nineteen months

L is 19 months old; she's growing and changing and a lot of fun. I have a video of her touching or looking at each of these on her body: hair, forehead (she does the top of her head), ears, eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, tongue, chin, neck, hands, belly button, and toes.

Remember me asking about baby sign language? I had to return that book to the library and I have been doing other reading. However, I did teach her a few signs that she uses sometimes. Her favorite is "car". She'll sign it (which is really cute as she looks at me and smiles) or say the word. It seems like she hasn't done both at the same time, although I have. She signs "eat," but pretty much only if I ask her to. The other word she will sometimes sign, but prefers to say, is "baby." Several times I have signed "drink" while asking if she wants one; she hasn't wanted to do the sign, but that's okay with me.

Words she speaks: "yuck" (often she holds out the "y" for a while, and her "ck" makes her sound German): when she picks up a crumb or sees her dirty diaper.

"Mama" for me and "dada" for her dad (but she loves to combine them or call anything "dada.") She's been saying "dada" much longer than "yuck." Looking at photos, I point to dad and ask her who he is and she says "dada." But, also, when I ask who she is she usually says "dada," and then I tell her to say "me," which she can do.

"mo" = more

"pwee" or "pweez" = please

"uh oh"

 "beh" = bed (similar word for bread, too)

"bee-bee" or "beh-beh" = baby

 "bee" for just about every bird she sees in a book.

"book" (but without the "k") 

"baw!" = ball or bye

{You're never too young to "hold to the rod, the iron rod . . ."}

"dah!" = dog (points to the window when we hear one bark outside) or car or star.

"eye," if I say it first.

 Most recently: I tell her to say "love you" and she says "wuh woo" or something like "wuh boo." :-)

 

 {I think she thought the sword was a trumpet.}

scripture sunday: "for gladness"

In my opinion, section 19 is one of the best in the whole Doctrine and Covenants (a book of scripture containing revelations from the Lord to modern prophets). I love the Savior's explanation of His commandments -- which are for our benefit and joy in this life and beyond! -- that we pray, repent, and preach repentance. Jesus Christ said that He suffered for every person, so "that they might not suffer if they would repent" (verse 16). I am so grateful for His sacrifice.

My love for verse 23 has increased over the years:

                   ^{Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me.}


Doctrine and Covenants section 19, verses 38-41 (39 is my very favorite in this section): 

    Pray always, and I will pour out my Spirit upon you, and great shall be your blessing—yea, even more than if you should obtain treasures of earth and corruptibleness to the extent thereof.

    Behold, canst thou read this without rejoicing and lifting up thy heart for gladness?

    Or canst thou run about longer as a blind guide?

    Or canst thou be humble and meek, and conduct thyself wisely before me? Yea, come unto me thy Savior. Amen.

Can we be humble and meek and conduct ourselves wisely? Yes, if we come unto our Savior. I believe that Jesus communicates all of these things to individuals. Scripture study is personal, and I hope you don't mind me being personal with this kind of blog post. I want to be better at feasting on the scriptures and prayer every day. I know that that is how I learn of Him, have peace in Him, and have the Holy Ghost poured out upon me. I want to be guided (by someone who knows much more than I do), not blind. I love the blessings Heavenly Father has already given me that are more valuable than treasures of the world. When I read and ponder D&C 19, my heart is lifted up for gladness.

Christmas {2010}

:: party at our church :: the only picture of all four of us ::

:: Christmas Eve afternoon at Mom (my mother-in-law) and her roommate Shauna's place ::

:: dinner at my mom's house :: with my husband's mom, too :: plus my younger brother, and my sister and her husband and baby ::

:: Christmas morning at our house :: Marbleworks, books, and a wooden shape sorter, oh my! ::

:: late breakfast at my father-in-law's ::

:: 2 p.m. party at my husband's aunt's house (where Grandma lives now) :: we each wrote on the back of a paper present an activity we commit to doing with Grandma ::

:: finally, my dad's house for more gifts and dinner -- no photos, but it was fun! :: back home to put our girls to bed :: still, still still ::

eighteen months

It's about time I did this post. My favorite photos of L in her eighteenth month of age:

 (cold snow!)

 This is what I see when I look down at L.

 I think it's so cute when she's tired enough to lie down anywhere.

Pulling her new beanie off.

She was eating raisins; then she started putting them in the shape sorter, filling all three shapes.

18th monthday:

L's daddy said that she looked like Gollum -- because of the pose. (She does not have Gollum's hideousness.)

On the day of her 18-month check-up, L wore her darling new dress that Nana (my mom) gave her for Christmas, and the coat that Papa and Grandma gave her. L was in the 1st percentile for weight, like she had been at the previous two appointments.

Big sister Shboogoo at this age was slightly heavier, but shorter, and with less hair:

four years old

Shboogoo eating breakfast -- and dancing to James Taylor's Covers album -- on her birthday! She said the ribbon was a worm.

We celebrated Shboogoo's fourth birthday at home, just us. She and I made birthday oatmeal-chocolate chip-Craisin cookies. Her dad had just enough time at home between school and work for us to sing "Happy Birthday" and watch her blow out the candles and open "presnents."

 

Shboogoo's grandparents and some extended family gave her presents when we saw them Thanksgiving Day. 

 (a red dress, Tinkerbell blanket, and a Slinky)

 This picture, also at my mom's on Thanksgiving, represents Shboogoo perfectly! She is always creating a bed and having a baby sleep on it, and she likes to line things up.

(Tangled book/cd)

Then a couple of weeks later -- I procrastinated inviting but I also didn't want to bother people close to the holiday -- we had five of her friends over for a party. They played Candy Land, danced to some "kid music," played musical chairs, and ate vegan cupcakes (which Shboogoo had helped me make) with chocolate frosting. Her friends brought such cute gifts and everyone had fun. We let them each take a balloon home. Next time we could prepare better to have more of a theme, party favors, etc. but my husband was a big help to me. 

When we went to borrow some vanilla, the coconut oil hardened, so I put the pan on the stove to melt the oil again.

This friend got to help blow out the candles because she had won Candy Land.

Our "big girl" is really lovable.  She's constantly learning -- here are a few examples I had written down. 

• One day as we walked toward our car after a doctor appointment she said, "Hey, 'car' has the same word as 'shopping cart!'" She recognizes words that have a common letter in them, and says that "__ and __ rhyme!" (Sometimes she's right that they rhyme, and other times they just start with the same sound.)
• In June we saw a TV commercial for Magic Button. In September she told me, "Daddy should get the Magic Button."  I was amazed that she remembered.
• She and her daddy watched some of the Star Wars movies (episodes IV, V, VI and part of I) and she told me a lot about the plots: ". . . And Luke cried about it. Yeah, because he doesn't want a bad guy for his father."
• Now whenever we have four of anything she says, "Like I'm four years old!"