Our Little Girl

H is 17 months old now, and we're finding it to be a very enjoyable age. More and more of her personality keeps showing through. Here are some of her favorite things:

She loves music. Anytime she hears some, she starts smiling and swaying from side to side. She's started singing some recognizable songs now. Her repertoire includes "A-B-C," "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," "The B-I-B-L-E," and "Jesus loves me." She has the sweetest, highest little voice I've ever heard. Her rendition of "The B-I-B-L-E" goes something like this: "B-I-B-I-B, Book me, B-I-B-I-B, BIBLE!" I wish I had it on video.

She loves shoes. Really loves shoes. I'm not sure where she gets that from. Certainly not her mother. The other morning after I got her dressed, she started to walk out of her room. As she got to the door that she realized she was missing something. She headed back over to the closet and said, "Shoes!" as she picked out a pair to wear. She often gets quite upset when it's time to take them off at the end of the day.

She loves food. She's quite a good little eater, and likes almost everything she's tried. There's no sneaking anything past her either. If there's food around, she spots it and wants some. "Bite! A Bite! A Bite! A Bite!" is her way of asking for it. Today I was folding laundry with her while watching the Food Network. She was quite put out with Rachel Ray for not sharing with her. She kept putting her hand out toward the screen and saying "Bite?"

I think she's got a little crush on Bob the Builder. We've had quite a bit of construction going on in our neighborhood lately, much of which was visible from her bedroom window. She likes to stand on the stepstool and look out so she can watch them work out. When she got up from her nap yesterday, she pointed at the window and said eagerly, "Bob!" I opened the blinds and got her stepstool arranged for her. When she saw that no one was working out there, she said very sadly, "bob."

Today J was wearing his Bob the builder undies. When H noticed, she pointed excitedly and said, "Bob!" again. As J pulled up his pants over them, she waved and said, "Bye-bye, Bob!" Ok, I'm sure none of that reads nearly as cute as it all sounds when she says it. She puts a whole lot of emotion into it.

She loves animals. Pretty much all animals, but especially dogs. We doggy sat for my partner's cocker spaniel back in June, and H still talks about him all the time. His name is Churchill, a name that's never sounded cuter than when she says it. Lots of emphasis on the "Ch".

Her other favorites include books, baths, ice, and her pacifier. She's a bundle of energy, but knows when it's time to go to bed. In case we miss it, she'll tell us: "Ni-night!" She's smart and observant and sweet. I enjoy getting to know her a little more each day.