my big girl

Recently, my sweet little Lovely, my perfect tiny baby, has decided she's a big kid.  For the past three weeks, Daddy has been on the road for work, coming home on weekends.  So maybe I paid even more attention than usual, not wanting him to miss a thing.  But during that time...

-she gave up her binky. entirely.
-overnight, decided she also would not be drinking from a bottle anymore.
-and that she doesn't like sippy cups either.  So we are slowly working on using a cup.  she's getting better at it.  Slowly.  Meanwhile, watch out for spills.
-she's very insistent about getting to wear her shoes everyday.  And I'm not very good at remembering since I always carry her to the car.
-she does not WANT me to carry her anymore.  She wants to run with her sisters.  She lets me insist on holding hands in the street but if I try to carry her, she will scream and thrash and beg.
-she's talking up a storm lately.  I love hearing her jabber slowly turn to recognizable speech and am so impressed with her vocabulary.  Her sisters didn't talk much at this age, probably because of the need for tubes in their ears.  So Lovely has been a fun adventure.
-she dances. rhythmically bending her knees or twirling in circles.
-she wants to brush her teeth every night with the big girls.
-she decided she doesn't need a high chair and wants to sit at the bar.  like the big girls.
-she loves to wear her overalls so she can shove her tiny fists deep into her pockets.
-her hair is long enough for pig tails.  not just the two antennas on top, but actual pigtails.
-she's began actually watching the tv, engaged by the program.
-she started doing "cheers!"
-she's saying Ladybug's name with perfect clarity.  But instead of Butterfly's name, she calls her "sister" most of the time.  she hates to be left out and frequently asks "where's sisters?"

silly little things? yes.  making me feel like she's growing too fast?  yes.

**added later.

Less than 24 hours, she's given even more evidence.
-while I assumed she was taking a nap, she managed to strip herself naked, including diaper and pee in her crib.
-she found Daddy's old cell phone and claimed it as her own.
-right now she's sweetly and tenderly caring for her baby, putting her to bed, wrapping her in blankets, patting and kissing her
-she's wearing jeans, a tshirt and tennis shoes.  funny how the little things make such a difference.