Alyssa at 15 months

It's amazing to me that she has survived these last two to three months. Kasey's nickname for her, Menace, is fitting now more than ever. Everyday I am amazed by her resourcefulness. I love watching the kids grow up, figure things out, and come into their own. She is wasting no time, determined to be an equal to her brother.

Here's the latest list of her accomplishments;

• Pulls herself up on chairs. She is delighted by this newest skill. She has also transferred this new skill to our bed. She now pulls herself up to the side of my computer table and grins at me. Then she shakes her head, says no and proceeds to press the power button, sending my computer into hibernation. I often find myself arguing with her at night as she insists on pushing my buttons (both metaphorically and literally).
• A plethora of words. She has a whole library of words she now uses along side her signs including up, out, no, dadda, mama, ba (brobru has been abbreviated), ball, book, bread, more, please, uh oh, morning, night-night, hi, bye and I'm sure there are more I'm forgetting. She is also combining words. Her favorite is when talking on the phone ~ "hi dada"
• Running like the wind. This girl is fast... especially when chased. She and her brother enjoy playing together now. Alyssa takes something of his and he pursues her. They end up near the front door in stitches.
• She's getting taller. I know this because she can now reach the very tall pile of papers, magazines and books that are expertly stacked on the table next to my bed.
• Slides. She loves slides and she can do many of them by herself. Of course, she's still very small so if you aren't at the bottom to catch her she shoots off the end and does a fancy acrobatic move as she face plants into the bark dust ~ her little legs kicking, but never making contact with the ground. You would think after having this happen a few times, she would wait for someone to be at the bottom. But no. She has no fear.
• She likes hats and she can put them on her head by herself. I see this as a big accomplishment as prior her little arms weren't long enough to reach the top of her head.
• Outgrowing 6-9 month clothes! Yep, we are in search of 12 month pajamas. She is still wearing 6-9 month pants... and we finally packed away the 3-6 month pants and skirts because they were becoming high waters.
• Eats with a fork and spoon. She's been holding it in her hand as she eats with the other for a while now. Now she will occasionally use it as a vehicle for getting the food to her mouth... or at least for picking it up off the plate so she can pick it off and put it in her mouth.
• Loves to eat our food. She loves to nibble on a full quesadilla wedge or half a hamburger. She loves to be handed a quarter of a sandwich. she still fists her food though so her first bite is normally smashed flat against her face. It's quite charming.

I love when we are at one of Robbie's play dates and Alyssa tries to play with the big kids. It is inevitable that she gets pushed or trampled. All the other parents gasp in fear that the little miniature walking doll is hurt. I don't flinch as I watch her pick herself up and charge after the kids again. Alyssa puts her brother's scars to shame. Her legs and knees are scraped and cut... and we don't realize it until we are getting her dressed because she never cried about it while playing. She wears her scars proudly as she most often chooses dresses to wear.

Don't get me wrong. Our little girl cries while playing. But it's normally from frustration over injury. I think her toughness is good for surviving with her brother... but I worry about Robbie's future. I think Alyssa's size was God's way of giving Robbie a fighting chance against Alyssa and her menacing ways. I love my daughter and can't wait to see what else she has in store for us.