I wouldn't have it any other way.

You're trying to repeat everything. It's amazing. It's awesome to me to see you making all of these opinions and see this new personality coming through.

Netflix has a bunch of Disney movies now, which I love. We spent WEEKS watching the 4 Tinkerbell movies in a cycle. You couldn't get enough of those pixies. Those movies switched something on in you. You started mimicking the fairies mannerisms and even started saying lines from the movie as they were happening.

With every year that passes I'm more amazed by you. I suppose that's the best part of being here; being your mom. I get to see the world in new an amazing ways. I get to watch you become less of a part of me and yet still see so much of myself in you.

I appreciate all of the work I've been doing with you and for you. Although sometimes it's frustrating when we hit a barrier, getting over those obstacles is more than awesome. I have to remind myself when I get frustrated that we can't understand each other that you really have come SO FAR! You can't tell us what you want all of the time, but we can figure it out about 50% of the time.

All of these struggles and victories make me so grateful for you, so thankful for all of the people who have helped us get to this point.

Something wonderful has happened....

I've been working on saying Thank You to you for just about everything. I figured we should start practicing being gracious since the holidays are coming and I'd rather you learn this lesson sooner than later.

You've said Thank You for eons now, but now you've added "wa-come come." Which apparently means You're welcome or Welcome! I was all sorts of giggly when I figured it out. You don't always get the timing right. Sometimes you'll hand me something and say "Oooooh! Dag you! Wa-come come!" We'll get there though. I'm just happy that at 27mos you get the concept!

ALL NEW this week

Boot
Eye[s]
Nose
Teeth
Sock

It's so funny
Sit Down

For the record, I think these are about to turn in to monthly posts. You've added SOOOO MUCH, sometimes it's hard for me to figure out that you're saying a word until a few days later when you've repeated it for me several times in context.

You're more awesome every day. I can't stand it most times. Sit down is probably the funniest though, you sign it while you say it. You expect us to sit riiiight next to you, you'll keep patting the floor around you until you've found the right spot for us to sit. It's hysterical

6 months is really 5

Tomorrow morning we have our 6 month meeting with Ms Mary and Ms Carrie to talk about how everything is going and to write up a new Family Service Plan. I kept saying that I couldn't believe it's been 6mos and then I realized, it hasn't been. There was about a month lapse between when we had your evaluation and when we were actually assigned to an agency. Rules are rules though, so a 6 month meeting it is.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous, you've made A LOT of progress since May, but I have no idea where you are in realtionship to where your vocabulary and communication "should" be. I worry about things like services stopping, that gets me very nervous. I've seen a whole new you now that you can tell me more about the world around you and I love it. I don't want that to stop.

Let's not think about all of the things that make me crazy, let's talk about all the new and awesome you say.


Airplane
All Gone
Bounce
Box
Car
Cool
Duck
Get Him
Good Job
Got You
It's stuck
Jump
Hand
Head
Help
Hey
Mine
Oh no
Ok
Pig
Please
Pull
Pumpkin
Rock
Sorry
See You [Later]
Slide
Sun
Train
Wait
Water
Whoa
Where did it go


All of that adds up to super amazing as far as I'm concerned. With the help of Ms Mary and me CONSTATNLY talking to you, your vocabulary has more than doubled. Let's keep this crazyness up.

You rock!

Much like me, you collect rocks.

You pick them up while we're out adventuring and the MUST come home. You've got a fantastic collection growing already.

AND TODAY, you said rock.

Technically you said rah- but those fricatives are hard!

Another late start, my appologies

In the last 2-3 days you've added MORE words and I've figured a few others out.

Either way, coolest ever.

ah-po: hippo
i see i see: hershey's kiss
bid-a bid-a: ribbit ribbit

You've started saying cup and monkey is now called a-mee. I like to think you're saying ami and all my french speak at you paid off- but probably not. You even have "all GONE" now. You sometimes differentiate between all done and all gone correctly, but I'm not sure if that's purposeful or not.

No and Ok are STILL your most used words/phrases. Ok still makes me smile most times. No? I could do with out it.

I try to comb your hair, "Ah, no. No. Nono. No?" And it just goes on.

I didn't see that one coming.

You told me to go away, clear as day.

"Go away, mama."

So I did. And I giggled.

No one really knows when this started, my appologies

You've been saying Ok, to everything. It sort of snuck in to your vocabulary. There have been a few words that  I don't pick up on until a few days later, this was one of them. You probably said it a few times a day, but it really didn't make sense given the context so I wasn't sure that you were actually saying ok.

Since you weaseled it in, it won't stop. You say it about 4,000 times a day. More than you ever said all right.

I MISS YOU!

You must miss Ms Meg. You told her so today. I've never known you to lie.

