23 Months of Rory

Twenty-three amazing months.

Most people (or women at least) feel the fierce bond to their child the moment they see the plus sign on their pregnancy test.  I, on the other hand, was a bit different.  The first time I felt any type of connection to Rory was when I found out she was a girl.  I felt some more when she was born (though NONE of it came from nursing like everyone promises), but was content to leave her in daycare.  Then she started smiling at me, and crawling, and walking and I fell in love with her.  Now she's talking and I have fallen wildly and hopelessly in love with her.  I cannot get enough of my sweet little light-giver.

In the past month, Rory:

• Started talking constantly.  She mimics everything her sisters say and shows clear understanding of almost everything we say.  She initiates lots of conversations and makes sure to talk us through everything she's doing and what's happening around her.  She really enjoys praying before our meals and as night.  It goes something like this, "Wah, wah, mah, mah, la, la.  Amen."  Adorable.
• She FINALLY came out of her shell.  It started with a family get-together where she showed her true colors and sang, danced, and made lots of silly faces for everyone.  Now she's charming everyone she sees with her giggles and commentary.  She even lets people other than mom and dad hold her!
• Dare I say she has mastered potty training?  She even used public restrooms with automatic flushers and the airplane bathroom.  And lets be honest, everyone's afraid of airplane restrooms.
• Rory visited Grandma and Grandpa in Colorado and fell in love with them immediately.  Anytime they were in the other room, she would immediately ask for them and point out "Gamma" and "Gampa" to anyone who asked.  It probably didn't hurt that she was charmed by inheriting all of my childhood toys.  At one point on our flight, someone told her she was pretty.  She grinned and then pointed to her dress and said "dress" to show off her cute outfit too.
• Rory loves playing pretend including talking on her cell phone, putting her animals in time-out, and acting like a cow while the twins try to "herd" her.
• Speaking of time out, she's had 3 so far.  She's gotten all 3 of them for hitting (in play) and immediately submits to time-outs and gets an adorable pitiful look on her face when she's in them.  It's impossible for me to counsel her after her timeout without grinning.  She later reenacts them with us, grabbing us by the chin and forcing us to say, "Yes mommy" before she'll let go.
• The moving picture below is what Rory does every morning when she wakes up.  We go into her room, she stands up, and then runs in place until she falls over.

Rory is (almost) always smiling and very adaptable.  She happily plays with her sisters no matter what game they're playing.