Happy birthday WCB! You are now officially ONE! Walking, climbing, babbling, reasoning, protesting – it is ALL about you!
Development update on Communication - we have a lot more verbalization, and a lot more use of gestures. We have been, somewhat inconsistantly, trying to teach her baby sign and we are finally seeing her attempt to make signs in return! WCB has the following vocabulary:
· “Uh-oh” – I dropped something, you dropped something, or I’m going to drop/throw something.
· “Da-da, Dah-dah” – greeting for DaddyN or Daddy-O consistently, mom occasionally, and used occasionally in a question tone when dad is not evident (but sounds are heard in the other room), or when dad leaves the room.
· “Ah-dah” – All done or all gone, in the same sing song tones we use – flip or move hands like we do to show all done
· “Kkkkk, kah!, kkkkttt,” – Kitty, primarily the stripey cat, but also the back cat or other kitties at other places. But not kitties in photos, interestingly.
· “UT!” or “UH!” in a commanding tone, generally along with raised arms, means Up – as in “pick me up” or Up – as in “get up and move around please” (while we are holding her) or OUT – as in “I want out of this place” (this is usually accompanied by a gesture in the direction she wants to go).
· “HAH-eee” or “Heh-woah” – used as a general greeting, especially when playing with a cell phone
· “Meh, Meh-meh, mah, mah-mah” – used infrequently/inconsistently for “I want mom”
· “bath hand sign” – used in response to our use at bath time – she is making the gesture in imitation – but clearly knows it means bath.
· Lots of pointing and then strings of sounds – no idea what she is saying, but clearly she is trying to communicate.
· Dancing – often with hand gestures – when music is played. She does this while standing, sitting, or in your arms. Music clearly means “wiggle!”
· Poking – She has started poking things with one finger, including buttons, and people. Biting and pinching are still used to get attention – but we’re working on that.
· “SCREAAAAAAM/Howl” – in the last month WCB has found her opinions. She wants THIS thing and NO she does not want to give it up. OR She wants MOM and no one else will do. She has done more crying in the last month than in the previous three. We are all three having to harden our armor…. 
· “Nah, Nahp” - She has just started “refusing” with a single sideways shake of her head and this sound. usually when eating, but sometimes when a toothbrush is offered, or a comb/brush. We know she knows what NO means, but it looks like we are going to start hearing “No” said to us frequently and emphatically quite soon!
Along with the above - LOTS of imitation showing up – just this morning she pulled a box partially off the shelf, got out the toy she wanted and pushed the box back in. Previously she would simply have torn the box off shelf and just dumped it. When she opened her brush and comb present, I brushed her hair to show her what it was. Handed the brush, she immediately brushed her own hair with it! We’ve also caught her “comparing.” She got a large bouncy ball for her birthday – and spent quite a bit of time bouncing first it, then other smaller, non-bouncy balls in her room – bounce, no bounce, bounce, no bounce, etc. She is simply SO fascinating to watch learn!
Looking at pictures of the “baloney loaf with eyes” from one year ago – it is unbeleivable that this is the same being! UP the parenting roller coaster hill we go!!!!
