Sssshhhh.....don't tell Emily, but I'm hijacking her blog again, as she appears to have better things to do than update her blog. And I realize she hasn't even put Christmas pictures on here - I will speak to her about that. I, however, would like to document some fun things she's doing, now that she's just about a big 18 month old little lady. :)
--She likes ketchup on EVERYTHING. And, we are quick to please, as it means she will likely take more "bops" (bites) of whatever it is she's eating. :)
--The words are coming - fast and furious. Her current vocabulary includes ball, up, down, walk, mommy, daddy, hi, bye, Pa (for grandpa), Danny, cat, dog, open, more, all gone, spoon, hot dog, bite (bop), and bath, among others. New words erupt every day! :)
--She has mastered her slide and climbing up to sit on the kitchen chairs.
--Has started "playing" with kiddos during playdates. She especially likes older kids, such as 3 year olds, who will tickle her. :)
--If asked, she can and will pick up her toys, put things "back," and will "put things in the trash." She will also pick up things for Mommy, which will be nice as her sibling continues to get bigger. :)
--She will "talk" on the phone and say "Hi" to answer.
--She can imitate the sounds of sheep, cats, dogs, horses, roosters, elephants, goats, chickens, birds, and mice.
--She will play independently for a good, solid amount of time. Usually this involves putting her babies on the stairs, "cooking" something with a spoon and a bowl, or feeding her babies with a bottle or a spoon.
--She will sing along to songs. Not necessarily the right notes, but occasionally she'll get the rhythm correct. VERY cute!
--She LOVES to walk outside (when there isn't snow in the way) and has walked all the way around the block once, with mommy following. :)
--She can demonstrate bouncing, rocking, swaying, dancing, kicking, backwards, and forwards. (THANK YOU Kindermusik!)
--For the first time in a long time, this week she did not cry AT ALL when left in the child care room while I worked out. This is huge. She's been known to cry in the parking lot when she sees the building. Poor lady. :( This time she signed, "Play??" YAY!!
--She is obsessed with airplanes, baths, ketchup, and belly buttons.
--She sleeps from around 7:30 until between 7:30 and 8 in the morning, and most days takes at least an hour and a half nap, although I prefer the 2+ hour ones. ;)
Here are just a few pictures of her playing independently. I think it's fascinating to watch her and feel so blessed to be able to spend so much time with her. Enjoy the pics!
This particular day, Emily spent a good amount of time lining up her "babies" like so on the stairs, and then would take each one back to her rocking chair, then back to the stairs, etc. Once they were all back on the stairs, she'd "sit" down with them, briefly. What she was doing or thinking about, I have no idea, but it was neat to watch her!
Rocking one of her babies to sleep.
These New Years Eve napkins are a favorite "toy" and are often used as blankets. Here she is "sleeping" with one of her babies. I think she always puts her babies "to bed" on the stairs because the bars of the gate remind her of her crib. That's my theory, anyway...
Another picture of "putting the baby to sleep." :)
Opening gifts at Grandma Jo's on Christmas Eve.
Grandma Jo and I having some fun!
Celebrating with Mom and Dad on Christmas morning!
My new tu-tu from Gran and Grandpa!
Getting tickled by Uncle David!
Playing t-ball with Uncle Dan!
Checking out my new kitchen with Gran. It's lots of fun!
Visiting Uncle Francis in Junction City!
