20 Months - Sentences

This month marks my year anniversary of leaving Oracle to be home with Ellie.  Quite honestly, it wasn't an easy transition.  The career path from senior management in a very large corporation to child development of one are hardly similar.  I'm ever so grateful for all the crash course training and guidance I've received.  And lots of patience from those all around.  I definitely had my crabby moments as I struggled to acclimate to the new environment.  But every struggle on a journey adds to the richness of life, no? :)

As for Ellie, I'd say the last month has been most marked by the formation of little sentences.  "Grandma does it", "Mommy sit", "Piece goes here", "Open Please", etc.  But the sentences are not consistent.  It seems to me there are a lot more words processing in her head and they can't or don't always make it out.  It kinda reminds me of what I've heard about Alzheimer patients.  That in their foggy states, they will suddenly have moments of clarity and great recall.  The same seems to be true for Ellie.  There are some moments when words or sentences are flowing.  But then hours later they seem to be gone. 

Her love for puzzles continues.  She's mastered her alphabet puzzle. 

So we're moving on to actual picture puzzles.  She doesn't know how to start these 12 piece picture puzzle.  But if I put together most of the puzzle she enjoys finding and putting in the last one or two pieces.

Another accomplishment for Ellie has been nearly mastering putting her pants on.  She can get her legs into each pant leg and begin to pull the pants up.  She knows to stand next.  The last part will be pulling them over her bottom (which seems elusive just now).  No interest in shirts yet.

Here's a couple pictures Braden took over the weekend.

Ruff

I've been meaning to post on a new favorite friend.  He's the perfect kind of dog for us.  Little, very portable.  Doesn't bark.  Doesn't require any parental assistance with food or care.  But loves Ellie and brings her great comfort.  His name is Ruff.

Hot

Any and everything that Ellie doesn't want anything to do with is now "Hot".  It started when we gave her food that was too hot for her.  We'd say "It's hot Ellie.  Please be careful".  She'd respond "Hot".

At some point though, it became the word she thought would get her out of things.  Eating veggies...they are ALL now too "hot".  Touching a worm...it's unfortunately too "hot".  Oh what a simple little word for her.... it's like she's saying "I'd love to do what you're asking Mom/Dad but it's just too hot!". 

We're working on replacing "hot" with "no thank you".  But it doesn't seem to have caught on just yet.  So if she tells you it's "hot" just think "no thanks".

19 Months Smart

What change a month can bring.  I guess it's no different than what can happen for big people who are embarking upon transition.  But it just seems so much more substantial when someone is only 3 feet tall.

To be honest, I've been intimidated by this post and dragging my feet for days.  There have been so many things this past month that I wasn't sure where to begin or where to cut it off.  So feel free to mentally edit where ever and when ever you want.

Her 18th month ended with a visit to the doctor.  She's a whopping 35+ inches tall (99th percentile) and 28lbs (90th percentile).  She's moving into 3T clothing.  All developmental milestones are good.  It's really nice to have a positive medical trend growing.  We've read about all these crazy things that seem to come up the first two years of life that are not necessarily detectable at birth.  We are very grateful for every healthy visit and are even starting to pick up the pace of vaccines (we used an alternative schedule for the first year and half).

Her verbal and physical abilities were what really took a leap in the past month.  She's no longer looking like a baby, nor acting like one.  Little two word sentences appear here and there.  ("Hide More" when we're playing hide and seek, etc).

She is also making associations in a way that is not taught.  It's just the skill that comes with being human.  One morning her and I were on her bedroom floor.  Out of the corner of her eye, an abstract moon on a cloth book caught her attention.  She jestered and I acknowledged by calling out "yes, that's a moon".   Then she looked up, and pointed to another moon on a pillow sitting on a little chair.  Surprised, I cheered on her observation "Yes, that's a moon too!".  Watching her mind is like watching an engine slowly turn over for the first couple of seconds and then crank faster and faster, ending in a roaring purr.

She's also mastered opening zippers and plastic bags.  She's successfully been able to get shoes on while seated in her carseat.  She loves to color and has shown interest in coloring books more recently.  When really focused she can count to three ("one, du, tree").  And has started to know colors (blue is most popular but can, at times, point out red, yellow, purple, green).  She's mastered her advanced shape puzzle (with octagon, pentagon, trapezoid, etc).  She likes her Leapfrog Letter bus and repeats a lot of the letters they say.

I need take and post a picture (TBD)

Putting pants on is tough stuff

Ellie has been practicing lots how to clothe herself the last couple of days.  I just walked in to see her rocking this look.  In addition to the diaper and pants I put on her, she added another diaper and shorts.  The girl is prepared for the worst :-)

Even babies get nostalgic

We received some baby toys back from my sister yesterday. Ellie was excited to see them and wanted to try them out again.  

18 Months - Help!

Welcome March and the spring that's coming with it.  It was over 60 degrees two days ago.  Then we wake up this morning and there was snow on the ground.  Definitely a Michigan spring.

We're officially half way thru our second year of parenting.  B and I are having a lot of fun with our little person.  It's really nice to be able to communicate.  It makes the experience much more fulfilling.

She has been very keen to "help" recently.  She'll notice one of us do some household chore and come running.  She exclaim "help"!  Translated...it's meaning is "I want to help you!".  She is very serious about this endeavor.  And most of the time will see it thru.  It's been very sweet and kind to watch this need to contribute blossom.

She also exhibits moments of real humanness.  The other day we were playing peekaboo with a dishtowel and as the towel was removed from my head, hair swept into my face.  She ever so gingerly leaned forward and very carefully brushed the hair off my forehead.  Or this morning, she came walking out of her bedroom with a small beenie baby dog.  As I inquired about the furry friend, her little hand gently stroked the "fur" on it's back.

Her imaginative play really started this week.  There's a series of Fischer-Price toys called "Little People".  She received the school bus with three plastic characters as a bday gift.  One evening a couple of days ago, she pulled the bus to the middle of her bedroom, shook the plastic figures out and then one by one made them walk to the bus.  Once at the door of the bus, each one was catapulted thru the door into the bus while Ellie exclaimed "up".  Translated, she was saying "walk up the stairs into the bus".

As for all the other activities.  She's much picker about food.  She'll happily eat fruit, yogurt, and PB&J for all meals, all the time.  We insist that dinner is filled with meats and veggies that the "family" are eating.  Doesn't go over real well.  So we agree to disagree...variety is important.

I'm sure she's grown but I think she looks a lot like last month.  Although her baby chubbiness is slowly going away.  Her legs are slimming out and have almost lost their chubby rolls around the thigh.  Her baby belly can still be big and round in a way that only baby bellies can be.  I'll miss it when it's gone.

She still tries new words here and there.  Today's new word was "heart".  I've decided that babies come with very heavy accents.  Her words make perfect sense to me...most of the time.  But I find most other people have a hard time figuring out what she's saying. 

Happy Spring!