to our 17 month old memory box

so a week or so ago your papa and i decided to make list of all the words and phrases that you can say. and it's a long list. one that we keep adding to. you say so many words....and lately you also like to say people's names. like on monday, we were looking at a picture on the fridge and i pointed to emily and said her name. and all day monday and all day tuesday, you kept saying it. and saying it. i think it's your new favorite word. and the way you say it, it is pretty fun to say. all drawn out and slow, with emphasis on each syllable. you are able to identify her in the picture now, as well as yourself and ella (of course), jack and gavin. you also can say the names of your cousins (especially ellie and jacob) and stacy's name too. and my personal favorite is the way you say "gigi" for janet. and you say your own name now...both syllables instead of just "ta" like earlier.
i love the way you will say people's names to recall something we did with them. like after we went on a stroller ride with janet and ella and they gave you that hat. now you randomly point to the stroller and say "gigi" or "hat" and then i fill in the blanks while you nod your head and smile.
you know some of your colors too (WHAT??!!)...you have yellow and blue down and are pretty successful with red and green as well. lately you want to know what color anything and everything is....you will point to something and then repeat the color over and over once we tell you what color it is. and randomly you will get other colors right...pulling purple pants out of your drawer and saying "purple".
you also like to "sing", and the way you sing the ABCs sounds remarkably like the opening to the song. you are able to say/sing parts to songs that clue us in to what you are singing. you have practically mastered wheels on the bus and are still doing movements to many songs, including the itsy bitsy spider, which neither your papa or i have every sung to you so we are not sure where you picked that up. the other day in the car i caught you doing ALL moves to "the more we get together" and then clapping for yourself before starting again.
speaking of starting again, repetition should be your middle name. you love to do things over and over again. you still like to build towers, and lately you like to take toys and move them a few at a time to a different room in the house and then back again. you also are back to preferring to read books on your own, and you will sit and gesture and point and babble as you "read" the books outloud. you think it's fun for us to count things while you gesture with your fingers as if you are counting too.
you have started swim lessons again and love being in the water. you are always loud and boisterous in the pool until the swim instructor comes over and then you stare at her silently with those big blue eyes of yours. but you are taking it all in.
you continue to like to help mommy with the laundry, but mostly because you like to try to put your clothes on by yourself. and today you put three of mommy's headbands on (on your head and around your neck) and then kept running over to the mirror to admire your reflection.
i can't believe that soon you are going to be a big sister. but what a fantastic sister you will be. you are very interested in babies (especially baby addie....you will say her name, say "tickle tickle" because you tickled her toes and then you make a crying face because she cried a little bit when she came over). as excited as i am to have another baby, there is some sadness that you will no longer be our only child. we have had so much time to devote to you....hear your every word, sing every song with you, laugh at your every move. i know in my heart that all of us are so blessed to be adding to our family, and i know that your life will ultimately be enriched as well. but we have cherished these months with you, and just you, like no words can express.