Play

Amelia can now say the word "play" and that's all she wants to do. She isn't shy to tell you, either. At first, I thought she wanted to pray because play sounds like, "purr-ay" with her r's for l's toddler speak. I felt really guilty when we left to do errands this morning. I opened the door to retrieve her Pooh juice (milk) and she said, "Purray?" I did buy her a sit-n-spin at the consignment store while we were out. It was the same store where I found the bench last week when she found a sit-n-spin and spent a good bit of time with it, but I passed on it. I've thought about it off and on this week and thought I'd see if it was still there. It was gone, but a nicer (newer) one was there for the same price. I had to pull the sticker off of it and take it to the register since her bottom did not leave the toy for long the entire time we were there.

Playing today has consisted of reading, which Daddy says isn't playing. I told him that Amelia considers the definition of playing to be any activity of her own choosing. It really was something, though, to see her do nothing but plop down on the floor with one of two different books ALL DAY. First thing this morning, after breakfast, after errands, after nap, after coming home from Nana's. This girl is a serious reader! I tried to take a picture and she did her new thing which is to point at me and say "Taa-er-a" (camera). But then I got this picture of my eager reader who really looks like she's changing, doesn't she? Daddy thinks so, too.

Self feeding has about gone out the window in favor of playing with books and toys. Tonight it was Thomas and Percy up on her tray. She asked for them nicely. Before I knew it, there was a "kisth!" between the two of them. So cute. Then they were up on the table because she spotted Good Night Moon on the floor and asked for "Moon book!"

I have encouraged her to say her words rather than point and whine and it's paying off. This practice started in earnest a couple of days ago in the grocery store. She was throwing the cat treats, which we were buying and which I had given to her for amusement because of the crinkly, child hand sized bag, on the floor. Then she would point and whine. So I told her, "Say 'treats please'". Whine and point. "Say 'treats, please'". Whine and point. Into her ear so she could hear me above her whining I quietly said, "Amelia, if you say 'treats please', I will give them to you." She said, "Tweats peas." I am glad it worked. We are still working on please and thank you, but she is much, much better about asking for stuff. I am continually surprised that if I speak to her like a person, even though I think it's too many words, she does indeed understand.

This evening she had to stay with Nana while I went to a meeting. When I came to pick her up she asked her Nana for "More cheese cwaKHers", using her "more" sign - which she always uses when asking for more of anything. The way she says crackers is so cute. Any time she uses a "k" or "q" sound, it comes from the very back of her throat. I don't know how she does it, and it's one of the neat things about watching her develop. When she say "car" it sound like she's ready to hack up a lung. Okay, I'm exaggerating. A little bit.

This morning I let her brush her teeth for the first time. I knew she's been ready and probably should have started months ago. Since the toddler toothpaste tube said for 2 years+, I figured 2 was a good age to start. These last couple of weeks any time I'm brushing my teeth she says, "Up, mama" and I get to hold her on my hip while trying to finish my teeth. Fun. This morning when I gave her the toddler toothbrush, she wasn't sure what to make of it and most of what she did was to brush her tongue. Tonight, however, she was more into it and even let me brush her bottom teeth. This tickled her gums and she laughed, which gave me an opportunity to brush her top teeth, which made her laugh even more. Then she wanted to put her toothbrush under the faucet just like Mommy, so she did that and then rinsed a little that way. I think we've had a positive beginning to this new bedtime ritual.