At 20 months, Delia:
- Is constantly on the go! She rarely sits still these days. Whether it's pushing her baby stroller down the hallway, climbing up and down the stairs, jumping on the couches, or chasing after her big brother, Delia is a busy girl. Must be something in the Schmitt genes.
- Started taking a Little Gym class and absolutely loves it! With John Grayson in preschool three days a week this year, I thought it would be fun to give Delia a class that she'd enjoy. We've done music in the past, which she enjoyed, but she LOVES her Little Gym class. She is one of the first to try the new skills and always makes a bee line for the big balance beam. Fearless does not even begin to describe Delia. She does somersaults, tries to do handstands, and loves to swing on the uneven bars. At this rate, she'll be in a real gymnastics class by the time she's JGray's age!
- Finally has two top teeth. She's still cutting the top left center and tooth next to it, so she looks a little like something punched her in the face. It's cute, but a little scary when she gives you her silly belly laugh. I took her to the dentist a month ago and he assured me that she does have all her teeth. An "unusual eruption pattern" is how he described it. Really? You don't say :-)
- Loves to laugh. Seriously, she is one of the happiest, silliest little girls that I've ever met. I remember JGray being happy and silly at this age, but Delia is a riot. She loves to tell her own version of knock knock jokes (all she says is "knock knock," then mumbles and laughs). She makes silly faces and silly sounds. She loves to make herself laugh and then waits for you to laugh too. If you don't, she does the silly thing again, hoping to get your attention.
- Has finally gotten over her stranger anxiety. For the longest time (probably beginning around 9 months), Delia has not been a fan of strangers. It made dropping her off at places like the gym and church a little challenging too. Luckily, she has now discovered that being a social butterfly is fun and loves to wave and say "hello" to everyone she meets. She loves giving hugs and kisses too (including the sweetest "mmmmuuuuhhhh" sound when she gives you a really big kiss). She is incredibly social and has several play mates her own age. I think we're going to be in trouble when she's older though because she shows a real fondness for JGray's big boy friends :-)
- Talks, talks, talks! A lot of what she says is still very hard to understand because her top teeth are still coming in, but her speech has improved so much in the past few months. Her favorite new phrase (which I adore) is "clean up". She also says "cheese" when she's pretending to have her picture taken. Other frequent words in her vocabulary include "hello, yes, no, uh oh, this (with emphatic pointing), up, shoes, please, more, thank you, mommy, daddy, J and Ba (for John Grayson), Usty (for Dusty), Ma (for MaMa), Pa (for Pop), car, bow......" She waves to say good-bye and uses the more sign for more and please.
- Has really curly hair. We're still not sure where it came from, but Delia's hair continues to get curlier. It's really long too (down to the middle of her shoulders when wet and combed straight). It curls up to her neck when dry, and I am relieved that she still loves to wear her hair bows. I'm afraid to cut it for fear that the curls will disappear, so luckily it looks nice and seems to be growing out nicely.
- Has started showing an opinion on what she wears. Whereas JGray still doesn't really care what he puts on, Delia spends many mornings telling me "no" when I hand her something to wear. She runs up the stairs, opens her closet and/or drawers until she's found something more "appropriate." Many times it's her tutu, although dresses are also a favorite.
- Is quite the girly girl. I have no idea how this happened since I am far from girly and there is a big brother in the house, but Delia loves all things "girl." She has several purses that she sometimes insists on carrying out on errands, loves bracelets, hair bows and shoes. She loves to hang her purse on the back of the baby stroller and push one of her many dolls around the house. She struts when she walks and also walks on her toes. We are in so much trouble in a few years!
- Is full of so much joy. Almost everyone who meets her describes Delia as sweet and happy and adorable. Because she is :-) Delia is full of hugs, waves, smiles, laughs and kisses. She is an all-around cute kid.
- Throws temper tantrums. Yes, Delia is even cute when she has a melt-down. JGray rarely threw a tantrum (I could easily re-direct him with a new toy, activity, etc). Delia, on the other hand, knows what she wants and and sometimes get very mad when you tell her no or take her away from something she's enjoying. The most frequent cause of tantrums right now is pulling her away from the computer. She loves climbing up to the dining room table and "typing" on my laptop. Thank goodness we usually catch her before she causes too much trouble (another plus of having a "tattling" big brother around). Her tantrums are almost comical because they are so dramatic. She cries, drops to the ground and sometimes even kicks and flails with her arms and legs. So far it works best if I leave her alone and eventually she calms down. Luckily, most of her tantrums are at home, although I have had to carry her out of a store once or twice.
Cheering at JGray's soccer game
Delia recently discovered how much fun it is to "hide" in the dryer. Too bad there were clean clothes in it :-)Delia, you bring such joy into our house. You keep us on our toes with your fearlessness and adventurous personality. And although at times I wish things were calmer at home (why is it that sitting quietly to read a book is such a challenge these days), I couldn't imagine things any other way.
