Vera is 17 months and the busiest body we know! She has learned to "run" this month, and she definitely is on the go! She's learning new things everyday! I often question where or how she picks up some of the things she says. I guess it's true that she'll learn and absorb tons of things at Patty's house. I haven't totally accepted that I'm not at home anymore watching her grow and change. Although, I have started to appreciate her developments more. I guess that when I'm not around her as much, I notice and really cherish the changes and growth.
Speaking of growth, I'm fairly certain that Vera grew this month. Some of her shirts are getting a little too short to cover her belly. Her feet definitely have grown. I just bought her new tennis shoes in a size 5. Not easy to find right now. Her hair is always growing too. We can't hardly function anymore without a ponytail because her hair hangs in her eyes and drives me (and probably Vera) crazy! We usually opt for the ponytail on the side. Vera will not leave barrettes in, and her hair isn't quite long enough for a single ponytail. When we have extra time (and patience) we opt for pig tails, which are really cute, but a little more tricky to master.
Vera has also started to climb. She hasn't totally mastered the couch or chairs in our living room. But, with a lot of effort and persistence, she can get on our kitchen chairs. She thinks she's "big stuff" when she gets up. She knows how to effortlessly get off the couch, chairs and our bed.
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| Trying... |
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| And trying... |
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| Success! |
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And then thinking about standing up on that chair.
Look at that hair! |
Her yacking is getting much more advanced as well. She is starting to talk in phrases now, instead of just single words. There's still a good bit of jabber, but a lot of what she says is comprehensible. The latest phrases and words include:
There it are.
See ya!
Made mess
All gone
Some more ("ma more")
Surprise (sounds like "paprise" Vera's version of peek a boo--so funny!)
It hot.
Buckle buckle
mac and cheese
Wash your paws. (Wash your hands...Vera hated this, so we started saying this and it sort of stuck!)
Thank you
Welcome
ok (pronounced "otay")
Hi guys
bubble juice (not real sure about this, but we think it's because she sees us pour her drinks and sometimes a few bubbles form as we pour. ??)
Cover up
Knock Knock
tickle tickle
sneeze
chips
Doc
Hello
sorry
nite nite
sleepy
pillow
TV
tractor
flower (pronounced "shower")
stinky
wet
towel
diaper
sticky
sticker
poop
house
mouse
pencils
pretzels
paper
messy messy (as she smears food around her tray...always an indication that she's done)
snippy snip (refers to her fingernail clippers)
box
soap
wash
rocks
stick
monkey
phone (sounds like "shone")
bib
heavy
dinosaur
brr cold
belt
beads
puppy
piggy
cow
sheep
duck
chicken
kitty
fishy (sounds like "shishy")
Steve
Lindsey
Bailey
Mandy
Everything is "no" right now. Any yes/no question that you ask is always answered with no. Sometimes it's a sweet and cute "noooooooooooo" and sometimes it's an angry "no no" with a pointing finger. Sometimes it's just a quick "no" implying that "I don't have time to answer your questions."
The transition to Patty's house has been easy and not easy. Vera knows in the mornings where she's going, so we try to not make mention of Patty's name at all. We just get her up and ready. Adam says that she always cries the whole way to Patty's and then is really upset when she gets there. But according to Patty, Vera is fine and dandy once the door closes and Adam leaves. She knows who all of her friends are at Patty's house and can say all of their names. Reece (who is really Ryan), Karly and Max. We're pretty sure she has a good time with them all day because she's exhausted in the evenings. Patty says that she talks up a storm and repeats everything that she says. She is always really excited to see me when I pick her up. She usually helps Patty open the door when I get there and immediately starts saying goodbye to everyone.
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| Vera and Karly playing at Karly's house during the football game. |
Her animal sounds are developing quite well also: The monkey sound has been perfected beyond "ahh ahh" and is now "oo oo ahh ahh." Aunt Karen taught her that a horsey says "hee hee" and when you ask her what a duck says, she'll respond with "duckduckduck" which is really cute and pretty funny. She calls a frog a "ribbit ribbit" and can say "cock a doodle doo" but I don't think she knows that it comes from a rooster...yet. Thanks to Karen, she also knows what a tractor says...she rolls her lips and spit and slobber go everywhere, but I will admit it's getting better.
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| Sharing her juice with monkey. Vera also shares her juice with Minnie, baby, mom and dad. We have to make the "sip" sound and all. Notice the "south paw" as Adam would say. |
In the bathtub, she will willingly pour cups of water on her head. Adam has also taught her to "get her hair wet." She'll dip her hair in the water. She loves her bath and will spend all evening in the tub if you'd let her. But getting out is another story. She normally cries the whole time she's drying off, getting dressed and combing her hair. I suppose that may also be attributed to her being super tired at that time of the night.
Vera is also no dummy. She doesn't forget anything. We have a tractor book on the ipad that is interactive. She asks for the book all the time. She knows how to make the animals move and help Ben the Tractor find the lost sheep. We also have an interactive coloring book and she knows how to "color" the pictures by touching them. She can touch the apples and pigs as they move around. She also knows how to turn the pages. Way too smart already!
The latest development is the less-than-desirable behavior in the car. Vera is going through a phase of crying while riding in the car, regardless of time of day, length of ride and situation. She just cries. We have tried to talk to her, distract her, give her juice, sing songs, crank up the radio, and ignore her. The crying doesn't cease. The one thing that does usually work is watching Mickey on my phone, but I've decided that's a terrible habit and we aren't going to continue it.
Vera is also doing a good job of using a fork and spoon. She can feed herself, but still needs help scooping the food on her spoon. I bought her some new forks with metal tines and she does a pretty good job at "poking" her food. We thought "poke" was a nicer word than "stab." I will admit that I'm surprised by her effort. She usually tries pretty hard with the fork, but if she's really hungry, her hands take over.
Speaking of hands, we're beginning to think Vera will be a lefty. She does better at using a fork/spoon with her left hand. When she plays ball, she always picks the ball up with her right hand and puts it in her left to throw it. Tonight I saw her picking up blocks with her left hand and putting them in a bucket. Adam is teaching her to hold her baseball bat left handed. It'll be interesting to see how it all turns out.
So many changes right before our eyes! She definitely has a little personality (i.e. sometimes attitude). She is also a little sponge learning and changing constantly. I am really enjoying her innocence, sweetness, and silliness. We love you to pieces Tater Bug!
