My little Monkey

I decided it was time to do an update on my little monkey... aka Aubrey. She is growing up so fast that I don't know what to do.

The first big change is that she is now in a "big girl" toddler bed. Definitely not my choice at all! I had grand plans of keeping her in her crib for at least another year. But, have I mentioned she is a monkey? Baby gate, pack n play, crib.... she climbs over it all in about 2 seconds flat.

The transition to a bed actually went a lot easier than I thought. She still goes to bed quickly and sleeps all night. The saddest part is that she used to love her crib. She would sing songs and play in there forever. Now, the second she wakes up she whimpers and runs to the door. I know it could be a lot worse, but I miss that extra "me" time when she just played in her crib!

We have just emerged (I hope) from a rough phase. Along with the transition to a bed, she cut all four canine teeth, fell and cut her eye, fell again and gave the other eye a black eye, and got a cold all in one week. That caused her behavior to be.... well... not fun. Super clingy, super whiny, lots of tantrums and other undesirable toddler behavior.

Here she is showing off her "owie."

But, she seems to be back to my sweet little girl, so I will enjoy this time before another rough phase comes! And, don't they always come?

• She talks up a storm, and more and more of it is actually in English. I stopped counting how many words she knows.... over 100? She hasn't really started combining sentences yet, but I'm excited for that.
• She can name and point to all her main body parts and a few random ones. It cracks me up because she uses the names for anything related to them. For example, her sunglasses are her "eyes," gloves are "hands" etc.
• She loves to make animal noises. Can count to 10.... kind of. She counts 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10. I have to fill in 1, 5, and 7. Starting to learn ABC's. 
• She loves to play with other kids and is still pretty aggressive in doling out hugs and kisses. Her favorite little buddy Tyler is moving soon, so that will be a sad day. 
• She "helps" me. Especially with cooking. Nothing can distract her when I am in the kitchen. She drags in a chair saying "help, help." Except... she often makes a big mess. Getting dinner on the table just keeps getting harder. 
• She is definitely on the high end of the energy scale. She never stops and she completely exhausts me. But, she is so much fun and has a smile that just lights up the room. 

This picture is pretty typical. Aubrey running full steam ahead, leaving Steven or I to catch up.

We love her so much and she is my little bundle of energy. Every day is an adventure and I wouldn't trade it for anything!