All about Sofia at 20 months

Sofia really is the joy of our lives. She is always doing and saying funny things and every day we realize she has learned something new. Here are some of the things she's doing these days:

- She loves calling people by name. She calls herself "Fia".
- Her latest saying is "Mere" which means Come Here and she even gestures come here with her hands. She also likes to make us sit down and says "Eat" when she is eating. And when Nelson is in the other room she calls out "Daddy, are you?" for "Where are you?" It's so funny and great that she's putting things together and understands that she can ask questions or make requests. And it's still the funniest thing when she scolds Nelson, mostly for touching her mommy.
- She loves shoes, not only her own but also mine. (see pic) She also likes to try to put on her own socks.

- She is starting to reject foods she used to like. She is also starting to spit out foods she doesn't like. Gross! She pretty much always insists on feeding herself now. We just have to make the plate, give her a fork or spoon, and hope for the best! She is a little scavenger too, she'd much rather have whatever we are eating or drinking.
- She loves bathtime. Especially bubble baths. Except for the rinsing her hair part. Her favorite are the fishies - her little fish squirt toys. But she also likes to stick the little foam letters and numbers on the wall.
- She is getting really good at her swim lessons. She kicks her legs and has for the most part stopped swallowing water. She has a friend in her class Lincoln who she loves, she calls out his name when she sees him. He's about 2 1/2 and he's a little firecracker!
- She is showing the first signs of readiness for potty training. She will say poo poo if she has poo poo in her diaper or if she has to go. She has asked to sit on her potty without a diaper. She just hasn't gone in it!
- She still loves her Elmo. We pretty much watch Sesame Street every day. She is getting good at repeating the numbers and letters and she knows most of the characters. We discovered when perusing the DirecTV guide the other day - which shows pictures of the show characters - that she loves Dora. I was looking for a show and skipped passed Dora and she yelled "Dora"! So now we have another show to record.
- I just discovered that she knows Mickey Mouse by name too. We have her "my first trip to Disneyland" button on the shelf and yesterday she grabbed it and said "Mickey Mouse".
- She can count to five (sometimes skipping four!) and sings along to the ABC's. She also loves Ring Around the Rosies, Tick Tock, and her latest favorite is Itsy Bitsy Spider and she does the hand gesture like the spider going up.
- At bedtime she likes to play a game where I sit on the other side of her crib and she kisses me between the slats. It's so sweet and totally a stall tactic but it works :) She has learned that if she gives us hugs and kisses we won't say no and that buys her a few minutes. Or the latest trick - telling me she has to go potty. Lately she hasn't been napping great on the weekends. I hope this is not a sign that she is going to give up naps any time soon. We enjoy that little break in the day!
- She likes standing on a stool in the kitchen while Nelson makes her breakfast...she even helps whisk the eggs. She thinks it's the greatest! Milk is still her favorite beverage, she wakes up in the morning and first thing she says is "milk". She's getting too smart because I can't just say "all gone" when I don't want her to have something. The other day she wanted more Cheerios ("eerio") and I said "all gone" and she pointed to the box on top of the fridge like "no it's not all gone, hello!"
- She has major separation anxiety when we leave - either just putting her in bed or when her Grandma Sara comes over to babysit. She screams like it's the end of the world but it seriously lasts less than 2 minutes. Just long enough to make us feel terrible but quickly forgotten.
- She is getting the first of her molars. There is one peeking through. But it seems like she has been drooling like mad for a month. So maybe the others are close behind.
- We did shortly after her 18 month mark officially lose the pacifier for good. Hallelujah, so we don't have to fight that battle later. Wonder what she'll think when Baby Gabby has one though.
- She loves playing in our new room. Lots of space to run around and she likes to jump on the pillows. She's also figured out how to get up and down off the bed.

We've just really noticed a learning spurt these past couple of weeks - she is like a sponge and soaks up everything she hears or sees and is starting to comprehend it. It's awesome!