17 month Lauren update

I'm trying to think of what's new this past month that wasn't going on with Lauren the month before...Hmm. The big thing is that I've switched her to cloth diapers for about 80% of the time, except not when we travel, because I don't want to lug around soiled cloth diapers in my luggage, yuck! I did this because it's better for the environment and I always intended to do it, but didn't get around to it until now. It's also supposed to make toilet training easier, and she did, for 2 mornings in a row, point to the potty and say "pee pee, please" and ask to use it. Sorry if that is TMI!

We've been using the bike more. Almost every day we go out for a ride, and we've discovered that a few of the places which seemed far to drive by car, because they cut through heavy traffic or lots of lights, etc., are pretty close by bike. We go to some shops on Sepulveda which is not atrociously far from my house, but I'd never walk there or anything, but by bike it's cake. Lauren falls asleep in the bike seat now, predictably in the same spot each time-when we're heading up the last hill on the bike path. Then I have to dismount, life the bike over the little barrier (WHY do they have these padlocked 1 foot high barriers at the entrance to the bike path so that everyone has to lift their bike and can't just pedal straight from the street to the bike path. Why? Just to torment me? Besides this, what purpose does it really serve?) and I notice that she's flopped over in an unnatural position in kind of a "C" shape slumped across the seat. I then worry over each bump in the road until we get home, that I'll throw her spine out of alignment or give her shaken baby syndrome. But she's always fine, and sleeps through all of it as I carry her upstairs and gently put her down for her nap.

Her vocabulary is improving. She still says "please" and points to things she wants, but if she knows the name, she uses it, or else she'll say something like "this please, huh?" as she gestures. Some kids have "lovies"-a blanket or stuffed animal that they carry around. Lauren just has Jake. She has to be aware of him in the house at all times and wants to do "pat pat Jakey, please". But aside from that, lately she has started carrying around Karen's old clothes that are still too big for her. She will take her long-sleeved red shirt all around the house, for example. But it also extends to other clothes from her own wardrobe. The other day I even let her take a bath clutching her yellow t-shirt because it was easier than dealing with the tears and look of utter betrayal if I took it away. When we were at thrift store, I saw a red dress that I was considering buying her, and she grabbed it and said "yes, this please, yes" and clutched it. She wouldn't give it back so I had to rip off the tag and have the cashier just scan that. Then she carried it all around and even slept with it. After I washed it, she insisted on wearing it the next day. 80 degrees and she was wearing long sleeves by choice.

The other day, though, was the funniest thing. Instead of something of hers, she decided to carry around an article of my clothing. Can you guess? Yes, some of my underwear. I let her have them for awhile but I would not let her leave the house clutching them, and she got mad. We traded for a wet washcloth. She will always accept wet washcloths. She chews them and also "cleans" things with them. The problem is when someone is actually cleaning, with 409, Windex, etc. and she wants to help, get a cleaning cloth, and wipe with us and then wants to suck on the cloth. Tears invariably ensue in these situations.

She is saying more complete sentences. No one can resist when she says "Read this book, please". I heard her say to her grandpa, "No, I want my da da please" and put out her arms to him. Yesterday we ate the last of Mona's rye bread from the freezer and she said "Mmm, more Mona bread, please!". We visited my parents for the weekend and one of the first things she said when we arrived was "pool, please!" and then "Cat! Pat pat Bert!". My mom gave her some ice cream today and later was telling me about it and spelling out "i-c-e" when Lauren chimed in "ice!". No, we don't think she's a child prodigy who can spell, but it still made our jaws drop when she said it.

Another thing she's been doing more of lately is imitating me. She loves to go through my wallet, and try to use my cell phone, or bang on the laptop, but she's been doing that for awhile. This month she's started also putting my purse over her shoulder, going to the door and saying "bye-bye" and then giggling. I put her on my shoulders sometimes and she loves that. Yesterday when I did it, she had on a dress and she spread the dress over my hair and said "Me Mommy's hat! HAHAHAHAHA". I bought a hat to wear sometimes so that she will want to wear her hats more often and with less protest. But whenever I put it on, she tries to take it off and wear it herself. She also loves to grab glasses from anyone's face. I took her to Dr. Cucher's (optometrist) office with me and she was like a kid in candy store. She looked around with big wide eyes as if thinking "wow, one guy has all of these glasses to play with?!"