Tula Belle is NINETEEN months old.

I remember when Tula turned one and I thought that these monthly updates were probably going to shortly become unnecessary. I thought that she had already "reached all her milestones" and what more could she possibly start doing that was worth documenting. As if walking were the be-all-end-all and there would never be anything as life changing as her first steps. I figured I could maybe update every few months or so. Pop in and just write a quick note to Tula to let her know I still loved her but that not much was new. I figured a toddler couldn't change nearly as quickly as a baby does. Boy, was I wrong.

It has been two months since I posted an update for Tula. She has changed so, so much. Leaps and bounds, she is a different kid than she was two months ago. Last month, she celebrated her "18 month birthday" which means we are now officially closer to her being two than one. It's nuts. The sweet little baby is fading away before my eyes and every day she is more "the big girl". Her hair has thickened and is finally growing a little length. She is so steady on her feet, not just walking but running and jumping and tip toey-ing around. Oh, and climbing. On everything. I USED to think she was a climber because she tried to get up on the sofa. Now, it's everywhere. Into the stroller herself. On TOP of her picnic table. Into the highchair. Up on my computer desk. Basically, all the places she has ever wondered about and not been able to reach. Finally, she is able and loving the independence and sense of achievement climbing brings. It is difficult for me to just let go and let her do some of these things. She is so, so proud of her self when she climbs into the highchair that her little smile and glimmer in her eye make up for the 500 nerves I shot watching her climb up there. I love seeing her succeed. At anything. She makes me so proud.

What else is our big girl doing? Tula decided this month that she was finally ready to start feeding herself her Cheerios. This was a toughie for for a few reasons. First, it was the last food that she would sit and allow me to feed her, and I enjoyed that time with her. Second, the mess!!! I was all about teaching Tula to use a fork, and she has had that mastered for awhile now. But those are used to spear little hunks of food that can easily be picked up with fingers. A spoon is usually used for liquids or things of that nature which means MESSY. This was not easy but when Tula decided she wanted to do it herself, there was no turning back. Yes, it tok a few mornings for her to get the hang of it and it required A LOT of patience on my end, but it wasn't long and she had it all figured out. She will sit in her highchair and eat the whole bowl, even picking it up at the end and drinking the milk. Again, so proud to show me what she has done.

And I thought she had met all the "milestones". Every, every day, she conquers something new. What fun it is to watch her living life, to see the world through her eyes. To get excited with every airplane that flies by or every dog that barks. To see the mystery in every box we open. To feel the sadness of just tripping and bonking, or the comfort of "kissing it better" and that really making it okay. I love the peace and quiet that the New Year has brought to our home. Without the holidays to plan for, we have spent lots of time at home and I do love all the time we get to share. I know it is such a cliche to talk about seeing the world through your child's eyes. It sounds so repetitive. And it is. Pure, sweet joy. Mystery. Excitement. Every emotion and feeling under the sun. Over and over and over again.

The most exciting things that Tula comes up with right now are words. People constantly tell you about how talking was "like a switch". One day, they woke up and their baby was talking to them. Although I can see how it would feel like that, I am sure that it is not completely accurate and the process is a little more involved. I feel like I am in that stage right now. It will not be long until she can totally, clearly communicate with me everything from what she wants to when to where to why. For now, it is still pretty basic words, but so clear and expressive. I love seeing the words that she "picks" to learn too. The ones that I didn't even realize I had taught her but they may describe her favorite thing so she has then down. Too many to list but her favorite words right now? hat. sock. please (this one is sweet, she knows I can't say no to it too). no, no, no (sometimes I feel like I hear this ALL DAY LONG). dada. papa. coca. sadie. more (she FINALLY knows the word and not just the sign). hot (even cold things are "hot", we are working on that). buy-buy and I love you (I love this one. She will put her heels on, grab a purse and one of her many cell phones, come and find me and give me a hug and kiss bye bye then go and walk over to the door. She LOVES anything pretend right now and has quite the imagination) baby. brother (this one is pretty new, but it's my fav)

Tula, you are the best big sister ever. I love watching you with your brother. You are so so good with him. Even when you aren't, like, if you make him cry, it's almost always only because you were trying to do something nice, like slam you big helmet on his head or make him wear one of your shoes (yes, dressing up baby brother has already begun). Maverick is finally old enough that you guys can interact a little and I have witnessed some truly beautiful giggles coming from you guys the last month or so since it really started. It's so interesting to see what you guys find funny together. You are quite the little clown, always trying to do something funny for Mav and end up just laughing at yourself. Then he laughs because you are and that sends you into complete hysterics. You guys have a special bond and it is such fun to watch it develop and grow. But as the big sister, you are wonderful to your brother. You bring Maverick toys and show him how they work. You run to him when he cries. You kiss him. You know how to make him laugh. You love to tickle him. Today I found you brushing his hair with one of your doll's brushes. Every time I put you in the carseat you point to his, as if to remind me not to forget to put him in there. And almost always, I hear you say "hand" a few times to him. and when I look in the rearview mirror you guys are holding hands, all the time in the car. You have even fallen asleep like that. You, my girl, are a great big sister.

The other big thing in Tula's life is the potty. I know I have written about it a little that she has peed in it before, but she has done so well with it since then. I really believe she is one of those kids who is ready to be trained early, now it's just me who has to do all the work. I may be wrong about this, I haven't tested it too much. But we have had a couple days at home where we leave a diaper off for extended periods and use the potty frequently and it seems to work. Sometimes, she gets cranky because I ask so often or keep interrupting her play so we just put a diaper on. Aunt Gayle just sent us some awesome panties that should help the process along a little so I will keep you all posted. They have some extra padding so that if we have "accidents" I don't have QUITE as much cleanup...yay! I really, truly didn't think we would be embarking on the "potty training" journey so soon but I am just following her lead and seeing what happens. Right now, she pees on her potty before her shower almost every night and once or twice throughout the day if I ask her if she needs to go. She will always say yes if I ask her if she needs to go potty (I think she just likes it when I take her diaper off), then we run over to the potty and she sits down and either gets up right away if she doesn't want to go or sits for a while and pushes. The whole spectacle is still quite cute. She of course loves the praise and attention that going pee pee on the potty gets her so we have fun with that and make a big deal and that's really it.

Miss Independent loves to do it all by herself. Brushing teeth, she loves to pull her stool up every morning and stand there with the water running and brush away. She actually asks me to do this every day. She likes to brush her own hair. She loves trying to dress herself. Insists on picking out her shoes she is going to wear every time we leave the house. If you even suggest one to her, she is mad. Then, likes to try and put the shoes on herself. Has to do up all her own buckles, or at least give them a fair shot. After dinner, she cleans her own tray by putting whatever she doesn't want in a bowl then handing it to me with her fork (one of my faves). It requires a lot of patience, watching her try and do it all, but I am learning right with her.

Being a Mom to a 19 month old is so much fun, but I can say I have started to catch a glimpse here and there of what the terrible twos look like and it scares me. We have had a few meltdowns, and I think "I cannot do this for a year". I think right now, Tula's main frustration is knowing exactly what she wants and not having the words to express it to me. She gets frustrated when I don't understand her, and so do I. For the most part, she is still her easy peasy self. But when she decides she is cranky, look out. We haven't had to use any sort of discipline yet, for now, simple consequential threats work and we will stick to that until they don't. Timeout's for Tula *may* be right around the corner though, we will see. The hardest part is seeing your sweet, little baby get upset like a toddler and knowing that those perect, peaceful baby days with her are long gone. Right now, more than anything, and as stressful as it may be at times, it's just another huge reminder of how fast our little girl is growing up.