I understand that you can't really miss me, since we're mostly always together.

I almost forgot!

You started saying good job today too! I'm a super fan of the multiple word combination game. Maybe by your birthday we'll be getting whole SENTENCES!

Elmo!

In the last few days you've become quite fond of helping with laundry. It's really just you giggling and throwing yourself around on the bed in a pile of clean clothes- it certainly is adorable though.

Tonight while you were helping, you found one of your Elmo shirts. You straightened it out and said, "El mo mo mo mo." It was without a doubt the best part of my day today.

HEAD!

You keep doing things that confuse me. You'll say something and then start moving your hands, arms, legs or whatever. For the first few minutes I have noooo idea what you're doing.

A few days ago you were trying to bumble bee me, it was adorbs.

TODAY! You said head and put both hands on your head! Then you did a little wiggle and started to dance. Then both hands were on your head again. Suddenly I realised you were doing Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. I sang it for you and you super impressed me with all of your moves. You didn't quite get the shoulders in there, but you got damn near every other body part- color me amazed!

MINE!

You'd been saying something like "mine" for a while. It didn't always have context so I wasn't sure that's what you were trying to say.

HOWEVER! Daddy picked up your bunny and you very clearly said "MINE!" and snatched him out of daddy's hand.

Whoa!

Today you added pull.
Yesterday you said jin. I'm still not sure if it was supposed to be Jen or Jim. I'm pretty sure Hunkle Jim is going to attest that it was in fact JIM. We'll never know the truth.

That means you added 3 new words in three days. I'm hoping this means that we're about to be hit with an avalanche of vocabulary.

Shut the front door!

Yesterday, you said door to Miss Sam. You needed to be outside, she needed to know. When she didn't understand door you added the MOST important part, open.

Open Door.

You're seriously the best baby twoddler ever.

DUSK!

I've made a habit of looking in the mirror with you before we leave the bathroom after baths. I usually just ask "Who is that?" you giggle, we go.

TONIGHT: you were pulling the hood of your duck towel down over your face so I asked you, "Margaret, what is that?" and you yelled "DUSK! QWAAAAAAAN!"

Flabbergasted.
Thanks for being awesome.

I think I should thank [blame] Dora

You didn't like Dora when you were smaller. It made you mad, I was ok with that. The songs annoy me, sorry kid.

Now? You love her. Watching Dora has upped your ohno quotient. Whenever you see Swiper, it starts. You've started saying it again in everyday conversation as well. HOWEVER Dora has also given you someone to talk to. When it's on you spend most of the episode watching, buy you'll spend at least half of it talking or yelling at the TV. You even like to count with her.

She also helped solidify two new words in your vocab, hop and jump. Totally cool with me.

I think I'll let her be your friend for a little bit more. I reserve the right to retract that statement at any time though. ; )

I suppose it's also worth mentioning that since you've started watching Dora more, we've seen a ressurgnece of "thanks" or "thank you" and "I did it." So she might not be all bad.

Now we're getting somewhere!

Tonight when you got out of the tub, you were sad and decided that you needed to have a daddy carry you, not me. When I opened the door to leave the bathroom you said "oh no da-dee wah zoo" OOOR "oh no! daddy, where are you?"

I'm beyond thrilled! You're putting words together!

AND!

When daddy went to leave for work, you said "bye da-dee uz ooze" OOOR "bye daddy, love you!"

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't sad that you said it to him and not me, but the fact of the matter is: you said it. So it's only a matter of time before you say it to me. : )

I also think it's super sweet that if you ask for UP and you get picked up, you'll pat our back and say, "Oh, nice. So nice."

Bunny!

You spied with your little eye, a bunny! You were saying cat as you walked towards it. I kept saying, "Do you see the bunny? What a cute bunny!" and eventually you stopped to look at me and said "bun?" I was super impressed.

When we went on our walk later that night you saw a pair of bunnies and started yelling  "BUN BUNS!" from your stroller, I LOL'd.

No more Mick

Tonight you said Mike. Which is pretty awesome. Although, you keep calling the one picture of Hunkle Mike with glasses Daddy. To be fair, it is a small picture and he's got a silly smile like daddy sometimes has. So we'll go with it.

The next step will be convincing you that your cousins have names other than Dean.

GO!

You and I have started going on walks at night. I try to get out there at least 3 times a week for at least 1.5miles. Some nights I go as far as 2!

Some nights I just walk, others there's some jogging and running involved, but whatever the cruising speed is, when I start out all I hear from you is "GO! GO! GO! GO!" Sometimes when I speed up from a walk to a jog or run you let out a "Weeeee" other times you look up and me and smile while you try to immitate my heavy breathing. I usually have to slow to a walk or stop at that point becuase I can't laugh, steer and run all at the same time. Or so I've learned.