Once again, too much time has passed and Kate is growing too quickly for our taste. She is now 20 months old. Kate and her Dad just returned from a solo trip to N.J. to visit the Brucias. Chris said getting through security was tough, but all in all, Kate did well. She did not want to sit in her car seat so she spent much of the plane ride on Dad's lap. And on the way home, she pronounced herself "all done" 45 minutes into the flight. If only a cross-country flight could be that short!

Some things that Kate does lately:

- Right before she went to N.J., she switched from saying "Mama" to "Mommy." And mom is very happy about that. Dad, however, is still being called "Dada."
- She is in love with all things Sesame Street and can name all the characters - Bert, Ernie, Big Bird, Grover, Oscar, etc. Kate likes to watch the Sesame Street DVDs we bought her for Christmas, but if she doesn't like a certain section, she says "no" and you must move on to find something more entertaining. "C is for Cookie" is probably her favorite song and segment. Dad has also taught her to pronounce "Eeernie" in the same whiny way that Bert does.
- Kate's favorite snack is organic bunny crackers, which she pronounces "bubbies." Chris says it's remarkably close to "boobies."
- We had some rough weeks in January where Kate stopped sleeping through the night and was awake several hours at a time. Thankfully, it stopped just as quickly as it began.
- Kate is becoming very particular about her clothing. She only wants to wear purple socks, she selects her pink or blue jacket in the morning and now she also is refusing to wear some shirts, although who knows why they are OK one day and not the next. Little miss independence.
- Kate likes to climb "up" and "down" her step stool. She can and does do it herself. But there are moments where she still insists on asking for "help" or "hand."
- When I drive Kate home from daycare, she always asks about "Dada." I say "Daddy is at work. He'll be home soon." To which she says, "Dada work."
- Kate really likes a tickle book that Laura and Nick bought her. She likes to tickle Mom and Dad perhaps more than she likes to be tickled.
- Kate likes to instruct us to sing, especially when she is eating. Recently, she requests "When you're happy and you know it" by saying "Happy, happy." Then she tells you want you should fill in, such as "head," "nose" or "shoulder."
- We were at the Children's Museum today, and it's clear that Kate doesn't like it if another child cuts in front of her, such as waiting for the slide. She says "No, no, no" and wags her finger at them, just as she's probably seen Mom and Dad say to Dill. It was cute, and also embarrassing.
- After we read stories, Kate says "Back. Back." She has added an extra element to her bedtime routine that we must rub her back for a few minutes. Most of the time, she is back to crying when we leave the room. It had gotten as bad as 20 minutes, but now we are back down to 5 minutes or less. Phew!