Allie’s mental development is growing by leaps and bounds.
She peed in her potty last night for the first time as she was about to get in her bath, Mr. W gave her a loud ovation which startled her into stopping her stream, but then he quieted down, encouraged her to continue, and she did.
She loves her bubble baths and would point upstairs in the evening after dinner, say, “Bubble bath” (which sounds more like “Bubble? Baa?”), and want to go upstairs to take her bath before bed.
Earlier in the week, we went to the grocery store and put her in a plastic kid car attached to the front of the shopping cart, which she loves to ride in because it has two steering wheels and she navigates them both. On the way back to the car, Mr. W made a sharp right turn with the cart which caused Allie to bang her cheek against the inside of the car. She instantly started wailing, and when I asked her, “What happened?”, she replied, “Dada. Dada. BOOM!”
This morning, her daddy dressed her in a bright yellow shirt and blue pants. When asked what color her shirt is, she said, “Yellow.” When asked what color her pants are, she said, “Boo.”
Also cute: she’s learned to say “no,” pronounced “nyo.” She doesn’t do it in an tantrum-y way, but more to let us know what she doesn’t want. “Want some water?” “No,” she would respond, shaking her head.
She also likes to stop when she’s close to our face to point out facial features. She’s touch her index finger to each part, naming them. “Eye. No (nose). Nock (neck). Ear. Teef (teeth).” There are some features she knows but can’t say, yet, but she would point them out on us and then point to the corresponding part on herself to show that she has it, too. Hair, eyebrow, mouth, tongue. And belly button. She knows “butt,” though. “Buh buh!” Point.
The temper’s calmed down dramatically, possibly because she’s getting better at communicating so there’s less frustration for her. Not that she doesn’t still give the big frown and the angry “Uggghhh-huh-huh-huh!” when she has asked for something like “Momo” repeatedly and we don’t allow her to watch more Elmo videos.
Speaking of videos, I’m constantly surprised what she recognizes in them. She’d name her sister, mama, dada, Elmo, kids (“baby”), bubbles, birds, bikes, balloons, mau-mau (cat), dog, everything she has words for.
I also enjoy Allie’s feedback when something tastes good. “Mmmmm!” she’d say, stuffing it in her mouth. Today she “mmm”ed at edamame (“mommy?”), spinach and cheese ravioli, and loquats.
She’s affectionate, playful, goofy, really a joy to be around.