19 Months - No, No, No!

Leah reached 19 months old on July 28th, and almost to the day she discovered the power of the word "no." She certainly had ways of expressing the sentiment before (shaking her head, putting up her palms, whining, etc.), but now she clearly has the word for it! It's cute for a short while - a petite yet definitive "no" or sometimes (when she really wants to get her point across) a high pitched "no, no, no." We love that she's expressing her opinions more and more, and with it our parenting is evolving. I feel like much of my energy goes towards preparing her for what is to come (by talking about what will be happening so she's more likely to accep it) and strategizing about ways to convince her that she wants to do something. Often it's the funniest things that catch us off guard, like wanting a fork instead of a spoon or wanting to stay in her beloved PJ's all day long. This age is SO much fun - she has us laughing all the time! And, at the same time, there are plenty of challenges that try our patience (yes, even Erik's patience, too).