16 Months with Alaska

Alaska.  Sweet heart.  You are 16 months and so grown-up.  And not just bigger grown-up, you think you are grown-up.  Today when I told you to get in your high-chair for breakfast you by-passed the highchair and pulled out a regular chair to climb up on.  You had breakfast at the table, using your own spoon while pouring all the milk out on your jammies right before it got to your mouth.

You love to color and draw.  When I am cleaning up the kitchen in the morning you find some paper and a pencil and sit content at the table to scribble.  You know to only used lined note-book paper and if there is other paper in your way, you move it out of the way.

Your first week in nursery was phenomenal.  You had been extra wiggly in sacrament meeting and both your daddy and I were scared stiff to make you behave in our next classes.  So we tried it.  You aren't old enough, by any means, but we took you anyway and you were welcomed with hugging arms and bright smiles and a, "We were wondering when she would be coming!  We're happy to have her!"  Daddy left you for the first hour of play-time and came back to check-in for the second hour of snack and lesson and singing and was waved away through the window.  You were doing great.  Using your sign words for things, sharing with the other kids, smiling big.  You are a heart-winner.

Another mile-stone of this past week is you are sleeping in your own big-kid bed.  Successfully!  You are truly so incredible!  We're in Oregon right now and instead of setting up your crib, we set it up into a daybed for you and you love sleeping in it.  At night and for naps you stay put so well.  There was never any pounding on the door crying, no crying at all, actually.

We've been working on sign-language and you are doing excellent.  We've got the essentials down and now we are working on building your vocabulary for common things that you like to eat.  You know eat, please, play and more.  We can't get you to say 'thank-you' - perhaps it is still too abstract.  This week you also broke out in signing 'milk' and 'cheese'.  We're still working on banana.

I would think you have said your first words.  You would sign the word for 'eat' and also say 'ea' at the same time.  Shoes are 'eash'.  Kitty Kitty is 'itty itty' and Grandma Mary's dog JD is 'yadie'.    You can say 'here it is' but there are really no words attached to it.  It's mostly intonation.  I haven't heard you say mama, but you call dada when you need him.  You also know everyone's names and when asked to take something to Grandpa or Megan or Dorian you can respond and go to the correct person.

You love giving hugs and know just when to give them.  All the time.  As well as kisses, both giving them and blowing them at goodbye.  You are my loving little girl and I hope to always be worthy of that.