This month you have started to experiment more with talking. You have started to use mama, dada, and bye bye more so with the purpose of communicating instead of just babbling. You also have started regularly saying the word "hot" or "ha" (you don't really have the T down) when I am trying to keep you away from the open hot oven or when your food is still hot. When you want to try out a new word, you whisper it. I didn't actually realize this until your daddy pointed it out saying that he used to do the same thing?! I had been thinking for a while that I was just imagining it because whenever I would try to get you to say a word; I would see your mouth move like you were saying the word, but I wouldn't hear anything and you wouldn't repeat yourself. Now that I know what you're doing, it makes me feel less crazy. :) You have tried forming several words - like kitty cat, water, and light - but you only try them once in a whisper voice. It's pretty neat to see you experiment with talking!
You have also started showing more understanding when I am talking/singing to you. I like to sing different songs to you while we are in the car or if I am pushing you in the swing at the playground. One song I like to sing is, "If You're Happy and You Know It..." I always sang by myself with no response from you hoping that you were soaking up something. Since I couldn't clap or stomp while driving, I would always click my tongue. One day I started singing the song and you immediately starting clicking your tongue! Now at the end of the month, you will clap your hands and click your tongue throughout the whole song. When I would sing, I would also point to my face with both fingers during the part, "...then your face will really show it..." Sometimes if I am lucky, I can catch you doing the same.
You have started following some simple directions as well. Like any toddler, you love to get into things, but I have discovered a new trick that has helped me quite a bit. You like to close things - doors, drawers, toilets, the dishwasher, etc. If I am in the kitchen and I hear you getting into something in the bathroom, I say, "Close the door!" in an encouraging voice. As soon as I hear the click, I say, "Good job!" and we both clap. You really love the celebrating. :) I can keep you out of the Tupperware drawer now and I'm positive we have saved a few rolls of toilet paper from being rolled into the toilet. One problem we have run into though is when daddy is loading the dishwasher, you close it in the middle of the job and start clapping with a huge smile on your face. Haha!
This new ability to communicate is also helping with the potty training that I started when you were about five months old. Potty training at this stage is more about mommy reading your signals, but now you understand that going on the potty is a good thing and you celebrate by clapping your hands. Now, all that needs to happen is the recognition that you actually need to go.
You have learned to blow on your food when it is hot. This was modeled quite a bit by mommy and daddy during dinner time. One time, daddy was trying to joke around with you and started blowing on your strawberries and doing a fake laugh afterward to try to show you that it was silly to blow on them because they weren't hot. I don't think you got the joke because now you blow on your strawberries like they are hot.
Recently, you have started to make a lot of connections that we haven't specifically taught you... We were at our neighbor's fourth birthday party this last weekend. As soon as they lit the candle, you ran over and tried to blow it out. We had to hold you back to keep you from blowing out his candles.
When I went to the fifth grade promotion of my fourth graders from last year, earlier this week, you picked up a random kid's juice box and just starting drinking it with the straw. I had never even given you a straw or even showed you how to use one.
At church, you picked up the eraser for the chalkboard during Sunday School and started erasing. You have also picked up pens and pencils and tried to draw on paper.
You have started messing with the knobs and handles on doors as well. The only door in our house that you are close to opening has a deadbolt on it (luckily) because it is to the outside. It's only a matter of time before you're tall enough and have the strength to do it.
All of these things, I hadn't even specifically showed you, but you picked these things up from being observant. It is one thing that strangers always comment on - how aware you are of the world around you. People always assume that you are much older than 14 months. Right now, most guess around 18 months to 2 years old. I think it is in part because you are tall for your age, but also because of how you interact with and observe everything around you. We went to Antietam one Saturday as a family (mostly for the Nutters Icecream nearby... But the history was nice too!) You loved playing with the canons and smiling at the tourists who thought you were pretty cute.
You continue to love to be outside! We go on walks a couple times a day through the neighborhood. You love to swing and even tried the swing for big kids this last month.
You also have started to do this thing while you're swinging where you lean back and just stare up at the sky. I remember doing the same as a kid.
You are getting better at walking/crawling up the playground stairs and you always make a quick stop to spin the steering wheel at the top before going down the slide. Your favorite thing to do at the playground though is to play in the mulch. You like to pick up pieces of mulch and push them through the little round holes that make up the surface of the playground equipment.
You have actually walked all the way to the playground on your own without my direction (except when crossing the street). It's pretty far away so I am amazed with your incredible natural sense of direction!
This month, I bought a sand box off a Facebook Yardsale group for $5 and you love it! Before I got the sand, we turned it into a little swimming pool, but you weren't too fond of it, so as soon as it dried out and I had the sand, we filled it up.
You sit and play in your sand box for extended periods of time and I may love it even more than you do. I can't wait to take you to the beach this summer!
