Where are the months going? I *just* did your monthly update. In exactly 2 months you will be 2 years old. Geez Louise. It’s getting harder and harder to keep up. The older you get, the faster time goes. Here’s the deal this month.

TALKING

You babble a lot. You pick up your play phones and you have full blown, correctly inflected conversations in gibberish. It’s adorable. But the words are very slow in coming. You’ve been saying Momma and Dadda forever. I think you figure that one of those 2 words gets you pretty much anything you need. So, I’m trying to be better about waiting until you attempt to do a little better job explaining what exactly you want rather than letting you rely on the inevitable momma-daughter telepathy that we enjoy. You don’t have to say it “right”, just try. You really don’t want to (try) a lot of the time. You look down and away and stick your lip out. It’s hilarious… and mind-boggling. I just don’t understand where the hesitance (embarrassment? inability? fear?) comes from. And it’s hard to know if I should do anything at all, and what that might be. I encourage you constantly, talk to you all the time, tell you what things are called in a no-pressure way all the time, get excited when you do use one of your few words and phrases {in addition to Momma and Dadda, mostly awa (water), nana (banana), mehma (mima), dah DUH (all done), DAAA! (yeah), dah (down), uh (up), da dow (fall down)}. I guess we’ll ask the doctor about it when we visit him for your 2 year check up. I’m doing my best to encourage you without pressuring you. No matter what, I don’t want you to be anybody that you aren’t. If it takes you a while to talk, that’s fine with me. I just want to do everything I can to support you and empower to do everything you are able to do.

You did add a new animal sound this month too. A whinny. Like as in a horse whinny. It’s so cute, and it sounds just like Momma’s. What a good like copy cat (er, horse) you are.

POTTY TRAINING

You’ve pooped in the toilet a few times now. But it’s always already been on its way by the time you’re on the seat. We considered starting full blown potty training, but I still think it might be a little too soon. You love sitting on the potty, and you love pulling on the toilet paper roll, you love wiping and dropping the paper in and flushing the toilet. But I think it’s a little bit too much of a game for you still. You will push on your stomach and grunt a little when we set you on the seat, but you sign “all done” before you’ve actually gone and sometimes clap your hands like you did something amazing, hehe. You *get* it, what’s supposed to happen, but you haven’t figured out how to control it yet. And you are totally aware of when you’re about to do the deed now. If we are watching you, you look at us, your eyebrows go up and you grab your diaper. But it’s hard to make it to the toilet in time. And it’s hard to catch you doing it. We’re getting closer. We’ll re-evaluate next month. Maybe by then you’ll be able to say “potty”. It would help if you were able to use a word to let us know when you have to go. I’m not in a huge hurry on this front. By 2 and a half hopefully.

DISCIPLINE

I realized I’ve never given an update on the hitting issue I mentioned a couple months ago. That lasted for maybe a week or two, kind of a little experiment you put on to see what would happen. It was never very aggressive or very frequent. It gave us a scare, but it went away on it’s own. You haven’t hit once that I know of  since then. Phew! I’m so glad.

In terms of what we’re doing to encourage you to make wise choices, not much is required. Just today we went to Home Depot and I let you run around outside of the cart (remember you are not even 2 years old!) for the majority of our visit. I told you to stay where Momma and Daddy could see you and you did at least 80% of time. Occasionally you would forget and start to go around a corner and I would call out, “Adela, over here, baby. Too far,” and you’d come toddling back over to us. You touch what we say you can touch for the most part (when we’re at the store if you can’t hurt and it can’t hurt you it’s fair game in my book ), and you listen and avoid things when we tell you it’s “yucky” or “ouchie”. I am beaming with pride right now. Honestly. You are truly amazing. Of course there are always exceptions, but not many.

You do throw the occasional fit. But they are always dramatic, but also always short-winded. When you get a hold of something you can’t have or you want something particularly badly you will cry and scream and babble about how unfair it is – emotionally distraught kind of fits. Discipline for us means that we don’t give in just because you’re creating a scene in a public place. You always calm down on your own. Usually within 30 seconds tops. We just explain to you that said object is “not for Adela” and try to tell you why not, if it’s something you might be able to understand. Not giving in is effective. When it comes to whining as well. Whining does not get you want you want, even if it means a fit. Of course, we cut you slack when we’ve kept you up too long or you don’t feel well, but for the most part, you have to ask (as best you can) in a “nice voice” when you want something. It took a while for Daddy to get used to the idea that sometimes you will cry in public, but he got on board pretty quickly and has made it easy to be consistent. In terms of punishment, we haven’t done anymore hand-slapping or time-outs. I think you’re too young, and honestly I think that – for you, right now – what we’re doing is enough.

