The {Toddler} Leader of the Pack

I walked Rachel into the nursery at Bible study a few days ago and one of the sweet workers said, “Here comes the leader of the pack!”

Apparently my 18-month-old girl is a leader in the nursery at a church we don’t actually even attend. I’m pretty sure that means she doesn’t want to be held and rocked like a few of the others and isn’t shy to express what she wants. I’m also pretty sure she’s stopped stealing other kids’ pacifiers, so that’s good news.

Y’all, this girl is a leader. I know, she’s little, but her personality is so big and fun and funny. Here we are, half way between 1 and 2. My baby isn’t so babyish anymore, and it’s so much fun to watch her discover the world around her.

Oh, and discover she does.

She’s recently learned to climb into chairs – the rocking chair in her room, the kitchen chairs, and the bar-height chairs around our dining room table. She tries to keep up with the big kids and mimics anything we do like a champ.

Her vocabulary is expanding: Momma, Daddy, shoes, mmmm for more, thank you, hi-ee, bye-ee, nigh-night, and chee-eese are the usual words. Just this past week, she started saying “cook” for “book,” which reminded her she knows “cookie.” She calls any small child, stuffed animal or real animal baby. I’m shocked she doesn’t say Ben or Cate yet. And I really love when she uses “thank you” appropriately and tries to say “love you.”

In addition to cookies, she loves popcorn, chips, and milk. She doesn’t reject much of anything though.

She runs most anywhere she goes. She sings and dances. She likes to wobble around the trampoline. She opens drawers and cabinets faster than anyone I know.

Our family is better off because of this one girl who is right between 1 and 2. She changed us from the very beginning, has kept us on our toes since, and makes people happy everywhere she goes. I pray we all grasp the adventure & joy around us like Rachel does as the leader of the pack.

*****

Look back on Rachel’s growth :: One month. Two months. Three months. Four months. Five months. Six months. Seven months. Eight months. Nine months. Ten months. Eleven months. One year.