M at 20 months

She's already 20 months, so hard to believe! We have been so lucky to have her grandparents here for a month. It has saved us from all the illnesses brought home from daycare, has exposed her to a lot of English language, and has most of all provided them all a great chance to connect and form a relationship.

These have yet again been big months for her. Every other day she seems to be learning a new skill, a new sign, or a new word. The world is opening up for her!

Important events and developmental milestones

- 2 days after she turned 18 months, we fully weaned her from her pacifier. It was a long process with some setbacks but we are finally there! She has been sleeping (mostly) better without interruptions of a lost paci since.

- More and more words. She now has about 20 words, mostly in Estonian, then in English and now also one Dutch word. Her newest favourites are animal sounds that she has learned by visiting a petting zoo with her grandparents.

- Pretend play - since about a month she can imagine things and is making the first steps in pretend play. She started with holding her bunny to her ear and "calling us". She got a tea set for Christmas and now she likes to give her animals and us a cup of tea.

- She can perfectly drink from a cup, use a spoon and a fork.

- M is big on puzzles lately: she can match the ones with 5-6 figures and she plays her animal figure matching game with cards with great success.

- She likes to imitate us with anything: she likes using a broom, wiping the counter, but also swiping her play phone. She will put my purse and scarf around her neck and walk around very confidently.

Schedule

Her schedule has changed slightly, she now has a nap around 12:30/13:00 vs 12:00.

Eating

M is not a child who would eat anything anymore sadly. She goes through periods of liking something, like eggs or cucumbers, and will have this a lot for a couple of days and then will not touch it for weeks! She has stopped eating porridge in the morning, so she gets a piece of bread with peanut butter and a glass of milk aside.

M has discovered where snacks are kept and will stand next to that cupboard and demand: "Anna! Anna!"(give in Estonian). She still doesn't get anything with added sugars but this is getting harder and harder. She eats meals with us, but we still struggle with her wanting to eat dinner before our food is cooked.

M's favourite foods are bread, kiwi, pears, hard-boiled eggs, and all kinds of snacks (e.g. fruit rolls, baby granola bars).

Challenges

- Pickiness in eating - I really miss that child who would eat anything put in front of her

- Some sleepless nights and troubles falling asleep - we have had 3 nights like that, which is very tiring and unusual for her. We tried putting a mattress in her room and sleeping there but that was no success. She did just get over it, so maybe it was one of the many phases...