Josie is 21 Months

Josie is walking all of the time now. She is getting faster every day. She is still wobbly and falls often, but we see improvement all the time. We are so proud of her!

Josie has started to become interested in climbing onto the couch. We have a stool that we put next to the couch so she can step on it and climb up. She looks so proud of her self whenever she gets up there. It's funny to see her snuggled up against blankets and pillows on the couch next to her sister or Joe.

Speech is going okay for Josie. She continues to add words to her vocabulary. She still doesn't talk very much, but does surprise us with different words from time to time. We are still waiting for the 'speech explosion' to happen. I've been told that it is common for kids who are working on multiple skills (like Josie working on speech and gross motor skills) to focus more on one skill than on both. This seems to be the case for Josie. She is making a lot more progress with PT than speech. She still has work to do with PT, but not as much as with speech. She is working hard in both areas though (and not usually enjoying it) and we are proud of her. 

Josie with her speech and PT therapists. She likes them even though they make her work. 

Ever since Josie started talking and babbling, Sophie has wanted to hear her say her name. Of course with Josie's speech issues this hasn't really happened. One night after everyone had gone to bed Josie was fussy. I brought her downstairs to get a drink. I went to go get her milk and left her in the living room. I heard her saying "eeeeeee." I looked at her and she was staring at and reaching for a picture of Sophie, all while repeating "eeeee." So even though 'Sophie' is hard for her to say she still has a way of saying her name. It is really cute. Eee for Sophie!

There was a bad stomach bug that had been going around this month. Poor Josie ended up getting it (she has the worst luck when it comes to bugs and illnesses). It lasted for a few days and ended up giving her a horrible diaper rash. 

Josie has started crying when I leave her at Janice's in the morning. She has never really had separation anxiety when I leave her there. I don't know if it is because she has been sick or what. It breaks my heart though. I already have a hard time leaving the girls, so seeing her cry for me is horrible. Janice says that she stops crying soon after I leave, which is a relief. I just hate seeing my baby so upset.    

We did two of our traditional fall activities this month: Boo Fest at Kinman Farms and Treat and Eat night at my school. We had a great time at the farm. We walked around, fed the animals, rode in the barrel ride, went through the corn maze, and took a hay ride to go pick some pumpkins. Josie helped pick out a nice one! We had a really nice time. 

Josie wasn't that interested in Treat and Eat night. We spent some time in my classroom waiting for the event to get started. When the even started, we went downstairs to join in the fun. She seemed okay at first (besides wanting nothing to do with her headband), but started getting upset after about 45 minutes. There were so many people there (I think she has a little social anxiety like her momma).

Here are some more pictures from the month:

A glimpse of teenage Josie.

Josie loves when I play music on my phone. She gets a huge grin and walks over to it. She also enjoys grabbing the phone and putting it up to her ear so she can hear the music better. 

Those big, beautiful eyes!

These two love each other so much. 

Grandma Linda is a great grandma. She always helps us out when needed and loves Sophie and Josie so much. She has been super helpful with Josie's PT and speech appointments. She watches the girls at our house during those days and helps with scheduling future appointments. We couldn't do this all without her!

Now that Josie can walk around, she loves the park even more. 

Pacifiers are basically toys now. Her favorite thing to do is to put them completely in her mouth, which freaks out people who aren't used to it. 

Sophie used to always say that she was daddy's girl and Josie was mommy's girl. I usually was the one to put Josie to bed. This month though, Josie has wanted her dad more than me! She would reach for him at bed time and gave lots of belly laughs and snuggles. 

Joe had a day off of work so he took the girls to Totter's Otterville. There was barely anyone there and they had the ball pit all to themselves. They were in heaven!

Josie's lion lovey is one of her favorite possessions. She sleeps with it every night. She gets so excited whenever she sees it and will rub it all over her face. 

When Josie gets really tired, she will rub her eyes. She will do this with her hands, her lovey, or her pacifier. We know it is nap/bed time when she starts doing this. 

I had the bright idea to fill the girls' sandbox with beans so they could play in it throughout winter. I wasn't thinking about what a mess it would be. At least they girls like it. 

True sisters - playing together, fighting over things, and loving on each other.