Nineteen Months of Toddler Frances

On Frances's Nineteen Months birthday, we decided to take a trip to the reef, a small, rocky island in our cove that's almost completely submerged by the high tide. The reef is so close that a hearty soul could swim to it from our dock, but I'm not that hearty. I'm more of the "Be prepared!" type, so Frances ventured out in hat, sunscreen, life vest, sweatshirt and water-friendly shoes.

"Really, mom?"

The idea is to go to the reef and cavort and explore, like so:

Cousin Clare, cavorting.

Cousin James, exploring.

Cousin Frances was not so interested in cavorting or exploring. Cousin Frances did not enjoy the sensation of walking on crushed shells. So Cousin Frances sat.

"Really, mom?"

But really, you couldn't ask for a nicer place to spend your Nineteen Months birthday.

Nineteen Month Fun Facts

• Language: Frances continues to master animal sounds: Snakes say "Sssss." Cats say "Wow" (rhymes with "meow"). Owls say "Who-who." Lions make a sound I can't type, but it's like a whispered roar. She likes words that end in -sh, like brush, fish and push. Her favorite word is "my," unfortunately. She can even use it in a phrase, specifically, "No, my" (i.e. No, don't touch that. It's mine.) Makes a mom's heart proud.
• Greatest Aspiration: Successfully showing down Cousin James (aged about 25 months). A typical confrontation involves James growling at Frances and Frances yelling "No" back at him. All day, every day.
• Nickname: Cousin James is convinced Frances's name is "H." We don't know how he came up with it, but it's kinda catchy. I like to believe he was inspired by Hayward, but that may be a bit of a stretch.
  
• Favorite food: Pasta and blueberries. Everything else she'll eat two bites of and then turn up her nose, but pasta and blueberries she'll eat until you'd think she'd be sick.
• Favorite comment: My dad, Frances's "Sir" asked, "Is she always this happy?" Made me so pleased.
• One word to describe Frances this month: Go-er, as in "one who goes." If you want to see the saddest face in the world, just try leaving Frances behind. As soon as we put her shoes on each day, she stands by the front door turning the doorknob with one hand and waving good-bye with the other, saying "Bye, bye, bye."