Archive for August, 2008
Communication Breakthroughs!
Lots of communication firsts today!!
Natalie woke up fussing this morning and when I asked her what was wrong, she replied, “I wet.” Sure enough she was soaking, but the exciting part is that it’s the first time she’s used the word “I”! Then I put her on the changing table and she told me that she was “cold.” Natalie’s talked about objects being hot or cold, but today was the first time she’s ever expressed feeling a certain temperature herself. This evening, we were sitting at an outdoor pizza place and witnessed a man yelling at his kids. Natalie came over to me (she had been running around with some of her play group friends) and said, “scared.” While I wasn’t happy that Natalie felt afraid, I was ecstatic that she was able to communicate what she was feeling.
It’s amazing to watch the wheels turn as Natalie learns new words or figures out new concepts. It’s equally incredible to witness these leaps that seem to happen overnight.
20.5 Months!
I’m late in writing a monthly update for the first time in 20 months…but rather than let it slide, I’ll tell you about Natalie at 20.5 months. She can count to 10. She learned to say “sorry” in the right context. Natalie loves saying the phrases “let’s go!” “come on!” “good job!” and “oh no!” We introduced the book Where the Wild Things Are, and it quickly became a favorite. She imitates the wild things roaring their terrible roars and gnashing their terrible teeth and showing their terrible claws. Natalie always asks to read the book again while we still have 1 page left to read.
On July 22, Natalie said “I woove woo” for the first time.
Now that Natalie has gotten through her bath aversion, we’ve settled into a routine of nightly baths. Natalie insists on washing herself! If we try to do it for her, she fusses—she prefers if we put soap in her hands and she wash each body part herself. Chris usually bathes her, which is a nice way for them have some daddy/daughter time. As much as I hesitate to jinx us by saying this, getting Natalie to sleep has been much easier and more consistent since starting the routine.
I scored a turtle shaped sandbox on Craig’s List for $20! Personally I hate sand, but when I saw how long Natalie was happily occupied at the beach, I knew it would be a good toy for her. She got so engrossed that we couldn’t get her to look up to take a picture.
Philly Zoo: August 9, 2008
We had a great time with Grandma, Diane and Clara at the Philadelphia Zoo!
Natalie and Clara had a great time playing in the big fountain:
Natalie enjoyed these 3 modes of transportation:
Natalie didn’t believe that this was a rhino:
Hippo!
Roaring like Cheetahs:
Taking a snooze break:
And the best picture of the day…
