16 months

I yam what I yam.

I guess my silly jingle "Wear it as a hat, wear it as a hat" has rubbed off, and she can turn anything into a hat. That's a paint can spout :)

We continue to be amazed by the things Raegan can do. She follows instructions and forms associations very quickly. She imitates the things we do and loves to help and feel like a big girl. She picks out clothes for us to wear if she sees us getting dressed, "shaves" her face with Ryan's electric razor (with the protective cover on), sweeps, and throws appropriate things away (as well as some valuable things). I hand her small items to put on the conveyor belt in the check out line, and she insists on handing the credit card to the cashier when it's time to pay. She takes the groceries out of the bags and puts things in the fridge or freezer or hands them to me to put in the pantry.

That's her play group to the right, playing a game. She was perfectly content to stay at the table and stack cups.

Our pumpkin with her hand prints as eyes

Happy Howl-o-ween! Now put some treats in my bowl!

She is growing even closer to her doll, and now we have to sincerely kiss and be kissed by the doll at naps and bedtime. It might be a stall tactic, but it's pretty cute. Sometimes she makes the animals kiss each other, too. Last week she began experimenting with "no" and now tells us "no" when she doesn't want to do something, mainly having her diaper changed. She hardly ever calls me "mom" but she'll say "No, no, ma." (Ryan thinks she calls me Dana sometimes).

Wednesday morning I told her we needed to change her diaper:

Raegan: "No!" and ran to Ryan.

Ryan: "Are you supposed to be getting her diaper changed?"

Raegan: "Hah!" (= yes)

Ryan: "Then go to mom and get your diaper changed."

Raean: "No!"

Raegan in a few words:

helpful

sweet

observant

self-aware

focused

playful

gentle

expressive

loving