Cadence is 23-Months Old!!

Our little Monkey turned 23-months old on July 17th. I think I am slow to write these monthly update posts because I'm still in denial that my sweet baby girl is going to be two in such a short time! We are starting to plan the girls' birthday party. This year we're going to try doing the two parties together, sometime in September.

Since I last updated a couple of months ago, Cadence has changed so much! It's funny how much difference a month or two can make when kids are so young. First, we had Cadence evaluated for speech therapy about a month ago. We went through Aurora Public Schools, and Cadence ended up being evaluated by a school nurse, a special education teacher, occupational therapist, and speech therapist. I was thankful that they were so thorough and addressed all of our concerns about her development. I am happy to say that Cadence met all of her developmental milestones (she actually exceeded most of them - our little over achiever!). She is right on track and doing great. Of course, over the last couple of months her vocabulary has exploded, just like her pediatrician said it would. She speaks in clear two to three (or more) word sentences. And though she is quieter than her big sister, she is really verbal and never hesitates to let us know what she wants!

Cadence hasn't really made any progress in the potty training area, but I really haven't been pushing it, either. She usually tells me right after she has gone to the bathroom in her diaper, and she does like to sit on the potty. She has also started taking her diaper off and throwing it away once it's dirty. Other than that, we are saving potty training for when she is really ready!

Cadence is proving to be another strong-willed Blanchard girl. Sometimes her defiance seems to be even stronger than her big sister's! Her tantrums are still intense and short, but now she has added screaming to her repertoire. It is really annoying. I'm hoping against hope that this is just a phase. She is learning more and more about timeout. Sometimes she even says "timeout" to me before I've realized that she did something wrong!

Another example of Cadence's strong will is her determination to do EVERYTHING by herself. From taking off her own diaper to washing her hair to buckling her carseat belt... everything is "I do it!" Of course, everything now takes twice as long, but Cadence gets so proud of herself when she finishes a task.

We are so thankful that Cadence is still a great sleeper. We moved the girls into one room recently, and so far it is working out pretty well. Since Elliette doesn't nap, Cadence goes right down at naptime for at least two hours. Bedtimes are sometimes a struggle, but for the most part they seem to be successful. Cadence is also still a great eater. She finishes just about every meal, and she typically tries everything we give her. She gave up her booster seat a couple of months ago, and she's still working on table etiquette (ie not moving from chair to chair at each meal!). I think her current favorite food (among the others) is macaroni and cheese.

Cadence is such a sweet little Monkey. She has become attached to one of her baby dolls, and she really loves on her! We call the baby Harper (a name my Mom was hoping we'd name Cadence!), and Cadence loves to hold her and love on her. She also sleeps with her every night. Cadence also has become very snuggly with us. She is really a sweet natured little girl.

Cadence has enjoyed her summer activities of swimming lessons and gymnastics. She is fearless in the water and loves to splash around. She is also fearless at gymnastics. Her favorite gymnastics activity is the trampoline, and she has really perfected her pencil jump! She has always been very active, and she really keeps me on my toes. I've often used various natural disasters to refer to her (ie tornado, hurricane!). She is always up to something or into something... I think I've called poison control a dozen times since Cadence became mobile!

Cadence is great at playing by herself or reading to herself, and she mostly plays well with Elliette. She can count to 10 and recite the alphabet (although I'm sure she doesn't know her letters!). She loves to sing the Itsy Bitsy Spider and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Besides her Baby Harper, Cadence's favorite toys are Little People and Princesses. She also loves to dress up (especially shoes!) and play outside. She has also started watching TV. Her favorite show are Sesame Street and Super Why.

Happy 23-months, Cadence Emmalane! Mommy and Daddy love you with our whole hearts!