twenty months

dearest Sweetpea,

summer's in full swing and you're loving every minute! we kicked off this month with a trip to Living Treasures Animal Park in Ligonier with Nana. you got to feed the kangaroos, pet the zebra, and wave to the monkeys. you even went on your very first pony ride! i walked beside you, but you did a good job holding on by yourself and keeping your balance. by the end of our visit, you were more interested in eating the baby carrots yourself than in giving them away to the animals. 

we made another trip to Idlewild, and this time we visited the new Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood attraction. we watched the lifesize trolley come and go several times before it was our turn. you were so excited to go through the tunnel and come out the other side! (now, any time I ask you where you're going, you say "tunnel!".) you sometimes watch Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood on Netflix, so you were happy to see O the Owl, Prince Wednesday, and the other neighborhood friends. 

you love to splash in your kiddie pool. Daddy even made you a water slide! you can blow bubbles by yourself, although sometimes you like to lick the bubble solution off the wand ... silly girl. you love to draw with sidewalk chalk, pick up sticks, and find ants in the grass. you point to them and shout "bug!". sometimes we even see bunnies hopping around the yard. you try so hard to catch them, but they're just too fast! you love to point to planes in the sky and say "bye-bye pane!" as they fly away. 

we finally visited one of Pittsburgh's most beautiful places -- Phipps Conservatory. i wasn't sure how much you'd enjoy it, but you were wide-eyed at all the beautiful plants, trees, and flowers inside. and outside, you loved running up and down the paths, discovering fountains and benches and bridges. then we found the children's garden, and you could have happily played there all day! there are so many interactive features to explore -- big magnifying glasses, sculptures of turtles and snails, a little play house, a huge hollow tree, and a small fountain with dozens of plastic watering cans so that you could help water the flowers too. 

you've started to show a mischievous streak -- hiding our shoes and car keys, putting all kinds of things in the trash can, stripping out of your clothes at naptime, and climbing up on the piano. one day, we tore the house apart looking for Kaiser's leash, only to find it buried in the box of winter hats and scarves. you tell Kaiser, "no! sit down!" or "c'mere! c'mere!", and if you find one of his bones on the floor, you trot over to him and put it in his mouth. i think you're trying to teach him proper manners too, because you'll patiently say "doodee weh-come" (thank you, welcome) as soon as he takes it. 

you like to turn off the lights and whisper "daaaaaawk, daaaaawk" dramatically, then ask for us to turn the lights back on and clap. when we're riding in the car, you frequently request the song I made up on our drive to the Outer Banks last month: "A my name is Abby / I like to play with Elmo / We like to play with Greta / A my name is Abby". and you suggest variations such as "D my name is Daddy / I like to play with Mommy" or "R my name is Reilly / I like to play with Kaiser" (for Reilly, the new puppy our neighbor got this summer). 

you're starting to put two- and three-word sentences together, like "all done milk", "I sleepy", or "good morning, Mommy!". you often crack yourself up and then announce "I funny". you are, Sweetpea -- funny, and loving, and smart, and all around delightful. and we love you!