One evening, you were not in the mood to play independently while your daddy and I watched our single tv show for the evening. We only got about 15 minutes into it before we couldn't hear because of your wailing... So I decided we should go out for a walk. The second we were outside, you were perfectly fine. While we were out and about, it started raining. I decided to just stay out in the rain (instead of face whatever toddler had been having a meltdown earlier). It started as only a warm sprinkle, but then it POURED! We had so much fun!! A couple days later, we were going somewhere and it was pouring rain once again outside. Instead of staying in the garage, you ran out with your hands in the air screaming and smiling. Haha, too bad we had somewhere we needed to be!
You currently have five teeth that are mostly out. You are enjoying the benefits of having more chompers! You love to eat and are really pretty good about trying new foods. We occasionally do snacks of Cheerios, goldfish, and marshmallows, but I found that you don't eat your meals as well afterwards, so we have basically cut snacks out except for after dinner if you are feeling munchy. You have so many foods the you love right now. It makes me feel like I'm doing something right as a mom when I see you devour your brocolli or green beans before touching anything else on your plate. I'm glad that you're a better eater than me!
You continue to lead a very scheduled life, but you can be flexible if needed. You get up every morning between 6:45 and 7:15am. We usually have a breakfast of scrambled eggs, some sort of fruit, and a handful of Cheerios. Then, we go on a morning walk and/or play outside until around 9:30-10am. After that you are ready for a nap. Your morning nap lasts about an hour and a half and then you're up and ready to eat lunch. We usually have leftovers from the night before or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with fruit and veggies sides for lunch. Since you have three sections in your divided plates, I find myself feeling like I need to have a different food in each space. We usually once again play outside until around 2ish and then you are down again for your afternoon nap until 4pm. We eat dinner a little after you wake up, watch a tv show and then we are out for a walk again in the neighborhood until 7pm when it's bath time. After bath and a little inside playtime with daddy, it's bedtime at around 8pm.
Your hair grew a lot this month! I've been dreaming of ponytails for quite some time and decided to try some out in the bathtub. You daddy came upstairs during all of this and exclaimed, "Astro Boy!" It's from your daddy's favorite comic Calvin and Hobbes. I think I see the resemblance!
I am still nursing you when you wake up, before your two naps, and at bedtime. You are still awake when I am done nursing you and put yourself to sleep about 80% of the time, so I'm not too concerned with the transitioning. I tried to start weaning you a couple months ago and ended up with mastitis, so I decided to consider that I sign that neither of us were ready.
Now that whole schedule is basically kaput if we go anywhere for the day. We have morning church starting at 9am every Sunday and unlike the other sweet babies at church, you do not sleep a wink. When you are tired and we are away from home, you somehow become more energetic. It's actually pretty amazing how you can run around and show no signs of actually being tired. When we were at the fifth grade promotion for my fourth graders from last year, you were dancing around the gymnasium floor with about a dozen fifth graders surrounding you. That was at 1:30pm and you hadn't taken a single nap that day. I decided that it was time to go and you fought me getting into the stroller, but you had almost fallen asleep before we even made it out to the car!
I know I am just the doting first time mom, but I am constantly amazed by how well you play with other kids. Many times at the playground, at a playgroup, or at a neighbor's house, another kid (always older) will grab a toy out of your hands. Instead of throwing a fit, you just walk away and get another toy. If you are playing with another kid, many times, you will turn and hand them what you are playing with in order to share with them. We still have problems with you getting excited and wacking other kids in the face, but if I say something about kissing it better, you put your hands down and snuggle up to the kid and give them a kiss which is basically at this point you just pressing your face against theirs. Here is a picture of you snuggling in the bounce house with Elise, your 4 year old neighbor friend!
You are also a pretty tough kid as far as falling and not crying. One time, we were at the playground and you totally smashed your face into the side of the slide when you accidentally tripped over your feet while running. Several of the moms that I was standing around with gasped and we all waited for the heavy pause before the inevitable scream when there's a bad injury. You just sat up, looked at me, and then stood up and continued on your way. You have scrapes and bruises on your legs and most of them barely stunned you. If you do cry after a fall, it's usually because it was a really bad one or you are just tired and ready for a nap/bedtime. I'm one lucky mama!
One neat thing that I have been noticing lately is your capacity to learn and REMEMBER things and people. A while back, your daddy taught you that you could get a balloon to float above the air vent if you put it in the right spot. You did it several times after he taught you until that balloon popped. A few days later, you found your big pink bouncy ball which was about the same size and you tried to have it fly above the air vent like the balloon. When it didn't work, you looked visibly confused and disappointed.
I can't believe how fast you're growing. You are such a fun and amazing little girl. We are going to have a blast together this summer!
