4 months away from having a two-year old. :(

Bella is now twenty months old - four months away from two. She's beginning to look more like a little girl and less like a baby. :( She is still floating between 18 month & 24 month clothing but I've begun to pack up more and more of her 18 month stuff as I do laundry to make the impact a little easier for me to handle.

She's still quiet - she talks, but she's definitely not a chatterbox. R is worried, of course, because he feels she should be having these lengthy conversations about anything and everything... me personally? I enjoy the quiet. I know once she really starts gabbing, it's not going to stop. As it stands now if she's interested in something, she chatters non-stop in a mixture of recognizable words and Bella-speak. She signs & gestures, though, so I know she's understanding and processing things.

Any slowness she's shown in her speech has been made up for in gross and fine motor movement - this child is EVERYWHERE. She plays with 3-4 year olds at Gymboree because they can match her speed when they play tag or climb to the top of equipment. She climbs everything. She can climb her high chair with ease, my pumped up computer chair is no match for her, and twice this week I've caught her busting open baby latches on drawers to use them as a ladder to get on the kitchen counter.

This morning after we both dozed back off in bed, I woke up to a bed, bathroom, and my hair full of toothpaste. Good thing I get it for free because she used an entire tube in her masterpiece.

She is slowly starting to wean (yep - I'm still BFing!) and it looks like she's starting to gear up for potty training. I've noticed it more if we have her in a disposable verses a cloth diaper, but if it's wet or soiled, it's off. It doesn't matter if there are pants or shoes in the way, she's stripping down.

I'm tired but I am trying to soak in all of her "littleness" while I still can. I know soon she's not going to want to just climb into my lap to cuddle or pet my hair and say "pretty" (because hopefully she'll have some of her own!). She's exhausting but I can't imagine it any other way.

Also for those who are pregnant or gear curious, this is the breakdown on what's been retired or what we're still using....

Crib: GONE! She's currently on her mattress on the floor, with two king pillows between the mattress and the wall. In the mornings if she's up but not ready for me (and doesn't feel like opening the door), she'll entertain herself with books and toys until either we come get her or she calls for us. I love having her bed on the floor as it makes it easier for us to cuddle with her. Once she outgrows the mattress we'll move her into a full bed.

Car Seat: Graco Nautilus. We switched a little after her 1st birthday and are still happy we did, even with the new car seat guidelines out. Driving with her screaming, howling, and choking on her own tears/snot was not safe for either one of us. I've been really happy with this seat!
Baby Carrier: Since she's still on the smaller side, we are able to wear her still in the Moby. I keep it at home now & keep the Ergo in the car. We typically wear her for everything instead of taking the stroller with us - so far we've done the ren fair, San Diego Zoo & Wild Animal Park (Safari Park), Disneyland more times than I can count, and any day-to-day shopping when she can't be trusted to stay in the cart.
Stroller: While I'm still happy we invested in a (very lightly used) UppaBaby, I have to say we rarely use it. It gets used for walks around the neighborhood or when I get my hair cut (and I can't schedule around R's time off). She can undo the safety belts and to me it's a bigger PITA to break it out, set it up, and then load her in than it is to pop her in the Ergo or force her to sit in a cart.
Cloth Diapers: With us looking at potty training soon, I think we can say we've done it for the long haul with Bella. We're still using premium infant prefolds (same 2 dozen!) from Little Lions, typically with Wonder Wrap one-size covers and a DIY fleece liner. We're really happy with how well everything has held up, although I have doubts if some of my covers would make it through a second baby.

Toys: If it's "real" she loves it. She has real utensils, our old tupperware/pots/pans, purses, etc. She still plays with some of her Fisher Price toys (for the most part it's the talking fridge & the musical keyboard) but she's seemingly starting to move away from those types of toys. She loveslovesloves books and coloring books. And the portable Etch-a-Sketch with a LED light is an amazing toy, even if the package says 3+.

I still use my Boppy - best $5 I ever spent at the OC Kids Consignment Sale when I was pregnant. I believe almost all sippy cups are total crap when it comes to milk, so she usually gets them in a plastic cup with a straw. For water we have a metal canteen bottle with a sippy spout that I got at TJ Maxx that she loves.

I always am willing to answer questions on gear, cloth diapers, etc. :)