23 Months

Whoa, can you believe that I am almost 2 years old? Crazy!

This month was filled with ups and downs, with the highlight being our trip to Vegas. However, at the beginning of the month, I contracted hand, foot and mouth disease, aka Coxsackie virus. Ewww. At least it was just a mild form, in fact, Mommy and Daddy had no clue until they took me to the after hours clinic to check out some bumps in my mouth. All of my other symptoms had been mistaken for something else. I had bumps on my bottom (which looked a lot like diaper rash), a fever two weeks earlier and general fussiness (which they assumed was due to molars coming in). I lost my appetite for a few days since those little bumps in my mouth made it painful to eat - it was really tough on all of us. At least by the time I was diagnosed, the worst was over and I am back to my healthy self again.

Some other updates (Instagram edition!):

• What's hot this month: Two months ago it was Grover, last month it was Dora, this month it's Elmo videos on YouTube. I am obsessed! I can sit and quietly watch an Elmo video for up to an hour, which is great when we go to restaurants or on plane rides, or in the mornings when I wake up too early and Mommy needs some extra sleep. Not so great: demanding Elmo every minute I am home and throwing a tantrum when I don't get to watch.
• I can put my shoes and socks on all by myself!

• Cardiologist visit: Last year my pediatrician detected a heart murmur during one of my checkups, so we had it checked out by a cardiologist. Everything checked out okay and we were assured that it is common in babies and young children. Today I had a follow up appointment with the cardiologist. Just like last year, they had to do an EKG. They tricked me into thinking I was getting lots of special stickers and special clips. I cooperated and sat very still. Once again, everything checked out fine. The doctor was so nice, I even gave her a hug at the end.

This looks intimidating, but it was actually very easy.

• My best friends: I am still attached to my friends, Doggy and Gato, as much as ever. We even added a new member to the mix, Perrito. The four of us are inseparable. In fact, any time we leave the house, I insist on bringing all of them with me (and I do notice when one of them is missing). It's not so fun for Mommy or Daddy, who have to carry all four of us at the same time out the front door, down the steps and into the car every day.

• I love to clean! Another proud moment for Mommy. I am very good at putting things away when someone says "clean up." I also like to wipe things down and will purposely drip milk out of my sippy cup so I can wipe it up with a paper towel. Finally, I get excited whenever Mommy breaks out the Swiffer or the vacuum cleaner. I try my best to help her around the house!

A mini Dirt Devil just for me!

See you next month, when I'm TWO!