Color me Lexi

Lexi, you have discovered crayons. In my closet cleaning efforts I left a big container on the counter the other day and you were eager to explore it. You are the first of my children to actually find crayons interesting as coloring implements rather than chew toys, weapons, or breakable sticks of wax. I am delighted that you like to color. We have set up an area on my desk so you can color while I work on the computer. This has been a lovely arrangement so far.



Every crayon you pick up is called "boo." If I substitute the correct color, you will repeat what I say, but you still think everything is blue. I am waiting to see if you adopt a favorite color. You often scribble back and forth with both hands at once. You are very serious about your art. I love that you have inspired your brothers to enjoy coloring (for very short stretches) as well. You also discovered markers this week, as well as the art of coloring on yourself and non-paper surfaces. I suppose it goes with the territory. Luckily I only buy washable coloring utensils.



Lexi, you are a girly girl in many ways. You love your babies (Abby and Ben). While you aren't an obsessive little mama yet, you enjoy putting babies to bed and pushing them in their stroller. One of your favorite toys is a set of wooden food that you can cut apart and put back together. Sometimes you feed your babies this food. Sometimes you pretend to eat it yourself. I like to watch you pretend. You are also a cuddle bug and love to wrap up in blankets, rest on pillows, and carry around your favorite stuffed animals, Betsy and Roxy.



At 22 months, your verbal skills continue to amaze us. You seem to be more articulate every day. Some of your most common phrases relate to the recurring activities in our life, but you are also good at asserting what you want, need, think, or feel in the moment. We regularly hear you say:

"I no want dis bib anymore."
"Give me miwk, pwease."
"Not poopy. Just wet."
"I wear jacket now. And boots. My boots. My pink boots."
"Where is Betsy now?"
"Davin did it."
"Yexi take showeh wif Mommy?"
"Doh ou-side? Yexi doh ou-side? Pyay? Pyay ou-side?"

You can be as sassy as you are sweet. "No" is definitely a favorite word right now, and you tend to yell it in a very ornery tone. You don't like being told what to do or when to do it, and you don't like that you have to do certain things that your brothers don't, like sit in a high chair and wear a bib and use a sippy cup. You think you are entitled to all things big and grown-up. It's a rough-and-tumble world with three older brothers, but you are not the dainty princess who always needs to be rescued. You want to do everything yourself and even go so far as to undo things I have done in order to have the satisfaction of completing a task on your own.

I often think about this time being the end of your reign as the youngest child. Of course, you have no idea that Mommy is having a baby in a few months, and you are blissfully unaware that it will rock your little world. Hopefully adding "big sister" to your toddler resume will be a happy experience for all of us.