20 Months

Eva's age is one of my favorites. There's a time between when children start walking and when they start hating you (around age two) where everything they do is adorable, even when it's infuriating.

Speaking of walking, I adore the way Eva walks. It's more of a gallop, really. Her arms flap all over the place, and she looks like she'll topple over any second, but she somehow stays on her feet.

Eva is starting to combine two words together here and there. Mostly things like, "Hi Mom." One of my favorite things she says is "Nay Nay Dude." Which is what she calls Nicky (Nicky taught her to call him Dude). During the day she'll say "Nay Nay Dude?" and I'll say, "He's at school." She can't say any of the other kids' names, so everything is Nay Nay. Sometimes, when she gets mad, she yells in an authoritarian voice, "NAY NAY!" like Nicky is to blame for all her problems. It's quite hilarious. She won't be writing a book any time soon, but I'm fascinated by every word she says.

Eva loves her dad. She gets super excited when he comes home from work, and even when she's half asleep in the middle of the night, if she knows Scotty is near, she calls out, "Hi, Dad!" 

She's also mischievous. She has a radar for candy and make-up. It's not uncommon for me to find her with make-up caked all over her face. No matter how well I hide stuff, I can't seem to keep her completely out of it (she is currently sporting a thick layer of Daisy's red lipstick she wears for dance performances. It's the kind that lasts for ten hours, of course. Eva looks like a murderous clown). 

Eva recently learned how to jump, and she has been very amused by her new ability. On the day she first jumped, she did it over and over again and looked at me with delight every time. Now she's trying to figure out how to jump off the bottom step of the staircase, but she doesn't understand that she needs to bend her knees when she lands.

Every night, Eva makes the rounds from bedroom to bedroom to tell her siblings goodnight. It's a fun little ritual which includes hugs and kisses and the pitter patter of tiny pajama-ed feet.

I love watching her explore the world and learn new things. Eva truly is a joy!