Sophie turned 19 months old earlier this month – and since my last update was just after the 15-month mark, I figured it was high time for an update! And it’s a nice opportunity to share a few photos from our trip to Puerto Rico a few weeks ago. But be prepared: Sophie still looked like a baby in my last update, and these days she is very much a toddler. I still can’t believe how fast time is flying!

The big news is that Sophie is walking – and running – everywhere and anywhere these days! There are times that she still wants to be picked up and carried, but typically she’ll request “down” or “walk” wherever we go. We discovered a little plaza full of pigeons in Old San Juan during our trip to Puerto Rico, and it was hands down Sophie’s favorite part of the entire trip. She wasn’t chasing the pigeons (at least intentionally) – she wanted to give them all hugs!

We’ve really enjoyed watching Sophie’s personality emerge over the last few months. She is generally a happy child, full of smiles, laughs, and the occasional high five for everyone around her. She has a wonderful sense of humor and, like any toddler, loves to play – current favorites include peekaboo, both duplo and wood blocks, and pretty much anything on wheels. She’s also independent and stubborn (just like her mama), and thoughtful and curious (just like her papa). And so many words! She seems to learn a new word every day. It’s amazing to see her verbal skills develop right in front of us.

But as we leave Sophie’s babyhood, we’ve also started to experience some of the tantrums and frustrations of toddlerhood. She gets frustrated when she lacks the words to communicate something to us or doesn’t have the physical ability to do something she wants to do. And Sophie has already figured out that she doesn’t have to do everything we tell her to do, which makes for some interesting experiences as she pushes her limits and we try to reinforce good habits and boundaries. Parenthood!

A few days after we came home from Puerto Rico, the cherry blossom trees (finally!) bloomed in DC. We took Sophie to our local cemetery one evening, where many of our neighbors walk their dogs, to see the blossoms in person. Sophie was in heaven, but not so much for the blossoms. She loooooves dogs and wanted to say hello to every dog she passed – she didn’t want to go back home!

The last few months have been some of the most exhausting (so. much. toddler. energy!) but also some of the most fun in my time as a parent. I can’t wait to see what the next few months bring!

p.s. Sophie’s Hi romper from Baby Gap (but sadly no longer available online), silver moccasins from Freshly Picked, and navy dress from Egg by Susan Lazaar