I’m pretty sure we have a 19 month-old going on 3-year-old in the house! Every day I look at her and cannot believe just how big she’s gotten and how much she’s like a kid instead of a baby. It blows my mind!

Our recent vacation was a great opportunity to see Miss H through other people’s eyes, as we spent the week with my parents and my sister and her boyfriend. It was fun watching her connect with them more and learn to say their names better. She is a pro at saying “grandma” and “grandpa” now and asks for them all the time! It was also a fun reminder that what has become normal for us is quite funny to others. For example, Miss H likes to sing in her crib after we put her to bed. She sings “night night” to anything and everything under the sun, so we all had fun listening to her “concert” over the baby monitor! We hear her every night, so it didn’t dawn on me that others might find it extra amusing.

While on the trip, Miss H also cut all 4 of her canines, which gives her teeth 13-16! Once the canines fully come in, she’ll have a full set of chompers (with the exception of the dreaded 2 year molars).

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Our “state of the family” right now is this:

What we’ve learned:  We really need to start budgeting! Now as parents, creating a budget is more important to us than ever – we want financial stability for our family, we want to save for Miss H’s future, and we anticipate seeing increased expenses in the future for childcare, Miss H’s activities, etc. We’ve recently discovered a new budgeting tool that we’re giving a test run for, and if it works well for us I’ll be very excited to share it!

What we’re enjoying right now: How Miss H is becoming more thoughtful toward us. The other night I was rocking her and singing to her before bed, per usual, and she started patting my head as if to comfort me. It was incredibly sweet. She also has been “washing” us with “soap” in the swimming pool and always offers me some of her food at meal times. Too cute!

What our biggest struggles are: Whining! Oh, the whining. After our recent trip where Miss H was teething and extra fussy, she has become incredibly whiney when it comes to getting what she wants. We gave into her way too much on that trip! We’re working on being more firm with her when she is begging for things, and ensuring she uses the word “please.”

What has been Miss H’s most exciting milestone: Running! Miss H has gotten fast. I still remember how tentative and unsteady her first steps were – such a special moment. Now she is racing around the house like a maniac. We live in the city with our house bordered by two alleys, so we have to be extra-cautious when she’s outside and on the move.

What we’re looking forward to: I think we’re actually doing a good job right now of living in the moment (which is strange for us!). Miss H is eating and sleeping well, happy and healthy and a dream to be around. What more could we ask for?!