To Shake or To Nod? That is the Question

Ms. M has started to communicate. A few days ago, she started to shake her head "no" in response to questions. Most of the time, we suspect she meant "yes" so we showed her how to nod to say "yes." She seems to get it as now she both nods and shakes and the head movement generally matches the answer we'd anticipate. It's cool to know that she understands what we're saying and is very helpful to be able to get feedback from her.

She's also started to join us in prayers before meals by reaching out to hold our hands. Previously, she would get quiet and would stare at us but would usually withdraw her hand or avoid our attempt to grab her hand. Now she'll actually reach out for our hands.

Despite rarely wearing shoes in her first year, M has developed a shoe fetish. (Dad's editorial comment: OH NO!!! There goes the college fund...) She sees shoes and she sticks her foot out and points her toes, in essense, asking to try them on. She even wants to try on C's shoes, mommy's shoes, daddy's shoes. Her own shoes are either too small or a bit too big and she walks out of them. No matter, she continues on with a shoe on one foot only. Onward and upwards...

Duck, duck...

C likes to play "Duck, duck, goose" and chase me (or be chased by him) around the lower level of the house. M has taken a fancy to it too. When C asks to play, M will get a big grin, pat herself on the head and say "duck, duck." It is really cute. Also cute is her singing, which she does nearly constantly. She started with "Twinkle, twinkle" but now mostly sings "Frere Jacques" which is the tune she and I use (with our revised lyrics) when searching for C during Hide and Seek.

She is now walking (quickly!). She still stumbles but has the gist of it. She mades the loop around the downstairs in little time. If the bathroom door is open, she makes a beeline there as she enjoys splashing her hands in the toilet. Yikes! She had her first serious spill yesterday morning, falling face-first into the corner of the bathroom wall. A huge Goose egg swelled up within a minute. She screamed for a while but seemed to be more upset about us trying to hold an ice pack on her head than the wound itself.

She also has four teeth and a strong preference for feeding herself--even if much of the food ends up on the chair or on the floor... She's starting to drink more from her sippy cuts and less from her bottles, though she also likes to dump the milk out of the cup onto the tray of her chair, the carpet, etc.

At bed time, she and C have been giving her other hugs and kisses. More precisely, C gives M a kiss on the forehead; M piles on top of his torso and tries to wrap her arms around him. Her "kisses" tend to be mini-licks. Tonight, C and M were playing with a neighbor who has a red, battery-powered car. C drove and M rode in the passenger seat and seemed to have the time of her life.

C and I went to the pool at the local Y several times last week. He now puts his face in the water and even dives under the water and under the water sprays in the kiddie pool/fountain area. He also wrote a letter to Oma and Opa last week and was very exited to put it in the mail. When we talked to them on Sunday, he wanted confirmation that they had received his letter.