Sun's back! - and 21 month round-up

So, the sun has been back five days already, but I have yet to actually see her because she doesn't shine at work yet, it's been snowing, and now that it's the weekend and clear or semi-clear skies we're not out and about in places where the sun hits yet (well, tomorrow we were originally planning on a ski and sled excursion, but after today's stroll to town and shopping trip we are left exhausted and ready to just stay home and clean house :P).

But just the actual light in the sky actually makes a big difference for me I've noticed. It feels so good! Like life is better somehow with it there. It holds an energy or a promise. Just like the first evening where there was actual darkness this fall. I find it all quite interesting.

But in any event, I will be seeing the sun in 10-11 days no matter what, if not with my feet on the earth then at least up high in the sky, as we are heading to Taiwan for 3+ weeks next Tuesday. Needless to say we are *excited*.

In Leona news,

• she started saying her name a couple days ago - previously she's always referred to herself as 'baby' (we call her Baby Leona a lot) - now she'll say 'Noona' for the most part, and sometimes 'Moona'. Just the cutest ever. (Not like 'Noona wants something', but if we say Leona she repeats 'Noona).
• she's been about two weeks accident free (minus a day a couple days ago where she even peed on Judge - twice! She's never, ever peed on us before...except when she was just a few months old and I was being daring with the ECing that is) - she still has a diaper when she sleeps and when we head out though, but that still leaves a lot of potty-action at home
• she created another sign: plate, which is similar to turtle (which is like doing the breast-stroke and saying a hard 'aaahhhh' at the same time...sign made by Judge) but upward...kind of like 'up (or out?) came the sun' in itsy-bitsy spider. Previously she's only signed and said bowl.
• she now sleeps through the night (!!!!). She nurses before bed, wakes up when I come in to sleep, but does not sit up or ask to nurse, and then I wake her up before I head to work so she can nurse, and she goes back to sleep for a few more hours. There is no crying (most nights), and no other wake-ups for nursing.
• she also has cut back on the 'got home from work' nurse to just a minute or so sometimes, and even skipped it once. I'm pretty sure this and the point above are intimately connected with my milk supply and the taste of the milk in terms of the pregnancy, but I feel it is good for me, as well as her - full night's sleep is good and healthy! And at 21 months old nursing 8 times a day is not necessary - 3 or however many she's wanting is just fine for us ;)
• she absolutely loves her sled - now that we have snow, finally, Judge even takes her to the store across the street on it, and they park it on the mezzanine outside our apartment's front door - every time we head out and she sees it her eyes light up and she does her car sound and wants to take it as her method of transportation

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