Dagny at Nearly 22 Months

Next week, Dagny will be 22 months and frighteningly close to turning 2!  She keeps us on our toes, makes us laugh, and seems to learn new things at every turn.  She's been talking like a preschooler for months now but every once in a while she will say something that just takes my breath away--either because it's ridiculous or because it's amazing. A few examples:
1. After Finley "read" her a book, I said, "Wow, Finley!" and then Dagny chimed in, "Wow, Finley, I am so proud of you!" I was speechless!
2. If she asks you for something and you say "no," she'll often respond, "oh, man!" Wherever did she get that??
3. When we come into her room after a nap or in the morning if she's been talking to herself or whatever, and we will ask her, "Whatcha doing?" and she'll say, "Nothin'" and we know she got that from Finley!
4. Once when Finley pinched his finger while connecting a toy and cried a little, Dagny went straight over and asked, "You sad? Want a hug?" So cute!
5. She's also VERY assertive (we are trying to use that word instead of "bossy" at home these days) and if you do something she doesn't like, she will point her little finger at you and say "You no touch that." or "My do it, no you."  We are working on the no-pointing thing but she'll often just repeat your words back to you saying "No pointing!" I think we're in trouble...

She continues to adore singing and often makes her own medleys as one song seems to lead into another like Twinkle Twinkle into ABCs or Happy Birthday in English into Happy Birthday in Hebrew or I am a Pizza into Baa Baa Black Sheep.  She, like Finley, loves to get to make the song choices in the car and bops along with each tune.  At night, before bed, she always has a playlist in mind and tells you exactly what she wants you to sing and thankfully there's great variety from Lyle Lovett's "If I Had a Boat" to "Puff the Magic Dragon" to the "Itsy Bitsy Spider."

She's very adventurous on the playground scene and doesn't seem to be phased by a tumble or missed step.  We love her "get back on the horse" attitude! Recently, she fell backwards while trying to step into her little picnic table bench and hit her head on the porch.  She wailed for a minute or two in Dan's arms, but then crawled out and headed straight back to the bench to sit down as she had originally planned with greater success the second time.  Tough as nails! She's even learning how to ride her strider bike (a bike with no pedals) and will probably be gliding around us in circles by summer's end.

While she can be assertive, independent, and smart beyond her months, Dagny has also been quite a snuggler lately.  She is great at giving hugs and can finally give kisses that aren't so slobbery.  She loves reading books in your lap and if you aren't sitting close enough, she'll tell you to "move closer next to me."  Here she is with Dan down in NY last week.

She has a great sense of humor and always reports when something is silly or funny. "That's silly, mommy," she'll say, if I try to put her socks on her hands.  Here she is at dinner shoveling in her pesto pasta with tomatoes and trying not to lose a single noodle.

 Finley continues to adore his not-so-little sister as she grows up and he is quick to help her with anything whether it's putting her croc back on her foot, opening a bin in the playroom, or finding the book she's looking for.  She's much more interested in playing with him now and that's mostly fun for him, but he's still trying to understand that she will sometimes want to play her way with him and not his way.  They love to sit at our art table and do stickers or color together and their teachers often comment how wonderful they are with one another, which makes us delighted.  Happy (almost) 22 months, Miss D!