep or make us lay down)

-has gone tee tee in the potty several times (lately she will tell me "I tee tee") when she goes in her diaper.

- loves Mickey Mouse, Sheriff Cali, and Bubble Guppies.

-dances to music by twisting and shaking her head like a bobble head.

-get's really excited when she hears a plain or a train and will either say airplane or choo choo.

-loves the slide- we go "wee" all the time (on an actual slide or sometimes just momma's legs)

-is the apple of my eye!!!

 

Catching Up!

Can you believe in a short 4 months I will have a 2 year old??  A 2 year old!!  Wow, where has the time gone?  I can honestly say the first year of Mallorie's life seems like such a blur to me.  Whether it was the sleepless nights, or rapid milestones she hit...I feel like I can't remember much about it.  Her second year of life has been filled with a lot of changes as well, but I feel like they have been much more noticeable, or else they are probably just so fresh on my mind.  Since Mallorie has turned one she has gone from having a stay at home Mommy to a full time working Mommy. I was so worried about this change and how she and myself would handle it.  Right before I went back to work I was at a workshop and it was basically talking about being resilient.  And from that moment on that was going to be my motivation.  I would be resilient.  I would be the best that I could be every day for my kids at school because that it what they deserved.  I would be the best that I could be for Mallorie when I got home (and not sulk about the time we missed or would miss again the next day), because that is the type of mom she deserved. I would be the best wife I could be every day because that is what my husband deserved.  I would be RESILIENT.  No matter how much I hated the situation I was in I would push through and be resilient.  And I honestly can say I felt like I have lived up to that expectation.  At church today our preacher was talking about praying.  When things are tough its not about the self help book you read, or who you get advice from...just PRAY!  From the day Mallorie was born I have felt like I have been in prayer overload.  I am in constant prayer of her safety, of the woman she will become, of the man she will someday marry, even as she chews up her food.lol  After going to work I have prayed even more.  I prayed so hard last summer for God to help me be a peace about going back to work, to help Mallorie and I stay as close, to help mine and Nathan's marriage flourish.  And God has answered every prayer I have sent up to him.  He has given me peace.  It is very hard to take your child to  a daycare and not worry sick ALL DAY LONG!  The only thing that helped was prayer.  Still to this day after her being in day care for nearly 9 months, I pray all day long about God keeping her safe.  I pray for her teachers to love her, and for Mallorie to know that I so deeply love her and want all the best for her.  I know it is God who has given me a job where I can provide for my family as well as have time with my child.  We only get a couple of hours each day together, but we have made them count and we are as close as ever.  Mallorie loves playing at school with her friends and has turned into a social butterfly.  We will pass a kid at the store we don't even know who will be a couple of years older than Mallorie and she turns and says hi and tries to follow them to go play.  It has been so neat to see her learn to share with others and see her love of friendship grow.  I still wish I had more time with her, but I am at peace.  So, today I encourage you to pray.  Pray for thankfulness, pray for safety, pray for encouragement, pray for peace, pray for wisdom, pray for God to take over your worries....just PRAY!