Alexa is 17 months!

I know, I know, running a little behind here! Anyway, here are Alexa's 17-month photos. We ended up doing two photo shoots this month. I really, really love her funky outfit in the first shoot, but it was so windy out that she didn't smile much! She is absolutely adorable in the second shoot, which wrapped after just four shots. But tell me what YOU think? Which is your favorite photo? If I stick with my current favorite, then we'll revisit her funky "Love" outfit with the pink boots for 18 months.

Photo Shoot #1

Photo Shoot #2

And now, a little bit about Alexa at 17 months...

• Alexa's vocabulary is exploding. She talks and talks and talks. Sometimes, she uses words we understand. Apple, apple, apple. Other times, it's a whole rush of made-up words. Or she'll sing along to her favorite song, "Barbara Ann" It cracks us up!
• Speaking of words, she can say the names of several of her friends... Hugo and Tai Tai are her boyfriends at daycare. She'll say their names over and over and over! And when she sees Hugo's mom, she'll point at her and say "Hugo?" She also has said Avery, Blythe and Vivien.
• Another new word that surprised us... Purple! Alexa was leaving daycare one day when she pointed at one of her teachers, who was wearing a purple shirt, and exclaimed, "purple"! We showed her some more purple things at home and she kept saying it. Purple, purple, purple! So maybe she's not a pink girl. Maybe she's a purple girl. Who knew?
• Alexa is learning how to get ready for daycare... She runs to get her shoes, and then holds them up and says "shoes"! She also says "socks" and tries to put them on. And when I put her legs into pants, she reaches down to try to pull her pants up. She also sticks her arms out to put on her jacket. And, of course, can put on her own hat!
• Alexa's hair is so long that she now wears her hair up in rubber bands for daycare every day. Still no hair cut... But it's getting close. We may need to find a stylist to do her bangs!
• Alexa is also learning how to interact with her friends. She still doesn't get the concept of sharing, but she certainly knows how to stand up for herself. On Valentine's Day, her friend Hugo tried to give her a hug and she pushed him away! Then, later, after she touched her friend Eleanor's head, she made it up by giving her a hug. Awww.
• Alexa's favorite toys of the month are not toys at all... BOOKS! BOOKS! BOOKS! She can say the word "book" and she says it over and over and over. She loves all of her books! And as soon as I sit down, she'll run over and sit on my lap for me to read her a book. Her favorite book of the moment is P.D. Eastman's "Go Dog Go." She also loves "Goodnight New Jersey" and "Goodnight America."
• Also this past month, Alexa learned to crawl through a tunnel at yoga class and then got one of her own. She loves it! She also has started to use crayons to color! It's more scribbling on paper, but she's coloring more than eating the crayons, so that is a change! And, of course, she loves playing dress up!
• In terms of food, she is still a pretty picky eater. Some new favorites are toast with almond butter, dried apricots, perogies and apple slices! Oh, and of course, SNOW!
• Finally, Alexa visited several new places for the first time this past month -- The Baltimore Aquarium,  the National Museum of Natural History, and the Building Museum. As you might expect, she loved them all!

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And now, check out how much Alexa has grown!