My Katie

With the last week of summer break upon me, I'm becoming increasingly aware of how much my baby girl has grown this summer.  She is now 19 months and I swear she's going on 19 years.

She terrorizes the cat, laughs when you smack her hand, screeches when she doesn't get her way, yells for her blankie, and cries when we leave YaYa's house.  In all those ways, and more, she's clearly hitting her terrible twos.

But along with those, wonderful traits have developed.  Actual phrases are now being used.  Possessions are being noted.

Yesterday, Starbuck (the new kitty) started batting around some food that Katie dropped on the floor.  Miss Mae looked right at her, shook her finger and said "BuckBuck!  NO!"  It was SO cute, I couldn't help but smile.

But my absolute favorite is her addition of "my" to everything.  My kitty.  My dinner.  My milk.  And, of course, my favorite: my mommy.  She's not doing it in a bratty kind of way - it's more of a sweetness, a sprinkling of Katie Mae sugar over everything.  She's letting everyone know that these things belong to her and are loved by her.

How absolutely amazing is this face?!

Eating her newly acquired taste - cold grilled cheese.  Would you look at those curls?!

I realize that these sweet possessives won't remain sweet forever.  In just a few weeks or months, it will turn into a bratty "MINE!", but until that time, I'm just going to sit back and enjoy every moment of being her mommy.