20 Months

20 Months sounds SO old!

(and a little ridiculous. I never really use her age in months anymore.

When people ask me how old she is, I now tell them that she is almost two. Crazy!!)

Elliott is still my serious, serious girl!

Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of moments where our house is full of toddler giggles and squeals of delight. And most evenings there's a 20 month old flying at the speed of light through the hallways, engrossed in some imaginary scene. But, when I pictured what a child of mine might be like, these serious faces weren't really what I expected.

 I love this serious-faced girl, and I will never ever get tired of staring into those beautiful brown eyes. It's just.......different than how I pictured it would be.

Different can be oh-so-good sometimes.

 Elliott has surprised me in so many ways since arriving in our lives almost two years ago. Not only is she more serious than I thought she would be, but she's more gorgeous than even I could have imagined. She's smarter than I would have ventured to guess, and that's saying something because us mommas have high expectations!

 Any thoughts, ideas, or ideals that I had for myself as a parent have gone right out the window.

Ellie and who she is today is not something that I could have dreamed up in my wildest dreams.

She's so much better than even my highest expectations.

 And while she's even more mishchevious, strong-willed, serious, determined, and stubborn than I thought she would be, she's also more beautiful, intelligent, playful, and well-adjusted than I ever thought she would be, too!

 This girl.....she has my heart!

We have a connection that I cannot explain.

When I am away from her, my mind is always thinking of her.

We know each other SO well, and we are totally bonded.

Sure, we butt heads from time to time, but in the end we are so comfortable, so close, so connected.

I love that feeling.

Elliott Erin, you're still growing teeth and asking for milk, but you sure are growing up fast! You learn new words every day, and you amaze us all the time with how much you understand. You steal my shoes when I get home from work, and you screech and whine when you're struggling to do something all by yourself (I'm constantly reminding you to "use your words", and I know that someday you will). You sing in the car and talk softly to your buzz buzz. Your favorite words at the moment are: okay, debbie, help, milk, juice, and more (you just started saying your "r"s like a big girl, too.....no more cute jersey accent for you). Lately you love to run, and dance class has been so much fun! You're starting to eat more foods, and that's such a relief for me. You sure do love peas and popcorn! You're so much fun to be around (when you're not throwing tantrums), and I love you more and more everyday!

You are my light and my life! I love you, babers!