Did I say everyday? I guess I meant every weekday. Huh.

We were beginning to be concerned about Alliclaus' speech delays. At 18 months, she was only really saying two words and they changed from week to week. She'd seem to learn a word and then the next week she wouldn't know the word, or at least she wouldn't say it.

In any case, it seems that we were concerned about what amounted to a regular developmental delay. Alliclaus has been a few months delayed across the board on most stuff, so I don't know why I let the speech delay worry me so much, but we're enjoying a wonderful speech explosion at this point.

It's funny. I've read tons of mommyblogs where they lay out an inventory of their children's words and I've always found it fun, but I can't bring myself to do one. For me, it just seems like a chore to write it all down. However, I'm not above giving you a small sampling of my favorites.

• Fairy (free-ree) - Alliclaus has a number of fairy Christmas tree ornaments that she likes to identify
• Papa (pop-per) - For some reason, that "r" just cracks me up
• Whoa. Are you okay? (wo-yo-kay?) - When Alliclaus was first walking, I had to work very hard to have a shake-it-off attitude, so I turned to this phrase whenever she fell. Apparently it sunk in, because she not only says it to us if we slip or fall, but she also says it to herself when she falls. I love it.

She mimics us a lot now. It's probably about time for me to start focusing on cleaning up my act. Nobody wants a baby who swears at the grandparents.

I'm so excited that tomorrow is Christmas. We've never stayed home for Christmas before and while I'm sad that I won't be seeing my friends and family, it turns out that not traveling for the holiday has left me with an amazing lack of anxiety surrounding these last few weeks. Plus, my in-laws are taking all the kids to Disneyland this year, and I can think of nowhere I want to be less the week between Christmas and the New Year than Disneyland. (In truth, there's almost never a time when Disneyland is not the last place I want to be. I have a heart of stone.)

I'm desperate for the next couple of weeks to come and go and for this baby to be born already. This pregnancy has been super-easy, but the heartburn the last two weeks has been unbearable. I'm not sleeping at night because of it and am having trouble eating for fear of it.

I have some pictures of Alliclaus in her Christmas dress that I need to pull off the camera that I'll probably post tomorrow. (After all, why take pictures of your kid if you can't use them for a complete cheat of a post on a holiday?) I'll see you then.

Alliclaus says, "By-ee."