Kaylee is officially 18 months old today! She has grown so much it's impossible for me to tell you everything she's learned in the past couple months. She's matured by leaps and bounds, has learned new ways of playing, says lots of new words, and of course signs even more.
New verbal words include: Touch ("Duch" as in "Don't Touch"), Socks, Joshy (the 12-month-old I babysit), Alright, Right, Easy, Up, Okay (Oday), Buddy, More, Buh BYE, Hot, Potty (sounds like buddy, but she signs with it), Diaper (Diapoo or Diapy), Poo Poo, Stinky (Teentee), Eat, Cookie ("TeeTee"), Candy ("TeeTee" with sign for candy), Night Night, Baby, Oh-No, Eyes, Day, Ouch, Owie, Ay Bat (as in "I'll be right back"), Aw Dee (All Finished), Bottle (BaBA), Teeth, NO-NO, Naughty ("NANI"), and so much more that I'm sure I'm forgetting. Many many other words are hard to discern but definitely being attempted. She picks up on a word here and there she hears us say, and repeats it. But the ones I listed are the ones I can think of that she uses on her own.
Her "S" sounds like an "SH," so it's so darling to hear her say "Socks," and "Shoes." She also likes to shush everyone and everything, even her baby doll. Sometimes she just lays down and shushes to herself. "Sh sh sh sh shhhhhhhh."
New Signs include: Grapes, Bread, Cookie, Candy, Finished, Brush Teeth, Baby, Drink, Down, Daddy, Hot, Cold, Potty, and many others she mimiks when we do them with her. She nods yes now, and shakes her head and says "no" in answer to questions.
She has learned to play a kind of hide and seek, where she hides, and then jumps out as we look for her, and then she walks around looking in empty spots pretending not to know where we are and saying "Noooo....nooo...." until she decides to see us. It's so adorable. She's learned ring around the rosy, and when I say "Let's Dance!" she comes to me with both hands out ready to run in a circle and fall down. We're working on blowing kisses, but she likes me to do the hand part for her. Her favorite is to press her lips together and say "mmmmm", and kiss us on the mouth. She even tilts her head to the side to allow for the nose. (She's been watching mommy and daddy.) She likes to kiss Grandparents, other kids, babies, and anyone else who's gotten on her good list. She is picky, however, about who gets on that list.
Santa brought her a baby doll for christmas that looks like a real baby, (her first) and she has become a little mommy to it. She sleeps with it, comforts it when she's hurt or sad, cuddles it next to her face, entertains it by playing with it the way I play with her, and then of course drags it around by the foot and throws it. Babies are a favorite topic for her right now, and when she sees babies in TV or in real life, it's a source of much excitement and discussion for her. She knows mommy's tummy has something to do with babies because we talk about it all the time. She'll push on my stomach and do the sign for baby, but I think she's still a bit confused as to what exactly is "baby" about mommy's tummy, since she can clearly see it is a tummy, not a baby.
Naps. Oh, heavenly naps. She started, as of this month, liking to take naps! I think it is the influence of the boy Matthew that we've been watching. Matthew loves naps, and she has been watching him quietly lie down and put himself to sleep in the crib. She now talks about "Night Night," and sometimes even nods yes when I ask her if she wants to go night night. (We call all sleeping "night night.") Day or night, now she lies down in the crib, stroaks her eyelashes, and smiles at me. She sometimes gives me kisses, or just kisses air in my direction, and often waves goodbye. This is in drastic contrast her entire life up to last month when naps were torture and punishment for her, and she'd scream and sometimes not take any naps at all because she'd cry the entire time. I think our home day care has really helped her get on a strict schedule, and expect, even appreciate it. I am the most appreciative of all though, because I feel as though a great burdeon has been lifted off my shoulders. With the new baby coming, I knew I'd need those naps of hers. I thank Heavenly Father in my heart every time she snuggles down in her crib.
As of today, Kaylee is 28.5 inches tall. According to an old wives tale, if you measure a girl at 18 months (A boy at 24 months) and double the height, that will be her adult height. So if that were true for Kaylee, she'd be 57 inches- less than 5 feet tall- as an adult. Hmmm.
Kaylee is very small, which makes her very cute. People think she's much younger than she is, and oogle over how she can walk and talk. All her movements are petite and lady-like, even when she's trying to be tough and big. She likes to run and march now, and her little legs and knees bouncing up and down are so adorable. I'm teaching her how to gallop, and her efforts have her marching vigorously while waving her arms. She hasn't learned to hop yet, but she is trying.
Oh how I wish she weren't quite so shy, and then she could show everyone how many things she can do! As it is, only a select few people have ever heard her say, or seen her sign, or witnessed half of the adorable things I've talked about. If ever you see her and say to yourself "She can't possibly do all those things Ginny claims," Remember she's shy, and to strangers she shows only the tip top of her iceburg of knowledge. Imagine how cute she is being so tiny and doing so many grown up things!
Sigh, like I said, there is no way I can fill everyone in on the thousands of advancements she makes every day, so I suppose I'd better end this before it becomes a novel. Why oh why do they have to grow so quickly!! I'm afraid if I blink she'll suddenly be 16 and want nothing to do with me!! Sometimes I just squeeze her tight, pray for her, and hope someday she'll understand how special and important she is, how much she has to offer, and, perhaps, how much her mother loves her.
