I’m adding something new to Xol’s blog this year. I’m going to start inserting quotes, here and there, that inspire me or remind me of Xol. My hope is that they can also be teaching points or advice for her to consider when she looks back at this place I’ve created for her. 

Also, I’m not sure if this is going to bring any old entries to the forefront, but I’m going to label some old entries. I was looking for some information to give to Eli the other day and I realized that I have only haphazardly titled my “text” entries. It wasn’t as easy for me to find what I was looking for. All fine now, but what about when Xol is 15 trying to look through her blog for when she officially started walking??!! (12 months and 3 weeks old as it turns out!) So, that’s on deck. Stay tuned.

Lastly, I’m also considering changing my delivery on the blog. Instead of addressing the “audience”, I think I’m going to start addressing Xol directly. She’s just 3 months shy of 2 years old. That’s almost grown 🙁 Just the other day I told her that something was for babies, and she said baby Xol (pointing at herself). Louie told her, “No you’re not a baby anymore.” I realized that I tell her, in a long drawn out voice, “Myyyy babyyyy”, and rock her when I kiss her sometimes. So I told her that she will always be mom and pop’s baby, but she’s a big girl now 🙁 The point here is I am going to try and transition my delivery in the very near future. After all, this is all for Xol. We’re just along for the ride!

Xol turned 21 months a couple of days ago. She is really a little lady already! Such a fun kid! The major news for the 20 months mark is she can count to 10!!! She’s been working up to it I guess (with that 6 7 8 9 stint at the beginning of the month), but she just belted it out one day when I was getting ready to drop my clothes off at the cleaners. She started taking my clothes out of the bag, one article at a time, and saying 1, 2, 3, etc!! I was trying not to freak out and trying to find my phone while I did that so I could record it!! Needless to say I didn’t do either successfully enough and I scared her out of doing it again that day. Haha! [EDIT: ( HOW COULD I FORGET?!)The other major news is that Xol learned how to conjugate verbs and use prepositions!!! Very well, might I add. Got to get bragadocious with that one!] She also has full on conversations with people. Of course there are some…ok several…words missing here and there, but you will get the point! She knows what she likes too. She will tell people where to sit at the table and whether or not she’s ready for them to leave! She likes to jump and walk while holding mom and pop’s hands. She loves to go out to eat and she still has a great appetite. She is increasingly better at doing everything herself. She is trying to dress herself independently and although I hope we’re at the tail end of things, she still prefers to go without pants. Xol is a precious angel. The first time I can remember her showing empathy was when she was 7 months old and I was going through some personal issues. She grabbed my face and pulled me in for a kiss with a concerned look on her face. Just the other day I showed her a clip of our wedding reception. It was the father / daughter dance and it was a little emotional. She thought Papo and Mom were sad, so she started crying at the thought of it. Saying No!! Such a sweet show of empathy from my sunshine. Caught it on tape and word spread quickly among the Gil de Montes inner circle. I may post it as a result! HA! Her obsession with Mickey Mouse clubhouse is at an all time high thanks to her father and tata who let her watch TV without restraint. It irks me to no end that she watches TV every morning before getting out of bed, but watching it more than that makes me feel ill!!!! No one cares what I say anymore because it is a sure fire way to get Xol to calm down in a pinch. Xol knows all the characters by name (even those not prominently featured) and can identify them from the sound of their voice. I draw the line at Mickey and the crew though. NO ONE will start the princess parade on my watch! I bought her the CD and we have it on deck in the car, the house, and on mom’s phone. Never know when we’re gonna need a little Mouse magic! She even takes her Minnie and Mickey stuffed animals out to eat with us. She occasionally feeds them as well. All of this has me considering making her 2nd birthday party a MM Clubhouse theme. Staying true to my word, this party will be considerably smaller than her 1st! No more major functions until her 5th birthday. Then we blow the roof off this mutha one more time! Ha! Oh and I axed the hippy school, but I have not ruled out returning once Xol is at the Nursery School age. That place left a short legacy of a feverish cold and bad behavior! It’s taken a while, but she’s over both of them…for the most part. She has slowed down a bit in her interest for books and I do make a direct correlation to the new found love of TV!!! She still reads and is working on her letters still. She started playing the maracas and xylophone this month and she still plays her drums (getting better at those!). Her guitar is temporarily out of commission, but it will be back. She is also working on learning small, medium and large as well as colors and patterns. That’s all for now. Xol is adventurous and keeps me on my toes. I love her spirit and so does everyone around her! Blessed with the best. Xoxo