22 Months

So next week Hallie turned 22 months..where does the time go? Our 1st baby is now a toddler that is very self sufficient and independent. She has recently become VERY affectionate she always has to give hugs and kisses to almost anyone pretty frequently. I am thankful that it is a rare occasion when she hits or screams. And extremely grateful that she has no idea what being naughty really is..we are very blessed. I don't usually worry if she is quiet or I can't find her because I can find her either in her room or down stair playing in her play room. Her vocabulary is beyond explainable if you say a word, especially one she doesn't know she repeats it and then looks for approval that she said it right. She knows all her letter by site and sound(I'm working on getting a video to document this), can count to 5 and loves to read and sing to herself. She is a great eater and by no means is picky. Some of her favorites are hot dogs, cheese, fruit of any kind, oatmeal, beans, noodles, cookies, suckers and fruit snacks. She loves to sit on the potty and sing our potty song and would probably be potty trained if I could find a couple days not to puke or lay on the couch all day(the goal is by the time we have baby #2). She is great to entertain herself. She loves to learn and is constantly asking "what that?" I love to bake with her(part of our weekly routine) and now that she has become more interested she has to "taste" everything which usually proceeds with a "what that?" until lately and she has started to identify some ingredients we use quite often. I don't know that we have found something thus far she doesn't surprise and excel at. The other day I came out of my room to find her couple stuffed animals lined up as she was praying with them(proud mom moment for sure)of coarse she noticed me before I got a pic. Which leads me to that she has started pretending, which is one of the cutest things ever. She is a great sleeper and usually sleeps 11-13 hours at night with a 2 hour nap. She still has her binki and to be honest I'm in no rush to take it away. She only has it for naps, bedtime, and sometimes in the car. She really enjoys coloring(colored pencils are her tool of choice). She is very friendly and like to talk to people either on the phone, skype, or while we're out and about. She can identify all of my family and a couple of Matt's family from pictures. She loves to be outside to playing the sandbox or swing. She would swing for hours if someone would push her that long. All in all I would take another one of her in a second(I am hoping for that in #2) she has been nothing but a joy in our lives and its strange to think she hasn't always been in our lives.