Phoebe at 23 Months

I think I might be smelling Lysol for the next three weeks. We're sick, again. Or were sick. More specifically, Michael was just sick with a nasty little stomach bug and I'm praying fervently that he's the only one that gets it. But since this is something like the ninth illness we've had in the last three weeks, I'm getting particularly militant with the sanitizing around here. I'm still in my pajamas, but beds have been stripped, towels have been washed, and the Lysol -- oh, the Lysol! No surface has been left un-sprayed! I was tempted to take a Lysol bath, but thought better of it.

It hasn't been a pretty few days around here, so I unfortunately let Phoebe's 23 month day lapse without a post. Since next month she will be two and will thus mark the end of her every-month-on-the-14th updates, I wanted to make sure that I documented some of the delightful things about our Doodle.

At twenty-three months old, Phoebe is...

• talking, almost nonstop. Yesterday, I had a ten minute conversation about "kippies" (hair clips) with her. She asks questions, she labels, she expresses needs... it's incredible to me how much her vocabulary has literally exploded. Phoebe loves to share her thoughts, and is almost always giving a running commentary of her surroundings.
  
• starting to sing along with some of her favorite songs -- a few words, here and there. A few nights ago, she sang "me" and "Bible" in Jesus Loves Me. When we sing the ABC song, she will usually sing five or six letters with me. Phoebe's love for music seems to be growing, and she'll often request songs or CDs. Her favorites right now are Psalty (thank you, Callahan!), "Round Round" (from Wee Sing, about David and Goliath), and any song about an animal (Baby Bumblebee, Five Little Frogs, Five Little Monkeys). She will also express her dislike for a song fairly readily, too!
• reading any book she can get her hands on. Some books that we're enjoying right now are The Napping House; Ten, Nine, Eight; The Jesus Storybook Bible; and any book by Kevin Henkes (we're enjoying Chester's Way right now).
• learning a lot about self-control and boundaries. Currently, we're working on sitting quietly; she's successful up to twenty minutes, and I believe that she has the self-control to handle at least thirty. She knows this is a big deal, and is very proud of herself.
• sensitive to discipline. When she's disciplined, Phoebe often quickly adjusts her behavior and demonstrates a marked difference in her heart for a significant period of time.
  
• sensitive to the emotions of others. Phoebe is quick to point out if someone is sad, whether it's one of us or a character in a book. The other day, I had a good little cry on the kitchen floor. Phoebe said, "Mama sad...hold you, Mama..." and gave sweet hugs while I cried it on out. Occasionally, I'm lucky enough to get a back scratching out of the deal, too.
• fiercely independent. Just today, Phoebe added a new phrase to her vocabulary: "Phoebe do". Yikes! She loves to do as much on her own as possible, and occasionally gets frustrated if she has to ask for help.
• learning about letters, numbers, and colors. Phoebe can readily identify the letter P, and has surprised us by identifying other letters such as O and A. When asked to name letters, most letters are either P or A. She'll hold up a finger for the number one, and will occasionally count out loud with me. We're also working on learning our colors, and she can accurately identify blue, green, pink, and red. She loves to wear colors that she can name.
• starting to be more affectionate with Nora. She is becoming more comfortable around her, and we're working on sharing things with Nora -- including Mommy. I was delighted the other day when Phoebe didn't panic about having to share a lap with Nora for storytime! We're hoping to move them into the same room very soon.
  

These are just a few of the things that Phoebe is doing right now. She is such an extraordinary delight, and an abundant blessing from above. What a fun little girl she is!