twenty-one.

Oh, Carly. You're twenty-one months now. When you reach two, can I stop counting in months? I'm losing track.

One of my favorite things about you is how much you love to be outside. When I ask if you want to go outside, you go into a tizzy: "Shoes! Stroller! Towel! Bear! Woof! Bag!" You travel heavy, its true. No object left behind. Which is cute and all except when you get exhausted after being at the park for an hour and I carry you and your entire posse back home. We get home, you get water, and then you run to the front door: "more outside!". I'm doing everything in my power not to discourage your love of playing outside, but its exhausting. I do love when we come inside . . . you smell like sunshine.

You learn at least a word every day. Usually out of the blue you bust a word out that you've heard 800 times: "sidewalk" is the newest, I think. And "again", as in "swing again!". Oh, and "kangaroo". One of my favorites that you say: "pahpake" (pancake), as you are totally obsessed with pancakes. You eat at least 3 every morning, along with fruit. You are also learning more and more phrases. You recently learned "I love you" which you blend into one super-word. Today we were walking around campus and I gave you a stick and you said "a piece of a tree." That is what I always call sticks when I show them to you, so it was so funny. You're brilliant.

You've recently started insisting daddy and I each have a towel of our own. If I leave my towel behind, you come running in with it yelling "mama towel! mama towel!". Heaven forbid I leave it in the living room while I go into the kitchen. Last night you were fussing when I put you down. You had your towel, and I asked if you wanted mine too. You took it and added it to the plethora of things in your crib and I heard you say as I walked out "night-night, mama towel. night-night, carly towel."

The other day you wanted Leo as soon as you woke up. He was downstairs, so I said "Should we go down and get him, or do you want mommy to go get him and come back up?" You replied: "Mama get. Go, mama, go!"

You like to run: around the house, down the sidewalk, in a store, you don't discriminate. Except against grass. You make an effort to avoid grass. You take an evening job in between our room and yours right before bed. Its like you have to use up every last minute you have before you sleep.

Speaking of running, last time we were at grandma and grandpa's house in Idaho you learned to crouch down and say "set . . . go!" like a sprinter off the starting block. Its seriously cute.

You are suddenly very affectionate. You've always been loving, but you like giving big hugs and kisses and even snuggles. Not long ago it was hard to get any of those from you because there seemed to be bigger things going on in your opinion. I sure like the kisses.

You've started kind of making jokes or playing games. Like we were looking at the books on your bookshelves and there were a lot of them, and you put your little hands up and said "Oh no! Where book go!" and started laughing like you are the funniest thing ever. Because you are.

You love being chased by daddy. And being caught by daddy. When I get home from the gym, you both have rosy cheeks and disheveled hair from all the wresting and running that went on while I was gone.

["smelling" the flowers]

You like Diego, Max and Ruby, Toy Story 3, Jack's Big Music Show, and Bubble Guppies.

You like to read books, and identify big objects in the pictures as the "mama" or "dada" and the little objects as the "baby".

Your favorite foods are pancakes, fruit, grape tomatoes, pasta, broccoli, Parmesan goldfish crackers, yogurt, and beans.

You will not touch potatoes or eggs. Or most meats. Except you love hotdogs, which I'm assuming qualify as meat if you get the turkey kind with no nitrates.

We have a lot of fun together, our little family of three.

Love you a lot.