Well Alyssa is 21 months old. She certainly has quite a personality. She has always been very strong and she knows what she wants but since we are approaching the "terrible two's" her frustration level and tantrums have definitely increased. She's slowly getting the hang of time-out though she is still very testy. You tell her no...she'll do it again, you give her a warning, she does it again, then it's time for time-out and not until after then will she stop whatever it was she wasn't supposed to do. I'm aware it's the age she'll push and try to get away with things and see if she does. She doesn't get very far with me or Mike. When will she learn? LOL...
She's using words really well at 21 months. She knows her 1-10 by seeing the numbers and probably half the letters in the alphabet. We really have to watch what we say around here now because she's starting to repeat what you say. One of her favorite things to say right now is "I'm stuck" and "that's MINE". She is great with her manners - she says please and thank you when appropriate and we are so happy about that! She loves to play with her dolls and pretend to feed them, stroll them around and change their diapers. She also loves her tea parties and will "cheers" you with a swing that she winds up for. It's quite hilarious. I'm going to try to get it on video soon. One of her favorite things to do is tease her Tito Neil by calling him "Ning Ning". She loves how he reacts to it so she continues to do it when she sees him.
So much has happened in 9 months. The incredibly short version is: we went to the Philippines in Dec, we came back to the US in Jan. Then mom and Mia visited in April/May and since then I have been busy working out, taking Alyssa to some classes and just surviving each day by trying to keep Alyssa (and my dear husband) happy. In June we went to Auburn for a weekend to visit with Mike's aunt, our cousin Carla came to visit too and for July 4th, we went to Mike's cousins for a party. Since then we have been party hopping and going swimming and just enjoying the summer.
The challenge we have had lately is with Alyssa's sleep. She just can't seem to sleep through the night without waking up at least once or twice and crying for Mike or I. We assume it is night terror by the sound of her screams. She seems pretty desperate and she won't calm down until we go into her room. This has been going on for about 3 months now and Mike and I are usually walking around the house like zombies. Her doc says this is a phase that some kids go through. She must have some crazy dreams. Oh well, we will ride the wave until it calms down. I hope soon!
Here are some pics from the summer. Hope all is well with you and your family! I don't want to promise when I'll be back cuz needless to say I've been a bit inconsistent. What I need desperately is a YAYA (nanny)!
