Ruthie is Sixteen Months Old

Sixteen months old.  Where does the time go?

At sixteen months old, Ruthie is...

• a champion sleeper.  She does fine if she misses her morning nap, but clearly prefers to take two naps each day.  I've noticed her talking a little more in her crib before settling down, both before her naps and before bedtime, but she seldom fusses.  She loves to sleep with a Mousie (or two, if there's a rogue one in there), her nay-nay, and at least one blankie.  Nibbles is usually on board as well.
• still the proud owner of six teeth.  Teeth, oh teeth, where art thou?  She is officially the slowest to get her teeth.  (I think I will weep when those bottom teeth finally come in; her little smile is oh-so-adorable!)
• saying lots of words, but seldom repeating.  Some fun new words she's saying are ball, duck, bug, moon (to request Goodnight Moon) and Anna (for a character in one of the books she loves).  She also seems to understand more of what we're saying her, and she jabbers a pretty good bit.  The big girls love to try to teach her new words -- usually names of princesses.  Ruthie also loves to give us a good, earsplitting shriek every now and again.
• very determined to feed herself, and much prefers to eat with a fork or spoon than with her fingers.  She's fairly accurate, too, although she is incredibly messy. 
• twirling and flying on command.
• still uninterested in longer story books and anything that requires sitting still for a significant amount of time.  Ruthie is almost always on the go!
• lavish with kisses and, now that she's mastered them, nose-noses.  

Yesterday, I was having a serious talk with Phoebe in the kitchen when Ruthie rounded the corner, soaking wet and dragging a stuffed puppy, also soaking wet.  She'd been playing in the potty, which a certain two-year-old forgot to flush.

Oh, how I am so in love with this sixteen month old Mouse.  She keeps me on my toes and my knees and fills my heart to overflowing.