So I'll try to catch up on PJ's development. Language is progressing in leaps and bounds. New words everyday, plus so much more understanding of context and 2 or 3 word phrases or sentences. She's begun to understand plural and tenses at least enough to emulate them. We are also working on figuring out our body in prep for using the toilet, which has led to lots of exclamations like "I tooted" or "I pooped" which seem to be accompanied by giggles. I don't think we taught her that, just that she's realized that tooting is always funny. She's started saying excuse me, sorry and thank you much more reliablibly and appropriately. I'd say 90% of the time now we can figure out what she's saying. Totally amazing.
Running and jumping are her big goals in gross motor development. She's mostly got running down. She wants to run often which ends up being a fast walk for the adult holding her hand. Jumping and dancing are much harder and seem to induce shyness and embarassment in addition to the glee and joy of it. She'll wiggle her caboose but then hide her face in your lap from the silliness of it all I guess. When she gets enthused about something, she launches into her downward dog pose. I think she wants to do a somersault but hasn't really figured out how yet.
We think she's getting her 2 year molars in due to the current level of drool and finger chewing. She's sleeping much longer in her crib at nights, sometimes until 3am or so. However, we are entering a clingy period that is mitagating this success. We stumbled into night weaning, but it's going well. Her worst time is 5-6 am. Apparently we should be getting up every morning at 5am instead of waiting for the alarm at 6. There is way too much awakeness and bargaining in this hour.
Television has become thoroughly fascinating. She loves educational shows on PBS as well as a few from cable like Wonder Pets and The Backyardigans as well as the original Winnie the Pooh movie. I must admit that I rely on tv more than I should and, I worry that I'm rotting her brain. I should just either occupy our time differently or stop fretting, but sometimes I'm not super mindful or self-reflective. Sometimes I'm just getting through the day and I need to relax a bit more.
She gets excited to go to stores or playgrounds. When we pass a certain park with all these soccer fields, she has to yell soccer and foot over and over. When we are on our way home, she has to say home over and over. I think she's starting these routines and order that she has to maintain. A leaf on the floor is not just noticed but has to be picked up and discarded. Water play is always tremendous fun. She calls it helping with the dishes, but really she just plays with water and bubbles on her step ladder while you do the dishes. She gets very quiet and completely engrossed in moving the bubbles from on container to another or in using the dish scrubbing brush.
Walks around the farm are still a daily highlight. Saying hello and petting the horses was a big deal in the beginning, but lately she's been all about throwing leaves in the creek and digging with sticks. Pine cones, sticks, rocks and leaves all must be examined and collected during the walk. So must all the various poops we find and walk over (or on sometimes in her case). Just like tooting, poops are always both exciting and noteworthy.
Naps are often a crapshoot. There are periods of long 1.5-2.5 hour naps where I can read for that entire stretch. I love that time to myself and I'm so thrilled to see her again when she wakes up. There are days with only a 45 min nap that was protested for like 1.5 hours. Or maybe she won't sleep until we get into the car and then I feel totally cheated that I have to drive around the whole time.
Here are some of my favorite pictures from these first three months in NY. We are already one quarter done with our time here. It's going by so fast!
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