22 Months

Wonder Woman...er, I mean Jillian is now officially 22 months old, though sometimes I think she surely must be older than that. She has been intentionally doing things to assert her independence, and it makes me feel like she is trying to say, "Let me grow up a little bit, Mom!"
A few examples to illustrate my point:

1. She has officially shunned the high chair. She wants no part of it. I reluctantly let her try the booster seat again (I'm still fearful after the great "head meets hard wood floor incident" that prompted an ER trip about 6 months ago), and she is in hog heaven. I'm pleased to say she's behaving herself...so far.

2. She insists on walking to and from the car when leaving the house, store, etc. I suppose she feels like only babies need to be carried. My baby is certainly NOT a baby anymore.

3. She doesn't want me to hold her when we read in the glider at nap and bedtimes. About 2 weeks ago, she decided she had to sit next to me in the chair, and refused to be on my lap. I almost cried. I am thankful, however, that as soon as we start our final piece of the bedtime routine (singing "Jesus Loves Me"), she jumps into my lap and snuggles close to my chest.

4. She has become quite choosy about everything--what she wears, what color of fork/plate/cup/bib she wants, etc. She will put up an extraordinary battle worthy of show for any little thing. I am learning to choose my battles wisely, so we often leave the house with mismatched clothing, or a crazy looking headband.

5. She has officially outsmarted me. Jillian gets to watch a little bit of Elmo's World each night as I cook dinner. We "gate her in" the basement, which prevents her from accessing the bar, closet, etc as well as the stairs, leaving her with her toys and her beloved pink chair. I am right at the top of the stairs to hear any noise, and peek at her every couple of minutes. One time last week, I found this when I checked in.

I stood stunned, wondering how in the world she got behind the gate to access the closet because it was still standing. DUH, Mom!! How could I possibly not have figured out that she since she could now climb ON the couch, she could certainly climb OVER the side of the couch. Big time mommy-brain lapse. That routine, that lovely little window of peaceful dinner making is now officially over. Instead, she's stuck upstairs with me where she's working on her sous chef skills with some velcro food and a toy plastic "knife".

What will she think of next? Some days, I am afraid to ask.