Raya Recently- 21 Months!

Raya,
My sweet girl...I truly believe you are a girl full of Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice, and this month you had an extra dose of Spice :) So you kept us all on our toes!

First and foremost let me thank you for finally letting me put your shoes and socks on before we leave the house and KEEPING them ON until we reach our destination. I know you'd prefer to always be barefoot, my little monkey, but I appreciate the fact that you don't get into your carseat and immediately rip them off. If you're tired, they're coming off, but I can't stand sleeping with socks on either, so I don't blame you--But thank you for keeping them on when it matters.

Back to your Spicy side...This month the combination of you figuring out how to get what you want and also having a new kid to share some of the lime light with has made for some full days to say the least. For example, yesterday you were running up and down the hallway with your hands behind your back and yelling "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa" and faking that you were going to crash into the wall face first. Yes, my 21 month old was doing this and fully aware of how nervous it was making me. And of course the more I told you to be careful and slow down and put your arms out so you could break your fall, the more you laughed and the more you did it. It was hilarious, I'm not going to lie, and the only reason I couldn't get my camera out to record you was because I was trying my best to protect your little face from the walls.

You are a chatty-kathy ( I have no idea where you get that from ;) You have lots of words. I LOVE when you say a new one. I never knew hearing your baby say a new word would be one of the best little surprises! I don't know what it is, but its just so exciting when I hear you say something new! The funniest thing right now is when you're hungry you say "Mmmm, Num" and rub your belly. I don't know where you got that from. Especially the rubbing your belly part. But its ridiculously cute!!!

And now to your newest role: Big Sister. You are a pro at it! You are absolutely sweet to him. There isn't an ounce of jealously...do 21month olds know how to be jealous? If I'm holding him and you want to be on my lap too, you just climb up. Its like you're thinking "I know you're holding him and all, but he can fit in one of your arms, so you better move him to one or the other cause I'm coming up on your lap right now." And then the 3 of us sit together in the rocking chair, you play with my hair, and we watch TV. Its perfection.

Sometimes when I'm holding him you'll walk by, take out your pacifier, kiss him on his head and continue on. SWEETNESS!!! You love to hold his little hands and feet.

We're working on being gentle because sometimes when your petting his feet you start to pull them...and well I'm sure that's not the best feeling for him. You pat his head and smooth out his hair and in the last week you put your hands up to hold him. You LOVE to hold him. I think I already wrote about this, but its so, so, so cute seeing you hold him.

 And one of the coolest things about your 21st month, you finally have your very own room and its completely decorated and set up! You love playing in your room. Its so nice having an area in the house that you can be in and I don't have to worry about what you're getting into because everything in there is yours! My Dad, your Grandpa, came for the week and put it all together. I'll take pictures in the next day or so and post them. Now when we're downstairs you'll stand at the bottom and point upstairs and if I don't get what you're trying to tell me you start to (fake) cry. All because you want to play in your room!

I have no idea how much you weigh, or how tall you are. I'm guessing you're around 34 or 35 inches tall and probably about 25lbs. You've always felt like such a peanut to me, but after having this little baby here you seem so big! I know, everyone told me you would, and you do. I'm amazed by how much longer your legs seem too. And you're officially in a size 7 shoe. You wear 18-24month and 2T clothes. You're still on the leaner side so you fit the 2Ts because you're tall.

Rockin the fur coat and your Lebron shoes from Santa 

I'm still not sure how I'll be as close with this little boy as I am with you (but I'm sure I will). You truly are my other half. I can't believe how much you make me laugh and I can't believe how I got such a joy of a kid for a daughter. You light up my days and you make life that much better. Thank you for being the sweetheart that you are and thank you for making Mommy the happiest girl on the block :)
I love you Sweet Girl!
Xoxo, Mom