Regan is 22 months old!

The past month has been filled with many new sentences and many new emotions. Regan loves to talk about herself in the third person. She says things like," Regan hair, Regan pretty dress, Regan blanket." She also loves saying,"Mommy, Daddy Ryan, Regan, Lucy." When she walks into a room she always says,"Hello," and waves with a straight arm and only her little fingers moving. She loves to run, prefers Mommy right now and will never let Mommy and Ryan go anywhere together without her. She has become a very picky eater and likes to eat pasta, pizza, blueberries, freeze dried bananas, pumpkin pancakes, cheese, chicken (sometimes), salmon, and crackers. It is pretty frustrating that she won't eat what we eat, but I keep trying to feed her everything. If I give her a fork and spoon to use, she will give anything a try. Usually after a bite she hands me her bowl and says, "Don't want it." Regan has also been adjusting to having her brother back in school. It has been difficult for her, and on the first day of school she cried because we left him at school. She is also becoming increasingly difficult, or shall I say, strong willed. She wants what she wants, when she wants it. If she doesn't get it, there is a huge meltdown to follow. I am talking about banging her head on the floor until she has a red mark, putting her fingers down her throat to make herself throw up, throwing anything that is in her reach, and screaming at the top of her lungs. This started a few months ago, but is getting worse the closer she gets to 2. I usually make sure she is in a safe place and give her space to tantrum. And, yes, sometimes this happens when we are out in public. I am THAT mom with THAT child! Regan has a big personality with two very strong moods, very happy or very grumpy. She reminds me of myself more and more each day. It is frightening. She is a smart girl and can say all the letters of the alphabet, can count to 20 and knows most animals and the sounds that they make. She likes to look at books alone, but has a hard time sitting still so I can read a story to her. I see some similarities between her and Ryan, but for the most part they are very different.