Dear Carolyn,
So much has changed this month! You’re becoming quite the explorer and climber, and you’ve got attitude!
You’ve more than doubled your sign vocabulary this month, adding “apple”, “banana”, “peach”, “grapes”, “peas”, “cookie”, “cracker”, “bread”, “potato”, “again”, “hat”, “bed” (we use this sign to mean “sleepy”), “hurt”, “socks”, “bath”, “doll”, “fish” and “belly button” (you made that last one up.) You’re also becoming more verbal, saying “sh” for shoes, “ts” for socks, and “fs” for fish. Oh, and you melt my heart when you say “mama” – you say it in two distinct syllables, like you have to think really hard about how it’s supposed to sound. And while you still sign “dog” all the time, you also pant to talk about dogs.
You’re learning to use a spoon, and we’ve experimented with a fork. You’re still not a huge fan of meat of any sort, but you’ve learned so many food signs that I can ask if you want an apple or a banana and you can tell me. There are meals when you eat as much as I do, and then there are times when you eat two bites of food and say you’re all done. I’m not too worried though, because those two bites are generally something healthy like broccoli. In fact, we’ve witnessed you passing up cookies for broccoli. I hope you always make that choice!
You are fascinated with buttons. You know which button to push to turn on your CD player at bedtime. You also know which button to push to turn off Mommy’s laptop! If there’s a button in the room that you can get to, you push it. And if there isn’t, you look for your belly button! You know where your belly button, teeth and hair are, and very occasionally can find your own nose.
You’re such a busy little girl these days, rarely stopping to cuddle, but every once in a while you stop to give a hug or a kiss to let us know you still love us. You’re definitely turning into an independent little girl, but you’ll always be my munchkin.
Love, Mommy