Harlem Lovebirds: Life With Nia: 21 Months and Mother's Day Recap

Nia turned 21 months on Saturday and as I look over the past couple monthly pictures it seems her face isn't changing much - she's looking like what she's really gonna look like, if that makes sense! I'm bummed I forgot to include her Patrick Pup in this month's pic, but she was acting silly, jumping, climbing all around that I wasn't focused. Here's an outtake ( I said, "Show me your happy face!"):

Yes, she is a silly little monkey!

We had a quiet Mother's Day - church then dinner at our favorite local Italian restaurant, Laico's. We went for Easter too. After last year's Mother's Day I had zero expectations and I think that's the best way to approach things sometimes, then I won't set myself up for disappointment. I was simply thankful to be with my family, healthy, enjoying gorgeous weather here in NYC and eating delicious food (lobster ravioli to be exact!). Our church had family photos after service so when I get those I'll share, but for now here's a quick BlackBerry pic Mr. Love Bird snapped:

This is THE yellow dress I had hoped Nia to wear for Easter! My mom found it for only $10 after Easter!

On to the update . . .

Toddler's Weight: Nia lost a little weight since last month and is just under 27lbs

Toddler's Height: She is very, very long - we have an updated vaccination from our trip to Nigeria this week so I think they'll measure her then and I'll know for sure.

What size of clothing does toddler wear? She can't fill out the width on 24 months, but it's perfect for length. It's been frustrating! We tried buying Pull-Ups instead of diapers this month but they don't even make them in her size so now I'm in search of panties for her skinny booty!

Any milestones toddler reached during the month:

She knows pretty much all her letters and colors (still working on numbers and shapes)

At last she goes down for her afternoon naps without screaming - this is HUGE and at last I've been able to make progress on my business because of this.

She uses her potty at least 1x/day

Eating eggs! I've been so concerned about her not eating protein, but she's suddenly started asking for eggs. One day she ate 4 1/2 chicken nuggets and she was so calm and well-behaved after. Not sure if there was a direct connection, but I think she's been cranky lately from not being full. We also add protein powder to whole milk and that's helped her immensely (thank you to Teresha from Marlie and Me for the tip!)

Special outings toddler had during the month:

This was such a busy month for Nia - the biggest adventure was going to North Carolina and South Carolina two weeks ago for my sister Lauren's graduation; here's a teaser pic

We also went to the Penn Relays, a special Little Mommy doll event at Dylan's Candy Bar and the Brooklyn Botanical Garden for Sakura Matsuri (pics from these outings are here)

What are your thoughts about this past month?

We had a few setbacks nursing due to our trip to NC/SC. The first night Nia bed shared at our aunt's house so she reverted to thinking it was an all night buffet. I denied her at first but her screaming was awful especially because our cousins had to be up for school in the morning and aunt and uncle had to be up for work. Not good at all! We're still recovering from this and I'm finding I can explain to her that she's a big girl and deal with her screaming during the day to help re-train her.

Overall it's been a fun month of watching Nia's personality come through strong - she loves to play, play, play! If we could stay outside all day she would. She's also been good about not fussing when it's time to go home, which she used to do.

Nia says, "Big kids" when she sees this part of the playground! She knows this is for the big kids but insists climbing it.

What was toddler's routine?

She's sleeping from 8/8:30p.m. to 5:45/6a.m. Still not quite enough but the consistent hour-long naps this past week have been a blessing. Before, she was screaming for 30 minutes then sleeping for 30 minutes. This made for very long, frustrating days.

I nurse her in the mornings, but we still stay on the go and she rarely asks to nurse in public anymore - if she does, I don't allow it. She (sometimes) understands when I explain to her she's a big girl now!

Reflect about the highlights of the month? Traveling to see family and all of the fun outings we did. Nia's such a good sport about being out and about. Getting the consistent nap time at last has been a blessing for me!

Did any big changes occur? Our nursing setback, but we're working through it ::sigh::

What are toddler's favorites - toy, food, person, etc... She is completely obsessed with The Lion King thanks to Mr. Love Bird. When I'm away he watches Disney movies with her and she now asks for The Lion King daily. She loves to roar like a lion and watches the movie completely mesmerized! She also loves Thomas the Tank Engine - I was thinking she would have an Elmo 2nd birthday but it may now be a Thomas birthday. We'll see . .

What I'm looking forward to?

Sending her to Ohio with my parents for Memorial Day Weekend. It will be the longest that I've been away from her. I'm kinda nervous but I think it will be the turning point to her weaning 100%!