20 months

Little Heidi Rose is getting bigger and bigger, which is nice because things are so busy around our house and the more she can do herself the better. But at the same time, I love this age and would keep her like this forever if I could. When people see how many young kids I have, they often try say "Don't worry, they move out eventually" like that's supposed to cheer me- but that is extremely depressing to me. I love having so many little ones even though its so hard and Heidi is a big part of both the joy and the challenge. Heidi has been sick for the last week or so, as you can see from the pictures. Worst of all is that she got a cold sore and the first time that happens for a little kid, their whole mouth gets the virus in it. Her gums were really red, she wouldn't let us brush her teeth although she usually loves it, and she wasn't eating much. By the time I figured out what it was, it was gone pretty quick, but her cold still remains.
Heidi is still extremely social and friendly (although she is very wary of strangers). She squeals with delight and bounces around when her daddy comes home or when she sees family members coming up the driveway to to visit. And she always greets everyone with a big hug around their legs.
Heidi's language continues to develop rapidly. She seems to pick up new words after only hearing them a few times and is putting more sentences together. She talks to me all the time and sometimes I don't understand so I try to guess. When I guess wrong Heidi usually sounds like she's giggling when she says no, like its so funny that I thought she said that.
Heidi is still into everything, makes messes wherever she goes, and enjoys coloring on walls and tables (although she knows she isn't supposed to and sometimes smears it around trying to wash it off herself). I've found that colored pencil comes off much easier than crayon does :)
Thank you, Heidi, for making our days so exciting!