Monkey See, Monkey Do

Evangeline is 18 months now and it's been both very fun and very challenging.  At her 18 month check up last week, I was surprised to hear that she is still tall for her age (60% in height) and only 30% in weight.  She's such a good eater and sometimes I worry about her weight but the doctor reassured me that at this age they typically do not over eat and that when she asks for food, she probably is hungry.

We just got back from Portland this past week and I was pleasantly surprised at how well she did on the trip and back.  She adjusted almost immediately when we got there and when we got home.  She was fairly good on the plane, with only a few mishaps and crying, but nothing unbearable or for an extended amount of time.  She actually seemed to understand that we were on a trip and that it was temporary.  She loved exploring the city, especially since there were so many dogs all over the place.  Although you could tell that she was unsure about her surroundings, because as we pushed her around in her stroller she had to check that we were still there every minute or two, we hear her say, "Umma? Umma?!? Umma?"  We would reply, "Yes, dear umma is right here." Then a minute or two later, "Appa? Appa?!? Appa!"  We met with an old friend and an old pastor while we were there.  It was really nice to catch up with both of them.  The friend really went out of his way to give us a ride from and to the airport, let us borrow his car, show us around the city, and open his place up for us to hang out and do some work.  It made me realize the importance of friendship and how blessed we are to have friends like him.

Although EV has never been a complete people person, she's been warming up to new people faster than she used to.   It's also funny how she is now mimicking everything that we do.  The other day we were in an elevator and both Jimmy and I leaned back and crossed one leg over the other.  The next thing we know, EV is leaning back and trying to cross one leg over the other.  She is also repeating everything we say.  In Portland, we were having some Mexican for dinner, and EV insisted that she scoop her rice and beans with a tortilla chip like the rest of us.  She was successful in the beginning, but as she got tired, the less she was able to scoop.  So, she thought about it and decided that she needed a new chip.  I gave her a new chip and that was the beginning of the end.  She got so frustrated that she couldn't scoop the rice with the chip, that she threw everything on the ground.  She's so determined to figure it out herself, that she won't let us help her, but then she gets so frustrated that even if she is successful, it doesn't matter, she can't calm down enough to enjoy it.  The other day this happened, and she started saying a bunch of sounds, "babbit, gabba, bagga, dagit."  Jimmy called it "Baby Cursing" and it really did sound like she was mouthing off.  It also seemed to help her calm down.  These are the moments, when I'm unsure what to do.  You're not being disobedient and I can't really distract you with something else.  How do you teach an 18th month old patience? And letting momma help?

EV, you are such a joy to us.  You make us laugh, you impress us constantly, and you make us want to be better parents.  You have one of the most amazing smiles.  It's always super special when you smile because you don't smile often, but when you do, it lights up the whole room.  You are one of the most stubborn, head strong, opinionated babies I have ever known.  You say the word "No" and "Mine" with such clarity and intensity.  You also say a million other words, some in Korean and some in English, based on what's more comfortable for you.  You have so much energy from the moment you open your eyes to the moment you go down to bed.  You can barely sit for more than 5 minutes before exploring something new.  You love to dance and you love music with a good beat.  The moment you hear music, you start dancing and it's not just baby dancing, I swear you groove to the beat.   You make us look forward to every day.  Thank you for being ours!

I'm a big kid now!

Last week, EV started swinging her legs over the rail of her crib.  I thought to myself, it's going to be no time before she can pull herself up and over the crib.  Thankfully, we got a call on Monday saying EV's bed was ready to be delivered.

Wednesday was a highly anticipated day.  EV's big girl bed was being delivered.  When I got home, the first thing I did was give EV a big hug and go up to her new room.  New room, new bed.  I was so excited to see her bed, I put the sheets and quilt on it, and had Jimmy bring in some of her old furniture into her new room.

EV you were so so so excited about your new bed.  I was worried that you might be apprehensive and standoffish but you were quite the opposite.  You climbed up into the bed, lined up all your stuff animals, put the covers over you, climbed back down and repeat.  You wanted all of us to get into bed with you.  Now, how will the first night go in the new bed?  Surprisingly it went really well.  We didn't buy any rails for the bed and I was nervous that you would fall off the bed repeatedly since you are a crazy sleeper, but you only fell off twice the first night.  Actually, we placed your crib mattress next to the bed, so the first time you fell off you bounced onto the crib mattress and right onto the floor.  I think it startled you more than anything.  So, I put a body pillow on that side as well, and it has helped with the falling.  The second night you fell only once, but you were more upset that you couldn't get back up on the bed because of the body pillow than the fact that you fell.  Last night, I think you might have fallen once but you gave a little cry and climbed right back up.  All in all, it's been amazing to see how quickly you have transitioned into your new bed.  It has brought tears to our eyes to see you sleeping in your bed.  You used to look so big in your crib and now you look so small in your bed.  You are growing up so fast, slow down little one, slow down!