Not-quite-22 months update

It has been ages since we've updated Amanda's page! It has been a very busy and stressful few months, but things are finally calming down a bit. Amanda is continuing to learn a zillion new things every day - it is amazing to watch her! She talks like crazy now...it is hard to imagine that a couple of months ago she was hardly saying any words. Although we haven't counted since we made the list below, she must be well over 200 or 250 words now. She knows all her animals (even strange ones, like hedgehog and peacock), her colours, and her shapes. She also knows tons of foods, names of everyone in our family and most of her friends, and all her clothes; she can name almost anything around the house, and she talks along with her videos and can "read" many of her books without us! (Well, the main words on every page, anyway). It is just incredible how quickly she has picked everything up. She started at her new daycare at the end of January and has adjusted so well - she loves to go to "Nancy's house" and often wakes up chattering away about her friends there and what she's going to be doing. It has turned out to be a nice treat to have her so close to home, as we can walk her to and from daycare when the weather is nice. Of course, the walk takes about 3 minutes without her but at least 20 minutes with her, as she stops to look at everything along the way! She is still a great eater, and most other parents of toddlers are jealous to find out that her favourite foods are...vegetables!! We have to feed her meat and rice/pasta first, because as soon as we put the veggies on her plate that's all she will eat. She's also developed a bit of a sweet tooth...so much for not giving her too much sweet stuff! Of course she only gets treats once in awhile. Her tantrums have abated quite a bit in the past several weeks, probably because she is getting so much better at communicating so her frustration is much less. That's not to say she doesn't have her moments, though! Things have been very busy around home the past few months but she has managed very well, although she misses her Lola and can't wait for her to come home from the hospital! Jen has also started a new job, only a 20 minute drive from home (instead of over an hour!), so that has also helped our family manage more time together. Every minute is precious! These past few days of sunshine have made us look forward even more to the summer months when we can spend more time outside!