Growing Up

Lizzie is just about 20 months old, and as much as I am looking foreward to all the exciting things coming up in our lives...like a new baby, for example...I sometimes have a hard time with change. I wish I could slow down time a little bit. Lizzie is finally picking up all kinds of new words. For the longest time all I could get out of her was "shoes," "juice," and "cheese," but now there are too many words to list. (Of course, "shoes" is still a favorite.) She's even started to form phrases like, "shoes side" which translates to "I need to put on my shoes because I want to go outside." She ALWAYS wants to be outside. Another common expression is, "locked keys," which means "I want to play in the car, but it's locked so I need you to go get the keys." It's also adorable when, with a very concerned expression, she holds her hands out with her palms up and says, "Where'd go?" Sometimes she's referring to a person like grandma, who she calls "Moo Moo" (John actually assigned her that nickname), grandpa, who she calls "Papa, Uncle Nathan, who she calls "Nate", or our friend Caroline, who she calls "Ra Ra". Other times it's impossible to guess what she thinks has gone missing. As wonderful as she is, Lizzie has quite a temper and she's very opinionated. I'm pretty sure she thinks she's in charge. But she also has a good heart. When I tell her she needs to aks nicely she gives me a smile and says, "cheeeeze" (for please), and when I tell her to say sorry she gives me a big hug and a kiss. She's a sweetheart, and I wish she could stay little forever!