Caroline turned 17 months today.  It is amazing to watch this little lady grow and develop!

Here is a snapshot of Caroline at 17 months:

• She blows kisses and it is the cutest thing ever. 
• She recognizes Kay Kay and Pa on FaceTime and tries to grab the phone and smoosh them into her baby face.
• When we were in Florida, she spontaneously ran over to Matt, flung her arms around him, and snuggled his neck for a good few seconds. It was adorable and made Matt’s day. 
• She has started dancing more, and twirling! She did it at the Kearney Family Reunion to the Moana song and she does it in the kitchen when we have music on. She especially loves Billy Joel’s ‘Only the Good Die Young.’
• She has incredible comprehension and tonight, when I was reading a book called Teddy Bear Picnic, she stopped me halfway through and pointed to her current favorite book (Big Teddy, from Ms. Virginia up the street) and wanted that instead. She knew it was a book about a teddy, but she wanted a different one! So cool.  
• She loves being praised and claps for herself if you tell her “Good job!”
• She likes putting cards into the oatmeal box slot and recently took my metro/credit cards and put them in, too. She was proud of herself for thinking of that!
• She loves to carry around my purse and likes being helpful by bringing me my purse, phone, flip flops. 
• She understands and loves anticipation/suspense. I stacked up a bunch of plastic cubes and when she tried to knock them over, I held her back and wouldn’t let her do it, and she laughed and laughed. 
• She loves playing with balls–any size. Big ones that bounce and little ones she can hold in her hands. 
• She likes to sort things and arrange them perfectly and then knock them all over and make a mess and do it all over again. 
• She can and does follow basic commands. She can pick up her toys when asked and will follow little instructions like “put your water bottle down and go up the stairs for tubby time!” 
• She knows where things are on her body! She can show you her eyes, ears, mouth, nose, toes, fingers, belly, and (wait for it) her BOW. 
• She still loves Finnegan so much. He is the first one she wants to see in the morning and she will try to snuggle him (usually while he is moving, which is funny). She also likes to feed him, which consists of her dumping the cup of his food in the general area of his bowl and then picking up each and every individual piece and putting it in the bowl. 
• She looooves ice cream. And milkshakes. She can put away some serious food, I tell you!

Happy 17 months, Sugar Bear!