FIRSTS

You grow ever more independent. I happened to have my camera out for a couple first times that show just how big and grown up you are this month. This is the first time you climbed down stairs without plopping on your butt, turning around, or holding onto railing or somebody else’s hand. You did it all by yourself. Five minutes later you forgot how and needed my help again. I think you did it this time without thinking about it. 🙂

And the first time you went down the slide all by yourself without a push. You sat yourself down, pushed yourself over the edge and begged for more. Good job!

TOYS

Tia Carmen bought you this adorable Dora hairstyling set with a hair dryer that actually makes sound and blows air. It’s sooo cute. You carry it around and blow dry everybody’s hair – your own, Momma’s, Daddy’s and even puppy’s.

And you are totally in to stickers. Obsessed really. I guess that’s pretty normal. Stickers are cool. I do admit. But you will find one on anything anywhere and play with it until all the sticky is long gone and then cry and show me how it doesn’t work anymore. hehe, poor baby. 🙁 Lately, we’ve had to watch you a little more closely in stores because you will pick price tags off of anything you can get your hands on. You are worth a different amount every day. One of these days somebody’s going to try and buy you.

And anything laying around the house that isn’t actually a toy is your favorite thing to play with. I had a lampshade from a broken lamp on a table in my bedroom for a few days and you put in on your head every chance you got. Headbands become funky glasses. If you can find a way to put it on, you will.

CUTE STUFF

You now “shhhhhh” with a finger in front of your lips when I say “inside voice, Adela” at times when your volume becomes a nuisance to other people around you. Except you can’t really make that sound… so it’s more like a heaving breathing sound in the back of your throat and nose. hehe

You do so many cute things with your hands these days. I have some photos I’ll show from our trip to Cambria last week I’ll share in a later post, but this little series shows a couple of them, my favorite being how you cover up your mouth with your hand when you’re excited, or surprised, or when something good or something bad happens in a movie and you want to show that you “get it.” You gasp and cover up your mouth and look at us. HAHA. Love it. You flip your hands over and splay your finger when you “don’t know.” And you point at everything interesting, *especially* airplanes, helicopters (what you were pointing out in the pic below), trucks and motorcycles. You love moving vehicles, which is awesome. Who says you have to be a boy to like engines? I’m totally going to get you toy version of one of the above for Christmas. The other thing you’re pointing at is an “ouie.” You get lots of those, real and imaged. And you always point them out and make sure they are kissed “all better” by whatever loving adult is nearby. You offer the same sympathetic smooches to us as well. It’s so, so sweet.

We’ve been really consistent about teaching you that you need to hold somebody’s hand when we’re in parking lots or streets. It’s paying off. You will actually stop at least 50% of the time without any prompting from us and put your hand up before crossing. Good girl! When you’re especially excited to be going somewhere, you make sure you have both hands extended (one for me and one for Daddy usually, or for Mima of course if she’s with us) and as soon as you grab hold, you put your head down and charge, dragging us behind you. It’s adorable.

I think I’ve mentioned your satisfied sighs before, but you do it more all the time and it’s really cute. Whenever you are excited about anything… or if you’re especially content or happy… you give a little satisfied sigh. It’s a very grown up display of emotion and it really just tickles me to no end.

You’re a skilled enough climber these days that you occasionally get stuck. But I always rescue you. 🙂

Bed time sweetness continues. One of our newer traditions consists of me running through the list of everyone who loves you “Momma loves you. Daddy loves you. Granny loves you. Mima loves you,” etc. After every statement, you cuddle in deeper to my shoulder and nod your head emphatically. SO sweet.

And you are still spectacularly affectionate. You give random hugs and kisses all the time. You will run up and wrap your arms around my leg and run your hand up and down. And when I’m holding you, sometimes you will actually take your hand and turn my face toward you so that you can plant one on my lips. Be still my heart.

TIA KRISTY’S VISIT

We had a great visit with your Tia Kristy and Tio Brian while they were here visiting from the Dominican Republic. We did a lot. I didn’t have my camera out as much as I should have. I wanted to spend time with Kristy more than I wanted to be the photographer. We did manage a photo with the entire family (thanks Tia Carmen for taking it! Good job!!) and a few of you playing around with your youngest Tia. She’s really good with you. We can’t wait to have her back in the states (and for her to start giving you some cousins to play with). 😉

 And my favorite photo from the month. Taken with the camera hung around my neck on a self-timer while I spun you around by your arms in our driveway. You look terrified, but it was a transient emotion. In reality, you LOVE been spun and flipped and wrestled with. This one just makes me smile. You have such a beautiful, expressive face, baby girl.

So many photos this month. Lots more Tot school and lots of photos from our trip to Cambria coming up. And next week, we’re going back to Oceanside! It’s been a fun couple of months with lots still to look forward to.