Life at 17 months old!

It's been a busy past couple of months!  Committing to regular blogging right as Matt was going into busy season, effectively making me a single parent during the week for the rest of April and all of May, was not a smart idea.  By the time I got Eleanor and I home, dinner made, and girlfriend to bed, it was time to straighten up the house, work on a few things for school (since this is a crazy busy time of year for me as well), and then go to bed.  Thankfully, busy season is over and my last day with studentswas last Tuesday.  We've been trying to spend some quality family time together on the weekends since Matt doesn't get to see Eleanor much during the week with busy season.  We are all looking forward to spending lots of time together as a family this summer!  Here are some photos from the past month or so.  

Eleanor is turning into quite the little ham!  She is hilarious, loves to laugh, and enjoys finding ways to make others laugh along with her.  She is so fun to be with.  Her curiosity knows no limits, and she is constantly asking what things are, repeating words after us, and doing her best to figure things out.  It is such a joy to see her little mind working.  She still loves animals.  Lola is her favorite cat and, oddly enough, gorillas seem to be her favorite animal.  She is so stinkin' cute when she says the word "gorilla" and thumps her chest!

Just another morning with Lola and the bear

On a walk on the path behind our house.  Girlfriend insisted on saying goodbye to the yellow posts at the end before we turned around...

"Lo?  Lo?" Any object becomes a phone when you're 16 months old!

So tired she tried putting herself to sleep

My parents came up for a visit on Derby Day, so they brought some fun hats.  Eleanor was ready for the race!

Going on a walk.  Both babies had to come with us.

Chillin' in her swing in the backyard.  Too bad the photo can't also do the sound effects of "Whee!  Whee!" as she goes back and forth!

What?  Who doesn't read while riding a pony?

Recent obsession with Mommy's water bottle.  "Water! Water!"

Who knew that plates made excellent pillows when you get tired of unloading the dishwasher?

Silly girl!

Cheese!  And loving her sunglasses!

Must have both her milk and water.

Inside the heart is a mirror.  Yes, she is kissing herself.  She's so funny!

Eleanor is still talking up a storm.  I've lost track of how many words she knows.  She is able to very clearly communicate what she wants (or doesn't want!) the majority of the time.  She has even started shaking her head yes or no.  It's pretty cute!  I love that she is so verbal because I feel like we don't have a lot of the tantrums or frustration that a lot of toddlers do since she is able to tell us what she wants.  If she is tired, she will even say "night night!" or "nap!"

She still loves animals a ton.  She can tell you what dogs, cats, horses, cows, sheep, snakes, lions, frogs, and birds all say.  She loves watching birds outside.  We found an earthworm on our walk today and Eleanor squatted down and watched it for a good 5 minutes, excitedly yelling "worm!" the whole time.

Eleanor also really loves her babies.  She has two dolls that she loves to wrap up in a blanket (she will bring you a blanket and say "Wrap!  Wrap!"), and carry around.  Just last week she started pretending to put them to bed or give them water from her cup.  I love that at 17 months old (today!) she is already doing pretend play.  

We are so lucky to get to be this sweet little girl's parents.  We are excited that summer break is here because it means 9 weeks to spend hanging out together.  Matt does have to work, but not full time the whole summer, and certainly not the crazy schedule that he has during busy seasons!  I see lots of time outside, trips to the zoo, and other fun things in our future!