New verbal words include: Touch ("Duch" as in "Don't Touch"), Socks, Joshy (the 12-month-old I babysit), Alright, Right, Easy, Up, Okay (Oday), Buddy, More, Buh BYE, Hot, Potty (sounds like buddy, but she signs with it), Diaper (Diapoo or Diapy), Poo Poo, Stinky (Teentee), Eat, Cookie ("TeeTee"), Candy ("TeeTee" with sign for candy), Night Night, Baby, Oh-No, Eyes, Day, Ouch, Owie, Ay Bat (as in "I'll be right back"), Aw Dee (All Finished), Bottle (BaBA), Teeth, NO-NO, Naughty ("NANI"), and so much more that I'm sure I'm forgetting. Many many other words are hard to discern but definitely being attempted. She picks up on a word here and there she hears us say, and repeats it. But the ones I listed are the ones I can think of that she uses on her own.
Her "S" sounds like an "SH," so it's so darling to hear her say "Socks," and "Shoes." She also likes to shush everyone and everything, even her baby doll. Sometimes she just lays down and shushes to herself. "Sh sh sh sh shhhhhhhh."
New Signs include: Grapes, Bread, Cookie, Candy, Finished, Brush Teeth, Baby, Drink, Down, Daddy, Hot, Cold, Potty, and many others she mimiks when we do them with her. She nods yes now, and shakes her head and says "no" in answer to questions.
She has learned to play a kind of hide and seek, where she hides, and then jumps out as we look for her, and then she walks around looking in empty spots pretending not to know where we are and saying "Noooo....nooo...." until she decides to see us. It's so adorable. She's learned ring around the rosy, and when I say "Let's Dance!" she comes to me with both hands out ready to run in a circle and fall down. We're working on blowing kisses, but she likes me to do the hand part for her. Her favorite is to press her lips together and say "mmmmm", and kiss us on the mouth. She even tilts her head to the side to allow for the nose. (She's been watching mommy and daddy.) She likes to kiss Grandparents, other kids, babies, and anyone else who's gotten on her good list. She is picky, however, about who gets on that list.
Santa brought her a baby doll for christmas that looks like a real baby, (her first) and she has become a little mommy to it. She sleeps with it, comforts it when she's hurt or sad, cuddles it next to her face, entertains it by playing with it the way I play with her, and then of course drags it around by the foot and throws it. Babies are a favorite topic for her right now, and when she sees babies in TV or in real life, it's a source of much excitement and discussion for her. She knows mommy's tummy has something to do with babies because we talk about it all the time. She'll push on my stomach and do the sign for baby, but I think she's still a bit confused as to what exactly is "baby" about mommy's tummy, since she can clearly see it is a tummy, not a baby.
Naps. Oh, heavenly naps. She started, as of this month, liking to take naps! I think it is the influence of the boy Matthew that we've been watching. Matthew loves naps, and she has been watching him quietly lie down and put himself to sleep in the crib. She now talks about "Night Night," and sometimes even nods yes when I ask her if she wants to go night night. (We call all sleeping "night night.") Day or night, now she lies down in the crib, stroaks her eyelashes, and smiles at me. She sometimes gives me kisses, or just kisses air in my direction, and often waves goodbye. This is in drastic contrast her entire life up to last month when naps were torture and punishment for her, and she'd scream and sometimes not take any naps at all because she'd cry the entire time. I think our home day care has really helped her get on a strict schedule, and expect, even appreciate it. I am the most appreciative of all though, because I feel as though a great burdeon has been lifted off my shoulders. With the new baby coming, I knew I'd need those naps of hers. I thank Heavenly Father in my heart every time she snuggles down in her crib.
As of today, Kaylee is 28.5 inches tall. According to an old wives tale, if you measure a girl at 18 months (A boy at 24 months) and double the height, that will be her adult height. So if that were true for Kaylee, she'd be 57 inches- less than 5 feet tall- as an adult. Hmmm.
Kaylee is very small, which makes her very cute. People think she's much younger than she is, and oogle over how she can walk and talk. All her movements are petite and lady-like, even when she's trying to be tough and big. She likes to run and march now, and her little legs and knees bouncing up and down are so adorable. I'm teaching her how to gallop, and her efforts have her marching vigorously while waving her arms. She hasn't learned to hop yet, but she is trying.
Oh how I wish she weren't quite so shy, and then she could show everyone how many things she can do! As it is, only a select few people have ever heard her say, or seen her sign, or witnessed half of the adorable things I've talked about. If ever you see her and say to yourself "She can't possibly do all those things Ginny claims," Remember she's shy, and to strangers she shows only the tip top of her iceburg of knowledge. Imagine how cute she is being so tiny and doing so many grown up things!
Sigh, like I said, there is no way I can fill everyone in on the thousands of advancements she makes every day, so I suppose I'd better end this before it becomes a novel. Why oh why do they have to grow so quickly!! I'm afraid if I blink she'll suddenly be 16 and want nothing to do with me!! Sometimes I just squeeze her tight, pray for her, and hope someday she'll understand how special and important she is, how much she has to offer, and, perhaps, how much her mother loves her.
