Kinsley Lately: 20 Months

20 months! How?! Folks warned me the time would fly, but damn! I can’t believe we have an almost 2-year-old. The newborn and baby, baby stage seems like forever ago and honestly, that gives me mixed emotions. On one hand I miss being able to cuddle with my cute little doll face and on the other, I am loving the fun-loving little toddler we have on our hands. They say your children keep their personalities from when they are babies. I believe this to be true because Kinsley has been a chatterbox since day 1, still is and continues to be very animated. Most days I’m amazed at her vocabulary and the things she says and knows how to say. I attribute her vocabulary to the family never talking to her in “baby talk” and her inquisitive nature. She is very intrigued by older kids and will watch and then emulate. Needless to say, we have already entered the be careful what you say around missy stage, because she will repeat it LOL, repeatedly!

First of all in a word, Kinsley these days is BUSY!

But before we get into that, let me break things down of how it’s going around here.

SO, let’s get into all things Kinsley lately.

SLEEP

Kinsley thrives on her schedule and this includes her sleep routine. She takes one nap a day for 2-3 hours from 12- 2/3pm.

Her bedtime is newly 8:30pm, literally changed this week from 9pm as a means to give us, the parents more time before our “bedtime” lol. Her night routine starts around 6pm with dinner, a bath, a little play and reading time and then bed by 8:30pm. Her sleep noise machine comes on 20 minutes before bedtime which is her cue to wine it on down. We have been fortunate to have a baby that loves her sleep and she will literally ask you to pick her up to go to bed on the days she is really tired. She wakes up between 7:30-8:30am and we head into our morning routine.

PERSONALITY

She wants to help with EVERYTHING. He favorite words are, “help you, help you”. From loading the dishwasher, helping her 6-month-old cousin with his binky, to pretend driving the car, Kinsley is quite the helper. She will make an excellent big sister one day, God willing.

FOOD

Kinsley is a foodie and loves home-cooked meals. She loves to try any and everything mommy and daddy eat and we really pride ourselves on exposing her to all different variations of foods. Her favorite foods are Jamaican porridge, broccoli, watermelon, and rice. She also loves water!

She does not care for fast foods like nuggets, hamburgers or hot dogs. She will eat a fry or two, though.

LEARNING

As I mentioned Kinsley is very inquisitive and observant. She will sit back and watch to learn. We try to expose Kinsley to as much as we can, always making moments a teachable moment.

At daycare she is one of the youngest in their classroom setting. I’m so impressed with their curriculum and Kinsley’s ability to retain the information. Her time with the diverse group of kiddos is invaluable and I’m so happy where she is.

She knows her ABC’s in English and Spanish and can count up to 30.

During her allotted tv time, which has increased during this time of quarantine, she will intently watch her learning programs and study what they’re saying. It’s the sweetest thing to watch and see her brain working.

Her favorite shows are Sesame Street and Blues Clues. She will literally watch the same episodes over and over with the same excitement.

Kinsley loves books! And good thing because we have so many! Her favorites are still Please, Baby Please, Let’s Go Potty, Elmo! and Who’s Knees are These?.

Lastly, she really enjoys her flashcards. It may be in part to the robust excitement her daddy and I have when she gets the cards right, but she loves it nonetheless.

We are also potty training… but that’s another post.

TOYS

Since being in quarantine, chalk on the sidewalk is Kinsley’s new jam. I think she really loves the ability to make a mess with no consequence. She also loves the water and could really entertain herself for hours just playing with the water hose.

Legos

Popcorn Vacuum

Playdoh

STATS

· 25.8 pounds

· 2 feet 9 inches tall

· Wearing 2T clothing

· Size 5 diapers

· 4 ½ teeth

· 100 percent bossy- loves to say “sit down”

MY FAVORITE KINSLEY LATELY’S

· Doing her hair in the morning. Most people think I’m crazy to do a toddler’s hair every day, but I really enjoy our little time together. I get to love on her and brush her little tresses as she enjoys her breakfast and Blues Clues. It’s our carved-out time together until it’s time to go to daycare.

· Good Morning. No one is happier to see you in the morning than your baby. She wakes up, tank on full! The chattiness starts right away when she see’s mama.

· Her love of GiGi. We are lucky to have my mom in the house with us and Kinsley adores her. When I get her ready in the morning she wants to immediately go find GiGi. It’s the cutest thing.

· Reading. I’ve said this before here, but I love how Kinsley’s love of reading has continued to develop. She’s so interested to see what is coming on the next page. I also love how she knows to back it up on my lap or daddy’s lap for story time.

· Kinsley and Daddy. Nothing warms my heart more than to see my hubby and daughter laughing and playing and enjoying each other. The love in his eyes and joy in hers almost bring me to tears sometimes to see how blessed I am.